Crying has always been a default for my emotions. Happy, sad, mad, stressed, all feelings are capable of bringing on tears. I held my breath in an attempt to avoid hyperventilating. This was just too much. 

Damien stood up straight and exhaustion was evident on his face. "I'll show you to your room." 

I stared coldly at him, my body language making it clear that I wasn't going to accept his offer. I could feel the tension in the room, and I'm sure Lucas could feel it as he held my arms.

"I think I'll take her Dame. You go get some sleep." 

"Luke I—" 

Lucas cut him off, "you're not thinking straight man. Go to bed, I'll take care of her." 

With nothing more than a sigh, Damien left us alone in the living room. My arms were soon released and Lucas walked in front of me. "Come with me." 

I glanced at the front door behind me. 

"Ember," his voice drew my attention back to him and instead of resisting, I followed.

       We went down different hallways and up a set of L-shaped stairs. 

As we reached the second floor, Lucas broke the silence. "So, where are you from?" '

Small talk? Really?' I thought to myself.

"It doesn't really matter now, does it?" My passive response may have seemed off-putting, but in reality, I wanted to protect those who knew me. I didn't know who these guys were or what they were capable of. I wasn't willing to risk disclosing any information that may aid them in gaining further access than they already had to my personal life. Lucas simply nodded as he led me into a large bedroom that was beautifully decorated, just like the rest of the house. He closed the door before sitting down on a cushioned bench that rested at the foot of a queen-size bed which was fitted with sage and white blankets. Everything about the space was grand and delicate. Many of its aspects reminded me of the Victorian era.

Lucas leaned his back against the end of the bed and crossed his arms. "I'm the nice one, you know. You can talk to me."

I scoffed. "Sure I can." 

He let out a soft laugh. "Sorry, that must sound pretty ridiculous to you after tonight." 

I furrowed my eyebrows and stepped to the side with my arms crossed. "That's one way of putting it." 

He changed positions by leaning forward, resting his arms on his knees and looking up at me.

"Hun, you have every reason to believe that I'm a bad person. All you know of me is that I live with a guy who abducted you." 

A sarcastic laugh escaped my lips. "Pretty much."

"So give me a chance to actually introduce myself." 

I stared at him, a hint of curiosity in my mind. After a moment, I nodded and moved in his direction, sitting down on what I must admit was one of the most comfortable beds I'd ever been on. He turned to face me and rested his arms on the bed, still sitting on the bench. 

He gave a charming smile and continued in his smooth voice, "my name is Lucas, I was born in New Hampshire and moved here a few years ago after my parents died in a car accident." 

My heart dropped.

"I'm sorry for your loss." 

He nodded in appreciation and resumed speaking. "I met Damien and we really hit it off. We became quick friends and since neither of us have any family, we started living together here. He's like my brother." 

I tilted my head with interest. "He has no family either?" 

Lucas shook his head. "Not my story, but yeah, he has no relatives he knows. Obviously, there are some out there, but none who have given him the time of day since he was five." 

I couldn't help but feel sympathy for both of them. The increased sadness added to my existing feelings and brought back the urge to cry. I bit my lip as I tried not to let it out. As soon as Lucas saw my watery eyes he quickly pushed himself onto the bed and put a hand on my back. "Hey now, it's okay." 

That was it – the tears began to stream down my face.

"How can you say that? How is any of this okay?" His expression showed compassion as I spoke.

"What part of any of this is okay?" I spoke between sobs, "He showed me kindness and then just took me away. H—h—how is that okay?" 

As I cried, strong arms wrapped around me, and I was pulled into Lucas' bare chest. At that moment, I didn't even care that we'd just met. I didn't care who he was. I felt comfort, and that's what I needed. The source didn't matter to me. He held me as my body shook and tears fell down his torso. He held me so tight yet so gently at the same time.

"Shhh, just breathe, love...shhh." 

Slowly, my breathing steadied and I rested in his arms with red eyes. Everything was quiet. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to feel safe, putting up a momentary wall between myself and the reality of where I was and who I was with.

With a deep breath, I pulled away and looked up at him. "Lucas, what do you guys want with me? Please just tell me now so I can prepare myself for whatever is to come." 

He reached his hand up to touch my cheek. "I didn't know you'd be coming home with him, Ember. I don't know what exactly he wants. I will talk to him in the morning, though."

"Is he going to hurt me? Or kill me?"

"You're going to be okay." - He wasn't looking in my eyes, I knew what that usually meant. Lies. - When my breathing began to quicken again, he reached up so he held my face in both hands. "Hey, hey. Ember, stay calm. Breathe. Listen to me." 

I stopped myself from becoming hysterical again and listened to him. 

"You are going to be okay." He was looking deep into my eyes now. What did that mean? He continued, "Damien is a lot of things but he isn't a murderer. He won't kill you. I wish I could tell you what he wants with you but I can't. I need you to stay calm and just do what he says." He lifted a hand, ran it through my hair, and smiled, "unless he tells you to stay away from me." 

I smiled and laughed quietly. I'm not completely sure what I was laughing at – it had been an unbelievably long and emotional day.

"Is that an attempt at a joke or something?" 

He continued to smile. "If it was, I'm glad it made you laugh. If it wasn't, at least I got to see you smile."