Tempted Fate |18+ (Ménage)✔

⊰14⊱

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My heart beats fast in my chest, staring at the pool that Cassidy swims lazily in. The grip I have on the edges of the lounge chair causes my knuckles to turn white.

What am I going to do?

If I'm in The Hunt, I know I'll survive...

...but what Taft says...it reminds me that by law he'll own me after the winter solstice.

Grandpa can do nothing, not without jeopardizing the future.

"Dot, you okay?" Wyn asks me gently, walking around the pool before he sits on a chair across from the one I'm seated on. My gaze lifts for a moment, catching Warren waiting as Rose hasn't emerged from the ladies changing room yet.

My abdomen is slightly swollen now, enough to see a forming bump as I wear a one-piece swimsuit. I hadn't noticed much...because the child I carry isn't at the forefront of my thoughts.

"I..." I turn my face away, looking out through the glass windows surround the enclosed pool room. I'm well aware that Dante will be making his presence known soon.

"I'll protect you," my heart nearly stops in my chest when Wyn offers me a halfhearted smile, "I'm scared, Dot...but I know you don't just have yourself to worry about."

I haven't been able to speak to Grandpa since Taft released me to this spot...

...I need to tell him—

"Hey," it's Rose's voice that sounds from beside me, watching as Warren lower himself in a chair while waiting for Rose to potentially join him. Tilting my head to the side, I see something in her eyes as she states, "It might not seem like it, but perhaps it's a blessing in disguise."

I'm very confused...even Wyn is, as he's the one to ask, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Dot will be free of an unending servitude," Rose shrugs, "we all will if fail..."

I can't stand her.

Rising from the chair, I walk away, heading to the ladies changing room. I hear Cassidy swim to the edge of the pool, telling me, "It'll be okay."

At least she's not trying to make it sound like we're committing suicide, unlike how Rose believes no one else has the aptitude to endure what's to come. I don't respond though, stepping through the doors and walking straight around to the sinks.

The mirror before me, tears form in my eyes as all I can think of is Merle when I see my reflection. We're so far apart...and yet, fate pulls us through time and space for a brief encounter that makes me question everything I know.

There's a shift in the air, the hue altering of the room to that of a familiar purple. I glance at the door, looking to see if anyone had followed.

Nothing.

When I bring my gaze back to the mirror, I see his reflection as his presence grows from behind me. Tresor's amethyst eyes lock with mine in our reflection, his hand reaching up and touching my upper arm. That warmth is easier to differentiate this time and in for certain, there's something beyond my recognition of how we're drawn together.