The rattle of the bathroom door handle jolts me back to reality. Pulse pounding and body aching, I unravel my limbs from Parker’s waist, leap back onto the desk chair and catapult away from him, praying my poker face is better than my restraint.
Parker’s piercing stare remains glued to me as Rose barges through the bedroom door, clad in her usual black attire.
“Parker, let’s go,” she barks, snatching the journal off the bed and turning to stare at him expectantly.
“Now?” Parker says, slipping his shirt back on.
Rose’s lethal gaze locks on me.
“I should go,” I say, grabbing my discarded sweater.
“Ella, wait.” Parker follows me to the front door with Rose at his heels. He runs a hand through his hair, glancing between Rose and me. “Rose, can you—”
“You know as soon as we restore Parker’s powers, we’re leaving and not coming back, right?” Rose says, her voice cold.
Flustered, my body still burning from Parker’s touch, I open the door and stumble into the corridor.
“Take care, Ella,” Rose murmurs and slams the door in my face.
22Rose
I slam the door and turn toward Parker. Does he think I’m stupid? That I don’t know he’s just had his tongue down her throat? That I was oblivious to the fact that his plans changed thesecondhe saw her?
The truth pools behind his cunning eyes. Once Parker’s powers are restored, he isn’t going home. He’s going to stay here withher. He’s tried to tell me for days, but I haven’t wanted to hear it. Because deep down, part of me wanted to buy his family bullshit.He’s a liar. I’m better alone.Ilikebeing alone. At least I did, until Neurovida ruined me.
“Did you tell her?” I ask him, my forearm clutching McGregor’s journal against my chest. The corner digs into my ribs.
He spends a moment taking me in. “Tell her what?”
“AboutFlame.”
“Shh, keep your voice down,” he says, leading me away from the door.
I yank my elbow out of his hold. “She has a right to know, don’t you think?”
He studies me for a moment, his blond brows furrowed. “You were the one who wanted to keep that information between us.”
“To protect her,” I say with a snarl. “Not play fucking house in the past and repress what happened.”
“That’s not what I’m doing.”
I laugh. “Could’ve fooled me.”
“What’s going on, Rose? You’re not yourself.”
I hate the way he keeps his voice level, as if he’s reining me in like a wild animal.
“How would you know?” I spit. “We spend every single second focused onyou.” I inhale on my vape, gripping the plastic stick so tightly my fingers ache.
“Where’s this coming from?” he asks, moving toward me.
I dodge his touch and pace the room, randomly changing direction without purpose. I never should’ve let Parker talk me into coming here. Six months I’ve been stuck here, living with this relentless headache, losing my mind.Fuck Parker.
I jerk to a halt. “I want to travel the book to McGregor. To when he first agreed to help us. It’ll save time.”
Parker steps in front of me. “No way. You’re not traveling again. You need to rest.”
“I’ll rest once he has his journal,” I argue, holding it up.
