Housebound with the Blackridge Heirs novel Chapter 120

Chapter 120

Maya

“So what now?”

The question hung between us, heavy and unanswered, curling into the quiet like smoke that had nowhere to go. None of them spoke.

Caden’s jaw was tight, his gaze fixed somewhere past my shoulder like he was bracing for impact. Leo looked contemplative, almost withdrawn, his fingers flexing against his thigh as if grounding himself. Tylon stood with his arms crossed, unreadable as ever, his presence a wall I could not quite lean on and could not quite step away from either.

Before any of them could form a response, a loud metallic clatter echoed from somewhere, sharp and abrupt enough to make all four of us flinch.

“What was that?” Leo asked, already moving.

We rushed toward the kitchen, instincts overriding confusion, only to skid to a stop at the doorway.

Elise stood in the middle of the chaos, frozen with a wooden spoon in one hand and a sheepish expression on her face. Pots lay scattered across the floor, one overturned with eggs splattered across the tiles like a crime scene. A thin trail of steam curled up from a pan that had clearly been abandoned mid–rescue.

“I was trying to make breakfast,” she said quickly, wincing as she nudged a pot with her foot. “And before anyone says anything, yes, I know I should have woken one of you. And no, I did not expect the pan to fight back.”

For a second, no one said anything. Then Elise glanced between the four of us, her gaze lingering a little too knowingly on me, and her mouth curved into a grin that was far too smug for the hour.

“So,” she added lightly, “I’m guessing the night was… eventful.”

The tension in the room thickened instantly.

Tylon cleared his throat. Caden shifted uncomfortably and Leo looked like he wanted the floor to swallow

him whole.

“Sit,” Elise said suddenly, waving her spoon toward the table.

“I have to go do something,” Caden started, already stepping forward.

“Sit,” she repeated, sharper now.

Tylon opened his mouth, likely to argue on principle alone, but Elise fixed him with a look that brooked no

nonsense,

“I’m serious,” she said. “You all look like you just ran a marathon emotionally and physically, and Maya needs to eat. Sit down. That wasn’t a suggestion.”

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Reluctantly, they obeyed. Caden took a seat at the table, shoulders stiff, while Tylon leaned back in his chair with an air of barely restrained impatience. Leo sat last, close enough that I could feel his warmth when I moved.

I swallowed, suddenly aware of how strange it was to be here like this, in the aftermath of everything, standing in a kitchen that smelled faintly of eggs and smoke and something that still felt too intimate to

name.

“Thank you,” I said softly to Elise as she began salvaging what she could. “For last night. For… everything.”

She glanced at me over her shoulder, her expression gentling just a fraction. “You don’t have to thank me. You survived. That’s enough for me.”

Caden cleared his throat. “I appreciate it too,” he said, though the words sounded like they were dragged out of him. “Even if I would have preferred another way of handling things.”

Elise snorted. “If you preferred another way, you wouldn’t have locked her up, would you?”

The words landed with precision.

Caden went completely silent.

Elise didn’t push further. She simply slid a plate of eggs in front of him with pointed calm and moved on as if she hadn’t just cut straight through him.

“I thought so,” she muttered. Then, louder, she added, “I hope you all had fun. And don’t worry about the mess. I’ll just burn the bed.”

Leo choked on his breath. Tylon huffed despite himself. Even I felt a faint smile tug at my mouth as the edge of the tension dulled, just enough to let the room breathe again.

But the relief was fleeting.

A strange warmth bloomed in my chest, spreading too quickly and too intensely. The room tilted slightly, the edges of my vision blurring as if someone had smeared oil across the world.

I pushed myself up from the table, the scrape of the chair legs against the floor sounding too loud in my ears.

“I just need a minute,” I said, forcing the words past the tightness in my throat, hoping my voice didn’t betray how unsteady everything suddenly felt inside me.

All three of them were on their feet before the chair even settled.

“Are you okay?” Leo asked, his concern sharpening instantly, like he could already feel something slipping out of place.

“I’m fine,” I insisted too quickly, even as a wave of dizziness rolled through me, making the room tilt at the edges. “Just… dizzy. I’ll be right back.”

I didn’t wait for an argument. I turned and walked away before any of them could follow.

My feet carried me down the hall on instinct alone until I reached the bathroom and shut the door behind me with a soft but final click.

The quiet hit immediately.

I gripped the counter as soon as I reached the sink, my fingers curling around the cool porcelain like it was the only solid thing left in the world. My reflection stared back at me from the mirror, pale and glassy–eyed, my pupils a little too dilated, my lips parted as I dragged in shallow breaths that didn’t feel like they were doing much good.

My chest rose and fell too fast.

My skin felt too tight.

“Get it together,” I whispered to myself, lowering my head for a moment as if that might help anchor me. “You’re fine. You’re just tired.”

I lifted my gaze again.

I blinked.

Someone was standing behind me.

My heart slammed violently into my ribs, panic exploding through me so fast it stole the air from my lungs. “Caden?” I blurted out, spinning around, dread and hope tangling painfully together.

There was no one there.

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