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“What’s wrong?” King asks, his eyes searching mine.
“Nothing.” I shove past him as the girls follow behind me.
King lets them through before yelling, “Bullshit.”
I glance out the side of the window on my way to my room when I see Killian standing outside, staring right at me as I move through the RV. This is a depth I’ve never seen in Killian, and it frightens me. Enough for my footsteps to pick up.
“Dove!” King blocks me inside my room, both of his bare arms stretched on either side of the exit. I try not to look closely at his chest, but every time I do, I find myself drawn to his tattoos, especially the two red roses over his hip. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing. I think. I just had a weird flashback.” I take a seat on my bed, looking behind him to see Rose watching me from the kitchen. Maya is making herself something to eat, but my eyes lock on Rose like don’t leave me here. It’s the same silence we used when we were both locked on the boat.
She nods, and I know she understands.
I exhale.
King tenses. “You don’t have them often?”
I shake my head, my eyes landing on the clothes I was wearing that night when I was with Rose, and she tucked the note inside my shorts. I can see the edge of the paper sticking out from beneath my bikini. “No. Not usually. I actually can’t remember anything from before my father and mother were killed.”
The air shifts, and for the first time since I first met Kingston, I feel unsafe with his proximity. The air thickens, and darkness caves in around me. I swing around, with an eerie feeling that something, or someone is watching me. I haven’t felt this feeling since they stole me.
I haven’t felt this feeling since that night.
I know what this feeling is. It’s like an old friend has walked into the house for the first time in a long time, carrying his aura with him.
“The Shadow,” I whisper, standing. I almost trip over myself and land back on my ass when King reaches out and catches me.
“Thanks,” I say, my eyes traveling up to his. When I land on them, they’re bleak, black, and send chills down my spine. Suddenly, I don’t feel comfortable with his hands being around me.
“King,” I whisper. “Why did something just change?”
His jaw clenches and then his eyes soften. “What? It didn’t. Get changed,” he announces, turning back around to exit the room. “We’re going to another party. This time, it’s with my parents.”
As soon as King leaves my room, Rose is there, glaring at me. “What was that?” The presence of The Shadow has gone, as if it was never there, and it’s left me feeling a merge of emotions, mainly confusion.
“I honestly don’t know.” I stumble to the ground and pick up the piece of paper from beneath my clothes, unraveling it. The image is a sketch of a dove. It’s juvenile, as if a kid drew it, but not terrible.
“Weird,” I say, turning my head to the side. “What does this mean?”
Rose takes a seat on my bed and draws her knees up to her chest. “I don’t know. I was hoping you would. I mean, it’s a little strange that it’s a dove.”
I examine it again. “Yes. It’s weird.”
Rose stands from my bed and kneels in front of me, her hands on top of mine. “Something doesn’t feel right about King, Dove.” Her voice is a whisper, but her eyes are a glare. “And with Jack missing, I don’t think—”
“Wait,” I interrupt her. “What do you mean Jack is missing?”
“What, you didn’t know?” she asks, one eyebrow quirked. “He’s been missing since we all played Killian’s hide-and-seek game.” She exhales. “What I’m trying to say is that we can’t forget how we came in here. Maya? She was born into a founding family. I was a recruit.”
I pause. “Wait, what does that mean?”
Rose waves me off. “That my family had ties to Kiznitch, making me instantly a part of the families. Delila explained it all to me on my first night here, but Dove,” pain flashes over her face as she takes her next breath. “My mom isn’t actually dead. She just doesn’t want me.”
Anger roars to the surface. “Then fuck her. You don’t need her.”
Rose giggles, swiping her eyes. “We’re supposed to be talking about you and this picture, not me.” She takes a deep breath. “So that’s why I’m here, but why are you here, Dovey? That’s what scares me.” She has a point. It’s something I have been thinking about since meeting Delila. When I woke up in the cell, I figured I would be sold or something cliché like that, not be pulled into this strange world. Aside from that, if Jack has been missing since that night, why has no one said anything? Why didn’t I notice him not being around? There are a lot of people here who I see, but Jack made an impact on me, so I should have realized that he wasn’t around.
