"What?" She tips up her chin, "Why? I have never had guards on me before."
"You were almost killed—"
"By mistake. I happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time; the bullet wasn’t meant for me."
"Probably not, but until we figure out who the person who shot Axel was aiming at, no-one in the family is allowed to go anywhere unprotected."
"So what? I am supposed to walk around with guards in tow?"
"And you’ll need someone in your home, as well," Michael interjects.
"What?" I turn around, "That’s terrible. I don’t want anyone coming into my house."
"I agree," Axel adds. "I am not comfortable with any man in her personal space."
"Unless it’s you, I presume?" Luca chuckles.
I glare at him and he turns the sound into a cough. "Sorry, it was merely an observation."
"Not funny," I scowl at him.
"You may have a point," Axel says slowly. "She definitely needs a guard on her. From everyone, except me."
"Oh?" Michael’s eyebrows shoot up, "And why is that?"
"Because I took a bullet for her," Axel drawls. "Ergo, technically, I am the only one proven not to want to harm her."
Maybe not bodily harm… No, not that. Maybe he won’t kill me, but there are other things he can do to my body and my emotions which may cause a different kind of harm. The kind that I won’t be able to get over quickly.
"What are you saying?" Luca frowns.
"That she moves in with me."
9
Theresa
I glance out of the window of my room in Xander's home. I had often imagined myself living here with him. I had never thought I'd end up here as a houseguest of his triplet.
When Axel had demanded that I move in here, I had wanted to refuse. But then he’d turned to me and used that tone of voice, the one I can’t refuse, the one where he’d lowered his pitch and ordered me to move in with him, and I had found myself agreeing. Damn it, why is it that I am unable to stand up to him? Why is it that he only has to glare at me and something inside of me seems to melt instantly? My chest feels funny, my stomach wobbles, and I find myself saying yes.
What the hell is wrong with me?
I grab my phone, and review the messages from Elsa, my employee and friend. Dammit, I really do need to text and let her know that I’ll be at the flower shop very soon. She's covered for me the last two weeks when I had been by Axel's side. I know that it was a stretch for her, but she had done it without complaints. She's already gone that extra mile for me and I don't want to inconvenience her any further. I start typing a message, then erase it. If I message her now, she’ll only message me back and ask me where I was, and honestly, that’s a conversation I’d prefer to have face-to-face.
Instead, I dial Cass’ number.
"Hey," her face fills the screen , "how are you?"
"I am not sure."
"Eh?" She frowns. "Everything okay with Axel? I heard from Karma that he’s awake?"
"Yeah," I blow out a breath, "he is, and now I wish he weren’t." I squeeze my eyes shut. "No, I don’t mean that—aargh." I force myself to relax. "Goddamn it, he ties me up in knots, that man."
"What happened?" Cass says in a careful voice. "The man just woke up from a coma; surely, he can’t be that much of a threat."
"That’s what you’d think," I shake my head, "considering he managed to get on his feet a few seconds after opening his eyes—"