Dark Need by Clarissa Wild

Chapter 48

April

In the middleof cooking our first dinner, the doorbell rings.

I turn off the gas and look at Soren, who seems as suspicious as I am.

I’m not expecting anyone. And we only just got back here.

Is it someone from the neighborhood checking in?

Or is something else going on?

All kinds of thoughts swirl through my mind as panic begins to broil. Maybe the people from the island have come to take Soren back anyway. Or maybe it’s Tobias, who wants to see us punished for our sins. After all, he knew Soren was going back to his people, and I was following him there. Maybe they had contact, and they snitched on us.

I grasp the towel as Soren clutches the knife he was just using to cut the veggies. I don’t want to fight … and the thought of having to pick up a knife and stab someone makes my whole body tremble.

“Stay here,” Soren whispers.

The doorbell rings again.

I pause near the stove and then hide behind it. Like that’s going to save me if they’ve really come. Still, I peer over the top because I can’t not know what’s going on.

Soren steps closer to the door.

“Anybody there? Hello?”

It’s a woman’s voice, and it makes my brows furrow.

I recognize that voice, but I don’t know from where.

Soren clutches the door handle while I get up from my hiding spot.

“Anyone home?” the voice says.

Soren holds the knife in one hand while slowly opening the door while I stand aside and watch.

“Oh. Oh my. I thought … Well, I thought a girl lived here.” The woman sounds like she’s a little stunned by seeing him. Like she wasn’t expecting it at all.

This means … she doesn’t belong to the House or the village.

Soren looks at me, and I look at him and decide that it’s safe to come out.

A woman stands in front of the door. A woman I recognize from long ago.

Tears well up in my eyes, and I drop the towel I was clutching.

“Natalie?”

It’s the woman I was locked with in a cell at the cult.

The woman I thought was my friend.

But she fell for the enemy, a man from the cult.

Why is she here?

And how did she find me?

“You know this woman?” Soren asks.

I nod. When Natalie sees me, her eyes tear up too.

“April,” she mutters, and we stare at each other for a moment, the silence feeling like it lasts an eternity.

She looks … normal. Not wearing the clothes from the cult. And I can’t imagine what I must look like to her. Just two average girls who’ve seen their worlds destroyed and rebuilt.

And I can’t help but step forward and fall into her arms, hugging her tight.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” I mutter.

“I promised I’d come looking for you,” she answers. “I searched for so long, oh my God.”

I push her away, grabbing her shoulders. “How did you find me?”

Suddenly, a man steps out from a bush beyond the property, and the sight of him instantly makes my skin crawl.

Noah.

The man she fell for.

One of the leaders of that damned cult.

“What is he doing here?” I say through gritted teeth.

“He helped me,” she says, clutching my hand, trying to stay close. “He helped me find you.”

“Hey,” Soren says, grabbing my shoulder. “Are you okay?”

Grinding my teeth, I look at him and then at Natalie, who begs me with her eyes. “Please, let me explain.”

I sigh. “Fine.” I look up at Soren. “I’m fine.”

He nods but still remains on guard and protective of me, just like I’m used to.

“He’s not the man you remember,” Natalie says. “He only brought me in to destroy the cult from the inside out.”

“Right …” I frown, trying to stay calm.

“Noah helped me find the papers where your address was labeled.”

“They kept addresses of all their captives?” I make a face.

“Just as records for safekeeping, nothing more,” Noah answers for her as he steps forward. “I know we weren’t on good terms, but you mean a lot to her.”

I take in a deep breath and try to focus on Natalie. “Why?”

She rubs her lips together. “We shared a cell. And I still consider you my friend. I was worried about you all this time.”

“No need to worry,” I say, raising a brow. “I have protection,” I add, looking over my shoulder, but it’s mostly just to intimidate Noah.

“I see that,” she replies. “Is he …?”

“She’s mine,” Soren barks back.

“I see,” she responds, hiding a smile.

“What?” I say.

“I’m just happy you made your way back home. And that you look happy here, with him.”

Soren places his hand on my shoulder. “I am,” I reply. “He helped me when no one else would.”

“Is that how you got back home?” she asks.

“You sent her to the House,” Soren barks at Noah.

He raises his hands. “That was not my decision to make.”

“But you played a part in her unhappiness,” he says, stepping forward.

“So did you, it seems,” Noah quips.

Soren’s eyes fill with rage as he prepares for the attack, but I block him with my body.

“Now, don’t start a fight. Not on my property,” I say, pushing him back with a single hand.

He could easily crush my opposition, but he doesn’t because he respects me.

“Stop, please,” Natalie asks Noah. “I didn’t come here to fight.”

“Then why did you?” I ask, cocking my head.

She swallows and steps closer again, grabbing my hand. “Because I needed to know if you were okay. You were taken away, and I didn’t know where.”

“The House,” I respond. “Where I was supposed to be punished for my sin of not wanting to marry one of you fuckers.” I glance at Noah with disgust.

Noah sucks in a breath, closes his eyes for a second, and then says, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for what my people did to you.”

Sorry.

He’s sorry?

I wish it didn’t make me tear up, but it does, and it’s so unfair.

It shouldn’t affect me. Not after everything else I’ve been through.

But then why does it feel like someone just split my soul in half?

I turn around and walk back into the house, unable to let them see my tears. Soren follows me inside, but I wave him off as I sit down on the couch.

“I just need to breathe, just one second.”

“They hurt you,” Soren growls, preparing to march right back out there.

“No, wait!” I raise my hand. “Don’t.”

He comes close and caresses my cheeks, wiping away the tears. “But you’re crying.”

“They’re not bad tears. They’re good tears. Tears of relief,” I explain.

“Do you want me to get rid of them?”

I shake my head. “No. This is good. It’s a wound that’s been festering for so long, and the mend is long overdue.”

He sighs and leans over to plant a kiss on my forehead. “If you’re sure.”

I nod. “Let her in. But not him.”

Soren does what I ask, and Natalie carefully steps into my house as though she’s afraid she’ll break something just by breathing.

“I’m sorry,” she says after a while.

“I know,” I say, and I grab a tissue to clean my eyes and nose. “It just doesn’t make it any easier to hear.”

“Can I … sit next to you?” she asks.

When I nod, she comes to the couch and sits down on the opposite end, and we just look at each other for some time while Soren stands guard near the door, eyeing Noah.

Natalie looks at him and whispers, “Is that your man?”

I snort. “I know. I can hardly believe it myself.”

“Who is he?”

“One of the three who ran the House. The place those bastards from the cult sent me to,” I reply.

Her eyes widen. “He’s one of them? Wow. And I thought you hated them.”

“I did. For a long time. Mostly because they kept me as a prisoner. And he wanted to take me back to the cult.”

She covers her mouth with her hand. “Why didn’t I know …?”

“Oh, there was a fallout between the three of them. I don’t know what happened, but they wanted to get rid of all the captives. And I was the only one who was going to put up a fight, so I got a personal escort.” I wipe more tears off my face.

“And then you just … fell in love?” She raises her brow as if it’s so strange, but she fell for a bad guy too, so she should understand. “How?” she asks, her voice still soft like she’s afraid Noah will hear.

I shrug. “It just happened. You should understand.”

“Right.” A blush spreads on her cheeks. “Love has … strange ways of bringing people together.”

“Do you love him?” I ask.

She looks at me with bewilderment. “Do I … love him?”

“Yeah.”

It’s a simple question, but the consequences are not.

“I … well, yes. I do,” she mumbles. “But I just feel very guilty over everything that happened. Everything that it cost.” She closes the gap between us and gently places her hand on mine. “I just wish I could’ve helped you. And I’m sorry I was so useless in that department.”

I swallow and take in her words.

“Can you please forgive me?” she asks. “I just … want you to be okay. I want us to be okay.”

I sigh out loud and close my eyes for a second, only to be met by two very upset eyes that make me regret I was ever mad at her.

“I am okay. Now. Thanks to Soren and myself,” I reply, pausing for a second. “But … I do forgive you. You were as much a victim as I was.”

She immediately jumps in for a hug, wrapping her arms around my neck so tight I can barely breathe, and it sets off Soren, who tries to come to my aid.

“I’m fine,” I have to mouth at him to keep him at bay.

“Oh, sorry,” Natalie murmurs, pulling away. “Didn’t mean to squish you there.”

“It’s fine,” I say, laughing it off.

“But I am happy I finally found you,” she says. “And I don’t regret that I came looking for you. Even if you’ll hate me for it. Even if you still hate him.”

She gawks at the door, so I turn and look outside to see Noah tiptoeing around on the grass, whistling a stupid tune.

“Should I invite him inside?” I ask.

“Only if you’re comfortable,” she replies.

“But he is your … husband.” I narrow my eyes at her.

She blushes in response. “Yes. And we have a kid together.”

My jaw drops. “A kid? Wow.”

That makes her blush even more. “She’s still there, being taken care of by some of our friends.”

“There, as in, the cult?” I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear because it almost feels like I didn’t hear that right.

“It’s not the cult that you remember. We changed it for the better. No more forced marriages. No more men in power. The women decide what happens now,” she says.

“Hmm … and he agreed to it?” I throw Noah another glance.

She leans in and whispers, “Don’t tell him I told you this, but it was his idea.”

“But why?” I ask, flabbergasted.

She smiles. “Because he loved me. And because he wanted the women to have a better life.”

Wow. I did not expect that. Especially not from a man in power, such as him.

As one of the heirs, he had all the reins to a cult that could’ve been his for the taking. Instead, he gave it all up … for her.

I sigh. “Well … maybe he can come inside then.” I look at Soren. “If he apologizes again.”

Soren nods and barks at Noah, who steps into the door with a strange smile on his face. “Yes?”

“Apologize,” Soren snarls, clutching the hem of Noah’s shirt.

“I’m sorry for all the pain we put you through,” Noah says, glancing at both Soren and me. “All the men are dead. No one can hurt you anymore.”

“Good,” Soren responds, and he releases Noah again, making me giggle.

“Did he just … lift him?” Natalie murmurs, completely in shock, which only makes me giggle harder.

And I throw the tissues I used in the trash as my tears have dried up, and I say, “That’s not all he can lift.”

And after staring at each other for a few seconds, everyone except Soren bursts out into laughter.

Just like that.

Every inch of uncomfortable tension has disappeared, and all that’s left is a new beginning. And hope for a better future. For all of us.

“What’s so funny?” Soren asks while everyone laughs.

And I get up and walk over to him, kissing him on the cheek. “I’ll tell you another time.”