Page 20 of Cage
The bedroom he leads me to is as bare as the rest of the house, but the furniture and linens are definitely high-end and match the cream-colored walls, giving the entire room a serene feel. I can hardly wait to crawl into the bed, though I might need a step stool to get into it. Why is it so dang high?
“There’s a bathroom through there and a walk-in closet here. My bedroom is the next one over. There’s a trapdoor in your closet with stairs leading to a tunnel. All our houses connect down there. If anything ever goes down, you get in that tunnel and stay there until I find you. Got it?”
“Ominous much?”
He flashes me a smile. “Just prepared, firefly. This compound is the safest place on Earth for you to be. We have things in place here to keep everyone safe at all times. Every closet in every house has a door down to the tunnels. Every house also has a safe room.”
The flutters I had in my tummy a few minutes ago disappear, replaced with a huge weight.
“Why do you need so much security?”
Cage studies me for a second before he sighs. “Because, with the stuff we do, people are always after us.”
Yeah, that doesn’t make me feel any better. He’s really not the best at making things sound less scary. I want to ask what they do exactly, but I already know he won’t give me a direct answer. He seems to want to protect me from whatever it is. Maybe I should stop asking questions. It’s probably for the best.
“The only thing you need to concern yourself with is following the rules,” he adds.
Yeah, because I’ve always been so good at that. Not.
Atable full of men greets us when Cage leads me into an enormous dining room in the main house. And not only that, but a woman comes charging at Cage.
“You’re home!” she squeals as she leaps into his arms and wraps her legs around his waist.
Something twinges inside me as I watch her hug him, grinning from ear to ear as she does.
“I’m sorry I didn’t make it back the other night. You know how things go,” Cage says to her softly before kissing her forehead and setting her on her feet.
I can’t stop staring. She’s clearly a grown woman, but her sparkly tutu and the way she’s bouncing on her toes says otherwise. She reminds me of myself when I’m deep in my Little headspace.
“Rowie, I want you to meet Ember. She’s staying here for a while. Ember, this is Rowena.”
As if it’s the first time she’s noticed me, Rowena steps closer to Cage, her fingers coming up to her mouth. Cage sees and wraps his hand around her wrist, pulling it down in front of her.The way he touches her is so different than the man I’ve known for the past two days. He’s gentle.
Is Rowena his girlfriend?
Oh my gosh, I’m so stupid. All this time, I’ve been getting turned on around him and thinking he’s hot, and he has a girlfriend.
“Nice to meet you.” I force a smile that I don’t feel.
Her dark eyes study me, and when she gives me a wide grin, I relax the tiniest bit. Does she know I was thinking dirty thoughts about her man?
“You, too. I like your necklace,” she replies quietly.
This makes me smile back at her as I touch the silver compass. “Thank you.”
A man clears his throat in the background, breaking the awkwardness between Rowena and me. We turn our attention to the table of men.
“Ember, these are my brothers. A few of them aren’t here right now. Everyone, this is Ember.”
“Cassian briefed us,” one of them says, then looks at me and smiles. “I’m Elias. Nice to meet you.”
Having so many sets of eyes on me, I want to step closer to Cage for protection. However, Rowena is still at his side, and I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate me using her boyfriend as a shield. Guess I need to pull up my big-girl panties.
Except I don’t have any big-girl panties. And for whatever reason, my Little is creeping to the surface. I’ve tried to push her back into the box, but it’s not working. Without meaning to, I bring my fingers up to my mouth and catch myself just in time before I slip my thumb between my lips. Instead, I stroke my chin with it, hoping it will provide the soothing effect I need.
A second later, a small, warm hand slips into mine, and Rowena is now at my side. “It’s okay. They all scared me at first, too, but they’re all harmless. You’re safe here.”
Cage watches us, a small smile playing at his lips. I melt under his gaze, hating that he has this effect on me even though I know he belongs to Rowena.