Peter stashes his sword away at his side and grabs my hand. Pulling me gently into him, I hear the twins release a breath behind me as my eyes lift and catch Michael, John and Nibs, who thankfully wanted no part in his friend’s games.

“Thank you,” the boys behind me cry in unison.

“You were spared as witnesses,” Peter says in anger. I look up and his eyes never leave mine as the darkness I saw there a few moments ago begins to clear, the Peter I remember starting to resurface. “To tell others what happens when they touch what’s mine.”

Quickly, Peter starts to lead me away, and out of the corner of my eye I see Nibs, John and Michael scurry towards the twins. Their hushed murmurs of what to do with the bodies all I hear over the beating of my heart, the warning in my brain, as Peter leads me further through the house and into his bedroom.

“You’ll sleep here,” he demands, closing the door behind us and stalking across the room.

“But,” I whisper, still fearful of what I just witnessed. I watch as his body stiffens when he comes to a stop in the center of the space. “Where will you sleep?”

His gaze drifts to the large master bed in the center of the room, just as mine does too.

“There,” he says matter-of-factly, “with you.”

“But,” I stammer, still trying to forget what I just saw. “Peter, I…”

He turns and takes two large strides towards me. Anger fills his eyes. Resistance pulls between us, but submission builds in my lower stomach. A give-and-take sort of magic swirls around us, making me feel dizzy. I stumble on my own two feet like an idiot, he steadies me in his arms, and I watch as his eyes soften slightly.

“Turn around,” he whispers.

The heat in his gaze makes me weak in the knees. The tenderness with which he reaches out and guides my shoulders, urging me to do as he says, makes me comply. I feel his shaky fingers at the nape of my neck a moment later. He starts to unbutton my nightgown and this time, my knees really do give out, right before his strong arms wraps around my waist keeping me upright.

“Let me take care of you,” he says gently into the crook of my neck as his fingers continue to unbutton my night dress.