“We thought he was lost. We’ve tried everything for two days. But us in that room? It only made him ten times fucking worse. I have no idea who he thought we were, but he sure as fuck wasn’t seeing it was his brothers. We were ready to take him out, then you came, and in a matter of minutes you get him to calm the fuck down, you get him to sleep,” Viking revealed.
His head dropped. He looked so sad. In fact, AK and Viking both looked utterly exhausted. My stomach tightened when I realized just how much they loved Flame. They must have felt so helpless.
My fingers tensed at my side, then, drawing in a fortifying breath, I shyly reached out my hand, but at last minute pulled it back. Viking's head shot up. He stared at me, then his lip hooked up at the corner, giving me a whisper of a smile.
“I am staying with Flame.”
Viking released a long pent up breath.
“Maddie,” Mae cautiously offered, “No one expects you to stay. You have already helped Flame beyond all of our expectations.”
In an instant my back straightened and I got to my feet. I glimpsed Styx, silently watching me, his dark features tracking my every move. But I kept tight hold of my will.
“I am staying,” I emphasized.
Mae got to her feet. “Why, Maddie?”
I turned to my sister and said, “Because that is my Flame in there. And he needs me. No one else. Me.”
“Your Flame?” she whispered, and her head tilted to the side.
I felt a blush coat my cheeks and I shrugged. “That is how I regard Flame. As mine. From the moment I was able to touch him, and he touched me, I was claimed. I have been his this whole time.”
Dusting off my long skirt, giving my anxious hands something to do, I asked Mae, “Please can you bring us some food? Ingredients to make soup? And things to clean his cabin?”
Mae nodded numbly. Styx reached out and, wrapping an arm around her chest, pulled her flush against his. His lips moved to her ear. He whispered something only the two of them could hear. Mae’s eyes closed, but she sighed and nodded her head.
“I shall bring them down straight away Maddie,” Mae announced.
“Thank you.” Mae glanced to Ky, AK and Viking, then back to me. “Are you okay to stay here while I get what you have asked for?”
I nodded my head.
Mae and Styx quickly disappeared into the woods, leaving me alone with the three men. I stood, head down, playing with my hands, when Viking cleared his throat and spoke.
“You need to be direct when you speak to him.” Curious at that instruction, I raised my head, only to see Ky and AK join Viking.
AK glanced at Viking, then focused on me. “He doesn’t get subtlety. If you want something from him, ask him outright. Don’t hint at it, because he won’t understand. If you want to know what he’s thinking, ask him. He might not tell you, the brother doesn’t say much, but he just might. And he’s shy, real shy. He’ll struggle to be around you, to know how to act. But if you talk to him or look busy, it chills him out. And fuck, if he gets out of this shitstorm he’s in, and he cuts himself, don’t stare. He gets real self-conscious.”
“He doesn’t really show emotion either. If he’s happy, which honestly, I don’t think he’s ever been, or if he’s sad, his face won’t change. But you’ll know if he’s angry. He can’t seem to contain that shit. It eats him up when he’s angry. The flames… they burn more when he’s pissed,” Viking added.
I exhaled, not realizing that I had not breathed while they spoke to me. My hand lifted to press against my forehead.
Viking ducked down from his impressive height to catch my eye. “You get that, Madds?”
I nodded my head, trying desperately to remember everything that had been offered, when I tentatively asked, “Why… why is he like that?”
AK’s face tightened, a protective expression adorning his features. “Just the way he is, Maddie. Flame’s different. But it don’t make him any less fucking important.”