Hello, Who is this?

9) What just happened?

Once home, Riley gathered everything she owned into a single duffle bag. Always having to be prepared to run, meant not being very materialistic. Logan was still sniffing the air like he knew something had happened. "I cleaned it as best I could, the smell was awful when we first walked in from LA. I deep cleaned every nook and cranny that I could find."

Logan stopped as she spoke, "You mean to tell me you cleaned everything by yourself?" His eyes showed how angry he was while his face hardened.

"Of course I did. Wade had to go see the people who thought it was a good idea to leave bodies in our home as a message. Jack would never allow him to do that alone either. Too much risk of people dying if Wade went alone."

"I am glad you stayed with me last night now. I don't want to know what type of nightmares you would have had trapped in here with this smell."

"You're doing it again. I am not a child Lo."

"No, not a child. However, you are the closest thing I've got to family so you better start taking care of yourself better."

Riley blushed and looked at the floor. "What if I don't want to be your family? Family is stressful and hard. We have always gotten along so easily, like breathing."

"Even breathing can be hard Ry, ask an asthmatic or someone who nearly drowned. Life is made to have obstacles. It is up to us to see what we do with them."

"I guess that's fair."

"Alright Ry, what's wrong? I would have thought acknowledging the bond would have been good for you. It allows warmth and excitement to build in your body and the electricity at their fingers touching their mark?"

"Did you know?"

Logan watched as Riley fought back tears, as she tried to calm herself. She was quickly putting up the wall between her mates' emotions and her own. They couldn't be allowed to feel what she does. Riley felt they had more important things to do than deal with her stupid stuff.

"Did I know what, Ry?" Logan asked gently, watching as Riley sat up straighter and had a mask of indifference fall into place on her face. He knew she was slipping into old habits and blocking off her emotions but didn't want to comment until he knew what he was dealing with.

"Did you know that my soulmark on all of them is the same thing, in the same place? It is on the left side of their ribcage Lo. The ANGEL WINGS are on their ribs." Both people sucked in a breath. "I don't show my back to anyone and yet, there it is. My most hated memory.... worn like it is something to be proud of on the skin of my mates. Lo, what if they see how scarred I am and leave me? Not that I blame them, honestly. Maybe I should spend a couple days with the girls. Maze is always talking about reshaping my scars and turning them into something I choose rather than something that was forced upon my skin. Maybe..."

Ry looked up at Lo who was still sitting in shock. She thought it was because of the wings, like her so, she moved towards him and kneeled in front of him, hugging his torso as he sat, in stunned silence.

Lo allowed her to wrap her hands around him before pulling her back and looking into her eyes. "They would never leave you based on your scars. You are a beautiful young lady and no amount of scars will ever take that away. Beauty is more than skin deep. If they ever even utter a negative comment regarding your beauty or talking down at you for what has been done to you; you won't need to worry about it. I know myself and a few others who would happily show them the error of their ways, and maybe make them disappear, permanently."

Logan had a smirk on his face as he watched Riley laugh at him. "You can't hurt them without hurting me. Don't be getting any ideas."

"Too late Riles, too late. I have so many ideas on what to do if anyone hurts you. It just comes naturally."