Soul Keepers (Editing) #Wattys2020

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Hunger pulled her from sleep. She stretched and reluctantly opened her eyes and was immediately greeted by the vision of Theo’s sleeping face. there was simply too much mischief, too much sensuality for him to ever look innocent, but she did see signs of strain in him.
He had been tired, even if he wouldn’t have admitted it, and she loved him all the more for it. He had put her first. It made warmth flood her chest. She didn’t think anyone—besides Kate—would have ever cared for her like that.

She eased out of bed, hoping that she didn’t wake him, her body already healing. Her cuts and bruises nothing more than fading pink marks.

Soundlessly she moved around the room searching for something to wear. She could have gone back to her room—but that would mean leaving the sanctity of Theo’s room, naked—and she wasn’t willing to risk that with other people in the house.

His room was neat, she noted, everything in its place. It was clean lines of masculinity with muted and dark hardwood floors and simple furniture. She shrugged into a shirt, which drowned her and slipped on a pair of his boxers. She eased out of the room listening to the muted sounds of life that settled into the house. Life. That is exactly what it was. They were living, not just existing. And it pleased her to know that she too was among them.

She strode into the kitchen stretching her hands above her head. The smell of breakfast wafted around her making her stomach rumble.

“Hey Jay,” she greeted sliding unto a stool, “Bastian.”

Bastian gave her the faintest of nods, but that was all she was really expecting from him, his stony expression intact. In the time that she had known him, she hadn’t once heard him speak. He only ever nodded; Jay however smiled and placed a plate of something that smelt insanely appetizing before her.

“I figured you’d be hungry.”

“Thanks. I am starving.”

“Oh God! Millie!”

The screech came from behind her and she turned with a large smile to face the owner. Kit barreled into the room to throw herself into Millie’s arms her body softly trembling, little sobs breaking free of her lips. She looked to Jay but he just shook his head and like the man that he was disappeared, Bastian following closely behind him, looking uncomfortable—which was a dramatic change for him.

“Are you okay?” Millie asked with a small shake of her head and laugh, pulling back just enough to look into the younger girl’s face. Kit had tears in her wide eyes and sadness on her face. “Kit?”

“No, I mean yes, I’m okay. Are you okay? I was so worried about you, I mean we all were it’s just that I was thinking about that day when you and I went into town and how all of this is my fault---”

“No it’s not,” Millie cut her off sharply, tightening her grip on Kit’s fingers. Millie led her to a stool and motioned with her chin for her to sit. “I want you to listen to me. None of this your fault, okay. Even if we had been somewhere else, or if I’d been with someone else, he could have still found me. That is not yours to carry, it’s mine.”

Kit nodded “I was scared that you weren’t coming back.”

“I’m here and I’m not planning on going anywhere anytime soon.” Or for however long she had, she was going to be here.

“Good. I like having you around and if you were gone I think it would have destroyed Theo. I can’t lose any of you. You guys are my family. And if any of you were to,” her voice cracked and she dashed away her tears. “I’d be alone.”

“Well, I hate to tell you this kid,” beamed Millie thumbing away Kit’s tears “but you’re kinda stuck with me.”

“I’m glad that you are.”