Cataclysm (Four Horsemen #4)(101)

“I’m glad you like it, little lamb. We wanted it to be special for you.”

“I love everything about it.”

He kissed me, making my heart melt. The way I loved this man and all his beautiful imperfections made my chest swell. He might like to think he was bad, but in my eyes, he was kind, caring, and compassionate. He loved me fiercely, knew exactly what I needed before I did, and never failed to give me whatever I asked him for.

“I love you,” I whispered against his lips.

He nuzzled my nose before he pulled away.

“I love you too, sweetness.”

His arms fell back to his sides. I stepped up to Francis. The way his silver-grey eyes glittered as he took me in had my heart soaring.

“Let me guess, you chose the colours and the furniture.”

“How did you know?”

“Because it’s you, Frankie.”

He took my hand and tugged me against his chest.

“Me, eh?”

“Yeah, my sneaky deviant who knows me so damn well, it’s scary sometimes.”

He rested his forehead against mine and cupped the back of my neck.

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It’s a compliment of the highest order because I’m so in love with you, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

His smile could have lit up the whole damn room. Francis deserved all my love, praise, and compliments. He was my safety in all the madness of our lives.

“My beautiful little whore, I love you to the stars and back.”

I didn’t want to leave his embrace. Never wanted to be apart from him. And I had him for life, along with the others. What more could a girl ask for? What more could she want? They had given me everything and so much more.

Francis pressed a kiss to my lips and let me go, stroking his hand down my arm. I looked around and frowned.

“Where’s West?”

He appeared at the top of the stairs just as I spoke. I watched him descend them and come right up to me. In his hands, there were a bunch of papers. He grabbed my hand with his free one and tugged me back into my new room. I found myself deposited in his lap on the sofa a few seconds later. He set the papers down next to me and cupped my face in both of his hands.

“My little Scar.”

“What part of this room is your input?”

He smiled and nodded up at the painting of Nyx and her horsemen. I couldn’t help grinning.

“It’s perfect.”

“No, you’re perfect. My little warrior.”

“And you’re the love of my life.”

West kissed me, reminding me of why I’d fallen in love with him all those years ago. And the breach between us was healed after all these months of being in a strange sort of limbo. Repairing what had broken between the five of us was tough, but every second had been worth it. I wouldn’t change our lives for the world.

Francis, Prescott, and Drake joined us on the sofa when West released me. It was big enough for the five of us to sit comfortably. They’d made sure we could all be in here together whenever I wanted.

“We have one final thing for you,” West said, picking up the papers he’d set aside. “These are the deeds to your mother’s flat. We were able to buy it after we made Fortuity a success. We’ve taken care of it for all these years, and now, we want to give it to you.”

I took the pages from his hands and looked them over.

“When you’re ready, we’ll sort out transferring it into your name, but it’s yours, little Scar, to do with what you wish.”

I remembered when I’d gone there to search for my mother. The guy next door told me someone came to visit it regularly. It had been the boys all along. It made me happy to know they’d done this for me. They’d made sure I had a home if I wanted it. The home I’d grown up in. Was there anything they wouldn’t do for me?

“Thank you… I don’t know what I’ll do with it but thank you. I appreciate it so much.”

I set the pages down and curled up in West’s lap, holding him close, and kissed his neck. He pressed his lips to my forehead.

The five of us watched the sun setting over the city together. There was a certain sort of peace in knowing all the things and people who had caused your suffering were gone. One that left you content and safe. And I couldn’t have asked for more from the taxing day I’d had to come home to these four, surprising me with such a beautiful space.





Forty Five


Scarlett





My hand tightened in West’s as we trod down a path we’d been along before many times when we’d been younger. I tipped my head back to look up at the night’s sky. It would be dawn soon, but for now, the moon shone above us. There were a few stars out, but most were obscured by the light pollution in the city.

Perhaps this was an absolutely crazy idea, but neither of us were known for taking the sane route in life. We’d always played by our own rules. Done things our own way. This was no different.

West and I had come here with one specific purpose. To fix what had broken almost eleven years ago after the most traumatic event of our lives. Because, really, both of us were deeply affected by the night of my accident in the worst possible way. We’d lost each other. The person we thought we would spend our life with. And, although we were together now, it was our own personal trauma related to what happened we wanted to address.