Their Kitten: Chapter 30

I can’t stop the sobs that wrack my body as Talon removes the dildo from my ass as gently as he can. Splintering pain robs me of my breath, and I can’t even remember a moment in which I wished for death as much as I do right now. I just want to get out of here and drown myself in something that’ll take the pain away and make me temporarily forget what happened here.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t get here sooner, Cleo,” Talon murmurs. I know he’s trying to comfort me, but the words do little for the pain seizing my body. He directs a pointed glare at this brother. “How about you come over here and help me get her off of here instead of standing there being stuck on stupid?” My wrists and ankles are raw and red from the rope. My shoulders are stiff and achy, and my entire body hurts. All I can do is fall to my knees on the floor and cry.

Talon offers me his good arm, and I gratefully take it, noticing how he winces a little when I accidentally bump against his other arm that sits in a sling. He murmurs soft apologies as he helps me get dressed while Tristan only stands there as if he’s in a daze. I’m sure he’s still trying to process what I’ve told him, as the bewildered look is on his face. It’s not until Talon steers me toward the door when Tristan blinks and finally notices us.

“Where are you going?” he asks.

“That isn’t your concern,” Talon snaps as he leads me out of the room.

I try to keep myself composed long enough to walk through the club. I can only imagine how I look with all the shocked expressions on the faces we pass on our way out. He takes me to his car and at this point, I don’t even care where he takes me as long as it’s far away from this club.

“Do you want to go to the hospital?” he asks once he’s in the driver’s seat.

“And tell them what?” I sniffle. “Considering that I’ve already been in the ER once because of Tristan, I’m sure a second time is going to raise red flags.”

Talon nods his understanding and starts the car. I wrap my arms around myself and try to concentrate on anything other than how painful it is to sit. I nearly want to jump out of my skin when I realize he’s taking me to their house, as I know it’s only a matter of time before Tristan gets here as well.

As if sensing my discomfort, Talon puts a hand on my knee. “You’ll be fine here. I can promise you that.”

He helps me out of the car and takes me into the house, helping me get settled on the couch. I wince in pain, opting to lie across the couch on my stomach instead. Talon crouches down next to me and runs his fingers through my hair.

“I’m so sorry, Cleo.” He shakes his head and sighs. “This shouldn’t have happened.”

“It was either that or a stranger. I was bound to leave in pain, no matter who it was.”

His jaw tightens at my words. “I’ll be right back,” he says. I close my eyes when he walks away. Even the fabric of my clothes rubbing against me is excruciating, and I’m almost tempted to strip out of them just to find some relief. Talon reappears next to me, holding out his hand. “Come with me.”

“Do I have to?”

“I have something that’ll help with your pain.”

“Can’t you bring it to me?”

“I think a tub full of water would be a bit hard to move,” he jokes, trying to break up the somber mood, but I’m in no mood to laugh.

I force myself back up to my feet, grateful at the thought of soaking some of this pain away. I follow Talon into the bathroom to see that he’s run a bubble bath for me. He helps me out of my clothes and allows me to hold onto his good arm to ease into the water. It stings when I first try to sit, but soon the hot water is comforting to my aching body.

“Thank you.” I breathe.

“Of course. It’ll help with the bruising and some of the superficial pain.”

I look at him and frown. “Are you going to come in?”

“I would, but…” He gestures to his arm. “I can’t get these bandages wet just yet.”

“Oh, right.” A comfortable silence falls over us as I let Talon wash my hair. Though he doesn’t say anything, I can tell he’s still angry at Tristan. “You shouldn’t be so hard on Tristan,” I murmur.

Talon’s face scrunches up in bewilderment at my statement. “What he did to you was unacceptable.”

“It’s not like I didn’t deserve it.” I sink a little deeper into the soothing water and lavender bubbles. “I’d said something at the hospital that I didn’t mean, and I’m sure he was still upset about that.” I slightly shake my head. “I don’t blame him.”

“He should’ve known that wasn’t true,” he mumbles. “Still doesn’t give him the right to do all of this stuff.”

I shrug. “It’s not like he put me there. I did ask Lucian to set me up with another deal in Hell because I wanted to make more money.”

“But you had money,” he says, confused. “Why go through all of that all over again when you already had the money you earned from us?”

“I guess I just didn’t feel right using it after everything that’s happened. I gave the cash back to Purgatory.” I swallow the knot of anxiety that tries to lodge itself into my throat. “I think it’s high time I told you the real reason I left.”

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Cleo.”

“But I do.” I glance at his bandaged arm. “You deserve to know, and I already told Tristan.”

“All right then.”

I take a deep breath and finally reveal the truth. Emotions bubble up in my throat and threaten to spill out in the form of tears, but Talon reaches into the water and gives my hand a gentle squeeze. The memories of the abuse try to drown me as I speak them out loud, but Talon’s presence acts as a life jacket that keeps me afloat. The heaviness that lived in my chest for all these years slowly dissolves as I finally let go of this secret.

For the longest time, I’d been afraid of telling my truth, afraid of people not believing me. I’ve now realized how much holding that in has trapped me all these years. This secret caused me to give up two people that I loved more than anything and finally revealing all this to them has removed the burden I’ve carried around for so long.

“So yeah,” I say when I finish, releasing a big sigh. “That’s what really happened.”

Talon is quiet for a long moment. “I’m so sorry that happened to you, Cleo,” he starts off softly. “If you would’ve told us, we would’ve understood.”

I sniffle. “I didn’t think you’d believe me.”

“Well, I do believe you,” he murmurs. “I knew it had to be something bad for you to leave without saying goodbye.” He shakes his head sadly. “I just didn’t think it was because of something like that.”

“I should’ve told you guys sooner. I’m sorry that I didn’t.” I sigh softly. “I was already so ashamed when I realized that you two were my clients that I thought telling you guys would only make things worse. I know how you guys practically worship the ground your father walks on, so I thought it was just best to keep it to myself.”

“You were our family, too, Cleo,” he reminds me. “We wouldn’t have thought any differently of you. Sure, it’s a hard pill to swallow to find out our dad is a fucking creep, but we would’ve still been there for you.”

I nod in agreement. I’ve seen the way they’ve shown up for me without even knowing the truth. They helped me even before they officially knew who I was, which should’ve been a strong indicator that they’re trustworthy and not anything like the monster that raised them. Tristan may have had some bad moments, but he also had moments that reminded me of the guy that I always felt safe around when I was younger.

When the water starts to cool off, I finally feel okay enough to get out. Talon helps me step out of the tub and carefully wraps me in a soft towel. I look up and notice Tristan standing in the doorway, his appearance catching me off guard. His face is riddled with guilt, his eyes red and puffy as if he’s been crying.

“I’m sorry, Cleo,” he finally says.

“What the hell happened to you?” Talon asks, just as surprised as I am.

“I went to talk to Dad.” A hint of anger appears in his irises. “I confronted him about what he did to Cleo.” Tristan scoffs inwardly. “He denied it, of course, but I knew he was lying. Fucking bastard.”

To hear Tristan, of all people, validating my truth and believing me, almost brings tears to my eyes. This whole time, I thought he’d be the one who refused to believe me. As the oldest son, I always knew how important his father was to him and how he’d practically idolized him. It feels so good to finally be heard and understood after hiding for so long.

“Like I told Talon, I should’ve told you guys sooner. I was just scared.”

“After the way we treated you.” He pauses. “After the way I treated you, I don’t blame you. I probably would’ve held that kind of secret close to my chest, too.” He sighs softly. “I truly am sorry, Cleo. I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I hope I can earn it one day.”

“You will. I just need some time after today.” Guilt and shame move over his features. I give him a small smile. “A lot of these things could’ve been avoided had I been honest from the beginning.”

“Please don’t do that. Don’t take any more blame upon yourself. Today shouldn’t have happened. It’s all my fault and not yours.” I nod at Tristan’s words.

“Can we start over?” Talon asks. “The right way this time?”

I nod. “I’d like that a lot.”

He returns my smile. “Cool.” He moves over to where Tristan is standing. “We’ll let you get dressed. We’ll be in the living room.”

They step out of the bathroom and close the door behind them. A soft smile settles on my lips as I slip my clothes back on. With my secret out in the open, I no longer have to hide anymore. I can have them in my life without having to worry about being forced to be around their father. It’s comforting to know that I’ll have some kind of family, someone to navigate through life with so that it’s not as lonely as it was when I had to fend for myself.

I thought I was cursed when I stumbled upon the guys at the club, but maybe it’s just the start of something even more beautiful for our future.

Tristan and Talon are sitting on the couch when I enter the living room. Talon gasps and gawks at me with wide eyes. “Is that Cleo?” he exclaims. “You remember Cleo, right? She used to live with us when we were kids.”

Tristan looks up from his phone and stares at me for a brief moment before looking back to his phone. “Nah. She’s too scrawny to be our Cleo.”

Hearing him call me “our” Cleo makes me feel warm all over. “You two are idiots,” I say with a giggle.

Talon smirks at me. “Hey, we said we were starting over, didn’t we?”

“Do one of you guys mind giving me a ride to my hotel room?” I ask. As much as I’d like to stay here and continue bonding with them, I’m beyond exhausted and just want to sleep. They look at me like I’ve grown another head. “What?”

“I don’t think we can do that,” Tristan says, shaking his head.

My face falls flat as I regard them both. “Um, okay then. I’ll order an Uber.”

“What we mean,” Talon says, giving Tristan a knowing look. “Is that you’re not going back to the hotel.” He stands and walks over to me, taking my hand in his. “We’ve let you walk away one too many times. You belong here with the both of us, so we’re not letting you go again. Not this time.”

“What are you saying?” I ask slowly, my heart skipping a beat.

Tristan joins him, taking my other hand. “We love you, Cleo; always have. And if you’ll have us, we want you to stay with us for good.”

I gawk at the both of them, my heart so full that I can’t stop the tears that burn my eyes. Their declaration is like a balm I didn’t even know my heart needed.

“I love you guys, too,” I say as happy tears roll down my cheeks. “But are you sure this is what you want? What about your father?”

“What about him?” Tristan asks with a frown. “We’re choosing you; the question is whether or not you’ll choose us.”

I smile and bounce up on the tips of my toes to press a kiss to both of their lips. “And I choose you,” I murmur. “So yes, I’ll stay.”

And for the first time in a long time, I finally feel like I’ve made the best choice.