Chapter 7 — Locked Doors
920 Words
Morning came slow and gray.
Rain still clung to the windows. The forest outside looked blurred, softened by mist.
Star stirred beneath the blanket.
Warm.
That was the first thing she noticed.
Warm… and dry.
Her lashes fluttered open.
This wasn’t the meadow.
This wasn’t the willow tree.
Pine walls. A stone fireplace. A leather couch.
A cabin.
Her heart dropped into her stomach.
She sat up too quickly.
The memory hit her all at once — rain, the tree, exhaustion—
—and then nothing.
How did I get here?
Panic surged through her chest.
She slid off the couch silently, bare feet touching wooden floors. The cabin was quiet.
Too quiet.
She took one small step toward the door—
It didn’t budge.
Her breath hitched.
She tried the handle again.
Locked.
The windows.
Locked.
Her pulse thundered in her ears.
That’s when she heard it.
Low voices.
Outside.
Slash.
Bones.
Her body reacted before her mind did.
She dropped to her knees and scrambled toward the bedroom down the hall. The bed was low enough.
She slid underneath it, curling into herself, pressing her hands over her mouth to quiet her breathing.
Her heart felt loud enough to echo.
The front door opened.
Heavy boots stepped inside.
“She’s awake,” s***h said quietly.
“How do you know?” Bones asked.
“The blanket’s moved.”
Footsteps.
Closer.
Star squeezed her eyes shut, trembling.
Please don’t find me. Please don’t—
The bedroom door creaked open.
Silence filled the room.
Bones’ voice was calm. “We’re not angry.”
She didn’t move.
Slash crouched slowly near the bed, lowering himself so his eyes could meet the darkness beneath.
And there she was.
Curled small. Wide green eyes shining with fear behind her glasses. Hair loose and soft around her face.
Adorable.
Terrified.
“Hey,” s***h said gently.
She flinched.
“It’s okay,” he continued, voice softer than she’d ever heard it. “You fell asleep in the rain.”
Bones stepped into view behind him, not looming — just present.
“You were freezing,” he added. “We brought you inside.”
Her lips parted, but no sound came out.
She glanced toward the door.
Measured the distance.
No windows open.
No unlocked exits.
Nowhere to run.
Nowhere to hide.
Tears gathered in her eyes.
“You locked it,” she whispered.
Slash didn’t deny it.
“Yes.”
Her breath shook.
“Why?”
Bones crouched slowly on the other side of the bed, so she wasn’t cornered — but she could see both of them.
“Because you keep running,” he said calmly.
“And you scare me,” she answered, voice barely audible.
The honesty hit harder than accusation.
Slash’s expression softened.
“We know.”
Her fingers tightened into the wooden slats beneath the mattress.
“Are you going to hurt me?”
The question hung fragile in the air.
Bones’ jaw tightened — not in anger, but in restraint.
“No.”
Slash shook his head slowly.
“Never.”
She searched their faces, confusion mixing with fear.
“Then why am I here?”
Bones’ voice lowered.
“Because you keep putting yourself in danger.”
“I wasn’t—”
“You were asleep in the rain,” s***h interrupted softly. “Alone. In our yard.”
Her eyes widened.
“Your yard?”
“Yes.”
Shock flickered across her face.
She hadn’t meant to come here.
She hadn’t known.
The realization made her tremble harder.
Bones shifted slightly closer — not touching her.
“You’re safe here.”
She shook her head faintly.
“I don’t feel safe.”
That hurt more than either brother expected.
Slash’s voice softened further, almost tender.
“We’re not the monsters you think we are.”
She stared at them from beneath the bed, small and shy and heartbreakingly sweet.
“Then unlock the door,” she whispered.
Silence.
The fire crackled faintly in the other room.
Bones and s***h exchanged a look.
Obsession had grown quiet roots inside them.
Not explosive.
Not reckless.
But firm.
If they unlocked the door—
She would run again.
And something inside them refused to let that happen.
Not yet.
Slash spoke carefully.
“You’re not a prisoner.”
Her eyes flicked toward the door again.
“It feels like it.”
Bones leaned slightly closer, voice steady.
“We just need you to stop running long enough to understand.”
“Understand what?”
“That we’re not chasing you to cage you.”
Her breath trembled.
“Then why?”
Slash’s gaze darkened — not cruel, but intense.
“Because from the moment we saw you…”
He exhaled slowly.
“…we haven’t been able to let you go.”
Her cheeks flushed faintly despite her fear.
Confusion tangled through her expression.
She didn’t understand the pull.
Didn’t understand the way her heart reacted when they spoke softly instead of harshly.
Bones reached slowly toward the edge of the bed — stopping before touching her.
“You can stay under there if you need to,” he said gently. “We won’t drag you out.”
The kindness unsettled her more than force would have.
No yelling.
No threats.
Just quiet certainty.
Nowhere to run.
Nowhere to hide.
And two men watching her like she was something precious instead of prey.
Star swallowed hard.
Still trembling.
Still unsure.
But listening.
And that was enough—
—for now.
- Writer
