Page 104 of Bound in Ashes

I wished I could stay here.

But I couldn’t.

“You should stay,” Asia said.

“Don’t know that Levi would approve,” I said quietly.

She smiled, but her eyes were wet with tears.

“I don’t know that it matters,” she whispered.

I grabbed her chin, forcing her to look into my eyes. “It does.”

Then I kissed her, wishing I believed it.

SEVENTEEN

Asia

It was peaceful, quiet on the farm, the night sky lying heavy like a cozy blanket over the world.

What a fucking lie.

I knew that peace, quiet, all of it was an illusion.

But I refused to let the moment go to waste.

I felt like I was coming out of my skin.

The trip to the pharmacy was fruitful, but Uncle Levi didn’t seem to feel any better.

If anything, he was worse.

But it was hard for me to tell because he refused to be honest. Just kept pushing, working, even though he looked like he might fall over.

Jack took over most of his tasks and put Miles in charge of tending the horses.

Uncle Levi hadn’t complained, which told me everything I needed to know.

And one of the pigs got out.

There was a hole in the fence, probably one that they’d worked on for a while. It was our luck that more hadn’t escaped.

“Look,” I muttered.

Yeah, I was reduced to talking to myself, out loud, but, all things being considered, not the worst crime in the world. Still, it was grating, wearing on me. Trying to keep it all together. Knowing that I needed to learn now, because soon I’d be on my own.

My kingdom for red wine, lasagna, and ice cream.

Or some Zolpidem.

Maybe a pinch of Valium.

I just needed something to take⁠—

I turned, moving with speed I wouldn’t have thought possible moments ago.

I climbed back up to the loft, though this time was much different than the last.