Page 242 of Shhh…It’s A Killer Story

Seraphina

I couldn’t bear to see that look on his face… the disgust, the revulsion. I wouldn’t survive it.

I pressed my hands over my mouth to muffle the sound of my crying, but it didn’t help. The thought of Elias walking away knowing what I’d done and seeing me as nothing but the thing Garrett had named me split something deep inside me, like a seam tearing open that I didn’t know how to stitch back together.

Freak.

That’s what he’d think. My mind spiralled, frantic, clawing for a way to keep him.

Chain him to the bed. Hide the key. Tell him I loved him until he believed it. Drug his coffee. Just enough to make him drowsy. Drag him to a new town. Lock the door forever or until he understands. Get pregnant. Now. Before anyone can talk to him. He’d never leave a baby. Kidnap Max and use him as a bargain. Burn the station down.

I sat on the floor, knees to chest, nails digging into my scalp. He’ll hate me. He’ll leave. He’ll never touch me again. He’ll take Max away.

“What’s got you so upset, baby?”

An unmistakable voice cut through my spiral like a lifeline. My whole body went still. The sob caught in my throat, my hands falling uselessly to my sides. For a second, I thought I was imagining it. I had to be. He couldn’t be saying it like that.

I slowly turned… and there he was.

Elias lounged on my bed like he belonged there, his back leaned against the headboard, legs stretched out, one heavy boot hooked lazily over the other. His arms were crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed on me calmly.

He was lying right under my shrine.

The glossy corners of the photos caught the light: the snapshots, the printouts, the scraps of newspaper clippings, the candid shots I’d thought were safe.

My breath hitched.

He tilted his head, watching me with a kind of quiet curiosity that I didn’t understand. His eyes were dark, unreadable, but there was a heat behind them, a dangerous calm that made the air feel too thin. I couldn’t make my mouth work. Couldn’t force sound past the pounding in my chest.

Elias's gaze flicked toward the wall again, then back to me, and his lips curled into a dark grin.

“So,” he said quietly, almost conversationally, “how long have you been watching me?”

My stomach turned over. “What?”

“You heard me.” His voice had dropped, and it was the kind of low, commanding tone that left no room for pretending. “How long Seraphina?”

“That’s just… that’s just a silly board, and I was just joking around.”

His gaze hardened, the faint grin dying on his lips. His eyes narrowed. He looked suddenly so angry with my answer. “Don’t fucking lie to me, Seraphina.”

My throat went dry. Every instinct screamed to run, to disappear, but my legs wouldn’t move. He shifted forward on the mattress, folding his arms and he looked angry, his eyes locked entirely on mine, dark and unreadable.

“Tell me the truth,” he demanded.

“All of it. Now, Seraphina.”

The words landed heavy between us. The air felt too thick, like it was closing around me. I wanted to speak, to explain, but nothing came out, just the sound of my heartbeat crashing in my ears. Elias didn’t move. He just sat there, waiting, his gaze steady, like he could outlast every silence I had and the terrible thing was, he probably could. I didn’t think I could deny him anything at this point. Even if it destroyed me.

“I stayed here because of you.”

The words slipped out before I could stop them. My pulse stuttered, but once they were in the air, there was no pulling them back.

His brow furrowed slightly. “What do you mean?”

“I mean…” My throat tightened, and I pressed a shaking hand to my chest, forcing the confession out. “You’re the reason I stayed in Blackridge.”

He didn’t move. Didn’t even blink. Just watched me with that still, unnerving calm that made my stomach knot.