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“Try not to worry about me. I’ll be okay. You have your hands full enough with the psychopath.” He gestures toward the way I entered, no doubt indicating Drew.
I hate it, but I can’t make him talk to me. I can’t make him take my support or help. I have to wait until he’s ready, and it sucks so much.
“If you need anything, you know where I am.”
He nods, but I’m not convinced he’ll come to me if he needs something. I leave the kitchen without anything to eat. My appetite is mostly ruined now anyway. Entering the bedroom, I find Drew sprawled out on the bed, one eyebrow raised in question.
“Was the pantry empty?”
I shake my head and cross the space, needing to be closer to him. “No. I didn’t even look.”
“That’s fine. Let’s order a pizza or something,” he whispers into my ear, dragging me onto the bed beside him. I let him, mainly because I’m not sure what I can do to help Seb’s situation right now. I twist out of Drew’s hold and turn to face him.
He stares at me, concern etched into his features. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m really worried about Sebastian. I’m worried about the behavior I just witnessed downstairs, and how he acted toward Elyse. Then Tanya showed up.” I let the frustration pour out of me. “She gives me a bad feeling, and I don’t even really know her.”
Drew nods. “Well, she’s the stepmom/aunt. I’m actually surprised she didn’t show up sooner, given the death of Sebastian’s grandfather.”
I shrug. “I don’t care. I don’t like her. And I don’t like how Sebastian treated Elyse, the maid. She was bleeding.”
Drew doesn’t seem surprised. In fact, he’s as calm as a cucumber. “It’s going to be okay. Bad situations bring out the worst in all of us, and with the added stress, I’m sure whatever happened was an accident. I’ve known Sebastian almost my entire life. He’s as hardheaded as you and even crazier, but he’s strong and smart. He’ll be okay, and if he isn’t, then we will be there to help him.”
“I know, but what if he’s not okay… what if it's so much worse than we think it is? What if he doesn’t ask for help?”
“Shhh,” Drew soothes, feathering his lips along my throat. “Remember, you can’t save everyone. Let him figure out his problems the same way he let you figure yours out. When he’s ready, and if he needs it, then we'll be there to help him. He’s never alone, Flower. Not with us, Lee, and Aries at his side.”
The combination of words and his touch melts away the fear and worry inside me. All I can do is be there for him, be the pillar of strength he needs, and when he’s ready he’ll share with me whatever he wants to.
“I love you,” Drew growls, nipping at my ear and dragging me from my thoughts. I look up into his sparkling green eyes, and I know there isn’t a single thing he won’t do for me. He’s gone through so much to keep me at his side, and I’ve never been prouder to call him mine.
“I love you too,” I whisper and let him drag me into his darkness.
THE END
Read on for a bonus epilogue, as well as the regular epilogue and don’t forget to pre order Sebastian’s book The Prey which releases in July 2024.
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While you wait for book 3 to release, consider checking out some of my other works that are similar in genre. Worse Than Enemies, Blackthorn Elite, and North Woods University.
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EPILOGUE
SIX MONTHS LATER
-Drew
The forest is loud as the crunch of old sticks, leaves, and bark breaks under the procession's feet. The four of us—Lee, Sebastian, Aries, and I—guide the line behind, robed in black, blending into the night, even with the full moon overhead bleeding through the gaps in the canopy.
Bel trips next to me, and I clutch her hand tighter, keeping her upright. Her friend Elyse trails just behind her, and I can feel her weary gaze scanning over each of us as she follows.
There’s a grumbled complaint somewhere behind us. "Shut the fuck up and keep walking," I snap.
The person goes quiet, nothing but the sound of the forest greeting us again.
Ahead is the small clearing ringed with four-wheelers, and I stop, guiding Bel off to the side, gently pressing her against the tree trunk before kissing her softly. "Stay here while I get them ready."
