“Did Dennis’s disappearance get noticed?”
“Yeah, but they never found the body. He lied to me. His family didn’t live with him. There was an old house on the edge of town that he was squatting in. They found his things. After that, they just assumed he was another runaway who moved on, which was fortunate for us since I wasn’t as skilled then as I am now with disposing of a body.” I brush her hair back, gripping, and gently ease her away. “Don’t cry.” I wipe her cheeks.
“Let’s go inside,” she says.
“Careful climbing out.”
Opening my door, I help her out, grab the keys, and stand beside her. She wraps her hand around my arm, and I lock the car. We walk into the building in silence. My emotions are raw. I always felt guilty for feeling anything other than anger for Issy. Dennis made me like him, trust his intentions, and it hurt that he ripped my world apart. I couldn’t trust my friends anymore, so I distanced myself. Shade moved to town, and it took months to trust the friendship he offered. I didn’t talk about what happened until years later. He listened and understood. Rylee is the fourth person to know.
I blink and realize we are standing in the kitchen. The night was supposed to go differently. I didn’t want to bring back memories for my mate.
“He hurt you, too,” she says quietly.
“It was nothing compared to what she went through,” I rumble.
“No, but you can’t compare the two.” She holds out her hand. “Can I show you something?”
I don’t hesitate to twine my fingers with hers. She leads me toward her bedroom, and I know inviting someone into her personal space is a big step for her. We enter the room, and she moves away. She walks to the bed and fiddles with the comforter.
“Rylee?” I frown, sensing her nervousness.
“This room is the one place that I can feel safe,” she whispers, stepping to the head of the bed. “I can’t speak for Issy. I can assume how she felt, but every woman deals with trauma differently.” She moves a sheet that is draped over the side of the mattress. “This is where I hide sometimes.”
I clench my fists. My mate should never have to hide.
If I could bring them back to life to kill them again, I would.
Chapter Sixteen
Rylee
“We can’t change what happened.” I look at Ezra. “Sometimes, I still see their faces in my dreams. Not as often as I used to. When I would wake up, I crawled off the bed and huddled in here.” I ease to my knees and scoot underneath my bed. Ezra follows, kneeling just outside of it. “I would grab a book and read about another world to ease the memories. When I lived with Heath, he ripped out the closet when he discovered me in there. He built a comfortable room in there instead andput a lock on the inside of the door. He didn’t question my need for it, just accepted it. We deal with pain in different ways. You channeled yours toward killing the bad guys, but you can’t kill them all.”
“I can try.”
“I told you,” I tilt my head. “I wish you could have been there when it happened to me. You can’t save all of us. The fact that you want to is enough. Women have been subjected to abuse since the beginning of time. We are thought of as weak, easy targets. I don’t hate all men. The shifters and vampires in the family prove that not all of them are bad. There are ones out there that would never raise a hand or assault a woman. Unfortunately, many women have seen that sometimes, the bad outweighs the good. I can’t allow the dead men who held me captive to win. They have been punished and are gone. I’m still here. I’ve tried to live without their abuse being the first thing I think about when I wake up. The family and Heath have helped. Since meeting you, I only think of you. I dream about you. When I open my eyes, I wonder where you are, and I’m excited to see you. I’m not saying you healed me, but you’ve given me the safety to allow thoughts of a happy future.”
“Fuck, baby.” He circles my ankle, gripping lightly.
“You can’t know how it feels to be Issy or me.” I lean forward. “The only thing you can do for her is listen. Support her. Make it known that you will always be there for her.”
“And you?” he asks.
“You are already doing everything I need.” I swallow hard. “I want to be with you.”
“I want to mark you,” he grits out. “Are you ready for that?”
“I’m—” I know I don’t want to be without him, but I don’t think I’m ready to mark him.
“It’s alright.” He caresses my skin. “You don’t have to be. I want to be tied to you in every way. I’m ready.”
“But if you do, you can’t change your mind.” If one shifter marks their mate, but it’s not reciprocated, they will forever be bound to them. Their mate will not feel the pain as severely if the mating mark isn’t completed.
“I won’t change my mind,” he growls. “I will wait until you decide it’s time for you.”
“Ezra.” I scoot forward. “What if it takes weeks?”
“Then it does.”
