Raine digested that information. “They weren’t like this with Juliet?”
“No. Not this…intimate. Hammer is more gentle. Liam is more possessive.” Seth searched for words. “I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s definitely not the same.”
She believed Seth, but struggled to pin her finger on why Liam’s friend would be right. They must have cared deeply for Juliet. She frowned.
“Tell me what’s running through your head, princess,” Beck cut in.
“So…how did everything end badly?”
“She didn’t communicate.” A mixture of sadness and contempt crossed his face.
Beck snorted. “That’s an understatement.”
“Um, you know I suck at it.” She tossed her hands in the air.
“You’re doing a great job now. And you can do it with them,” Seth assured. “You’ve got what they need. Juliet was simply the wrong woman for them to share.”
“What makes you think I’m the right one?” Raine held her breath. “I’m not any better than her at communicating, I’ll bet.”
“Well, since she committed suicide without giving either of them a damn clue that she was even unhappy, much less contemplating ending her life, I’m going to disagree.”
Raine backed away in horror, clapping her hand over her gaping mouth. “Are you serious?”
“Yes.” Seth winced. “Shit. I thought you knew. Sorry.”
Which of them had found Juliet’s body? Where had she done it? Where had Hammer and Liam been when she’d taken her last breath? What had they done afterward? The shock and the pain they must have felt—and lived with all these years... Raine’s heart splintered for them. Both would have shouldered so much guilt. But it explained why Hammer had kept his distance for so long. And why Liam had been so determined to fix her.
She blinked at Seth, shocked. “I knew she was dead. I wondered if it was something tragic, like a car accident or an illness. The possiblility that her death had been self-inflicted crossed my mind, but… Oh my god.”
“Anyway, it’s safe to say she didn’t communicate at all.” Seth clenched his jaw, then let his gaze wander out the kitchen window as if he was wrangling his own regrets.
Obviously.
“Can you picture yourself doing that to them?” Beck asked.
“Never. Ever!” she vowed. “I want to be with them without tearing their friendship apart. More than anything, I want to be the right woman for them.”
“Perfect. Now tell me why you’ve come here,” Seth barked.
“To be whole. To be worthy.” That meant she had to learn how not to be like Juliet. She must figure out how to communicate.
Ouch.
“Yes. Everything Hammer and Liam are doing now is to teach you what you need to know. Communication is a part of that, princess,” Beck pointed out.
“A very important part.” Seth agreed.
“Amen, brother.”
“I know,” she said softly.
“Make no mistake, Raine. What Hammer and Liam are doing for you is difficult. You’re the first woman they’ve attempted to share in any way in the decade since Juliet died. Hell, I think you’re the only reason they’re really talking now. So when your demons come to haunt you, and you fear they can’t possibly love you…” Seth growled. “You better remind yourself that their love is what’s motivating them to see this through.”
“Exactly,” Beck chimed in. “Their animosity isn’t just because of you. They shared a woman who killed herself. But they’ve put everything aside to help you. If that’s not love, what the hell is?”
With her head a tangle, Raine allowed Beck and Seth to usher her upstairs. No idea why they were leading her this way. But unlike the informal chat in the kitchen minutes ago, the Dominant hum rolling off them didn’t exactly invite conversation.
Making their way down the long hall, Beck softly squeezed her elbow as he stopped in front of a closed door.
“This isn’t my room,” she pointed out.
Seth sent her an amused glance. “We know.”
Okay… They had to be bringing her here to begin the work now. Raine glanced at the portal. What awaited her on the other side wasn’t just important. It could change her life. She dragged in a deep breath.
Liam and Hammer had persuaded her to accept them as her Doms, and she understood now what that had cost them. Whether they meant to or not, they would teach her their expectations and wishes. She would learn—and maybe figure out how to be the right woman for them. If she succeeded, maybe she could have her castle-in-the-sky fantasy. And if not…she’d still be in a better place.
Seth opened the door, and with a jerk of his head, he silently instructed her to enter. As she did, a handful of candles illuminated the mostly empty room. Frowning, she squinted to adjust to the scant light.
There was no trace of luxurious furnishings, like inside the master suite, not even a lamp or chair, just two stark items: a mattress covered in a simple white sheet and a dark wooden St. Andrew’s Cross in the corner shaped in a giant X with several eye bolts attached to the sides at both top and bottom. Absently, she noticed a carved wooden box that nearly blended in with the carpet next to the cross. It looked benign enough, but knowing the two Doms she dealt with, it could contain almost anything.