It’s only a ten-minute drive, but as I watch the headlight of his bike in the rearview mirror, it feels like an eternity. This may very well be the last time Nate tells me togo home.
At least, not in reference to a home that belongs to us both.
By the time we reach the cottage, I’m trembling. So many different scenarios are turning in my mind, and I’m almost certain it’s the worst one. Nate is done with me, or he’s already found my replacement.
I drag my ass inside anyway, slowly making my way into our bedroom, where I hang my coat and sit on the edge of the bed nervously.
Nate takes his time following me, digging through his backpack in the living room for what feels like hours. But then, finally, he comes strutting in, giving me a pointed look.
“What’s going on?” I ask him, my fingers gripping anxiously at the jeans covering my thighs. “Is everything alright?”
Nate stares back at me. His expression is unreadable, and no amount of affection is oozing from his body. His hands are shoved into his pockets, his shoulders squared, and all of his muscles tensed.
“You’re scaring me,” I admit, my voice low and hesitant as I peer up at him. “Did I… did I do something wrong?”
Finally, I get a flash of emotion from him. Confusion.
“Huh? No, not this time. I… I’ve been sorting some things out,” he explains.
Sorting some things out. I donotlike the sound of that.
“And?” I press, covering my own vulnerability with annoyance.
If he’s going to break meagain, I refuse to show him how bad it hurts.
“I think I found a way,” he whispers. It’s so silent, so uncertain, that it throws me off guard.
What?
I stand, taking a step toward him. “You’re not making sense.”
Nate sighs, running a hand through his hair before he suddenly reaches out and grabs my arms. “Do you want it back?”
“Wantwhatback, Nate?”
“Coercion. Do you want it back?”
Everything just…stops.My hands begin to tremble, my eyes widening as I stare into Nate’s.
He can’t be serious, right? The chip that was inserted into my neck dissolved, infecting my bloodstream and repressing coercion forever. There is no cure.
“You’re a prick,” I hiss, shoving at his chest roughly. “I can’t believe you’d fuck with me aboutthis.”
But Nate is stronger, that asshole, and he only holds me tighter, shaking his head. “No, listen. I’ve been visiting Calum at EP’s headquarters in California.”
“To prevent being used as a repressor again, I know.”
“No,” Nate insists, his expression shifting into one of annoyance. “I was cleared from their database right after you moved in with me.”
I fuckingknewhe was lying! I may not have coercion, but I’m smart. I know how Nate presents himself when he’s lying, and he’s been doing it for months.
But despite calling it, I still murmur a disbelieving, “What?”
“Just listen,” he grits out, shoving me back until my ass hits the mattress before dropping to settle between my legs. “I have been seeing Calum, trying to find a way to help you. To give you back your gift.”
“Oh, my god.” It leaves me with a hushed sound of misery. I’ve been battling the absence of my power for a while now, but even the mere thought of getting it back? I want to sob.
I continue to speak, my hands raising to grip his shoulders. “But it’s not possible. The chip dissolved inside of me, and I can’t get it out.”
