A scream tore from my mouth as the burn engulfed everything I was. I shook violently in E’s arms, my body not feeling like mine.
E continued to hold me tightly as Cole grabbed my legs to keep me from bucking.
“Relax. Relax,” E instructed gruffly in my ear. “It won’t take long. It’ll burn through in just a few minutes.”
“Kill me,” I choked out. “Fuck. F-Fuc…”
“How long, E?” Cole called out.
“Few more minutes. Breathe, Enzo. Just listen to my voice. I’m here. You’re safe. Breathe. Don’t fight it,” E murmured in my ear as the heat in my body grew, every fiber of me screaming in pain.
I clung to him, crying, as I let the burn take over.
I saw Rosalie in my mind. Fox. Her smiling at him. Him whispering he loved her while I watched. On the outside. I was never on the inside. Fox. It was always Fox. And I’d taken it away from her.
I cried harder.
“E, man, how long?” Cole asked, his voice shaking.
“Soon,” E answered, holding me tighter. “Hang on, brother. I got you. It’s going to be OK.”
Rosalie flashed through my head again.
Her soft lips on mine.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“Mm, I love you,” I answered, cradling her face. “Forever. You belong to me. Is that OK?”
She nodded, her green eyes bright. “Yes. Forever.”
I miss you. I miss you. I MISS YOU!
FUCK. COME BACK TO ME!
ROSALIE. SUNSHINE! PLEASE!
“E, fuck!” Cole shouted.
Apparently, I’d been screaming those words. It wasn’t all in my head.
“It’s a side effect. He’s coming down. The meds are working,” E said, as I rocked and sobbed in his arms.
The burn began to fade. The shaking stopped.
I breathed hard, my eyelids heavy.
“You’re OK. You did it,” E said gently, placing a fierce kiss on my temple. “You did it, Enzo.”
“Just fucking kill me,” I mumbled. “I have to tell Fox I’m sorry.”
I didn’t get to hear E and Cole’s response because my eyelids were too heavy, so I just drifted off into the darkness, really fucking hating myself more.
7
ROSALIE
Ipaced the room, waiting for Cole to return. He kept strange hours. Or I assumed they were strange since I didn’t even know when it was night or day down in my lavish cage.
