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This is the second night in a row I haven’t been home. I doubt she’ll have noticed my absence, though. I know she was working late cleaning houses yesterday, and she normally doesn’t wake until I’m already at the academy for classes.
I make my way to the front of the apartment and open the door, ready to start the day.
But I freeze.
Standing on the other side of the door, one fist raised as though about to knock, is a middle-aged woman with graying hair and a sourness to her face.
“Mrs. Winthrop?” I breathe, stunned. Her name falls from my tongue, practically rolls off before I get the chance to think.
“You,” she seethes. Her nostrils flare wide, and her eyebrows come together into a nasty frown as she points an accusatory finger at me. “What the fuck are you doing here?” she shrieks.
Oh. Oh no.
I’m a deer caught in the headlights.
The blood in my veins turns to slush at the mere sight of her.
The adrenaline pumping through my system leaves my fingers, toes, and even my teeth tingling with fear.
I don’t get a word out. She doesn’t let me.
All I know for sure is that all hell’s about to break loose.
“Mrs. Winthrop, I can explain—”
“You killed my son!”
Chapter Fifteen
Nate
Waking up to women screaming first thing in the morning is by no means pleasant.
I spring into action, throwing off the covers and jumping out of bed. I manage to pull my pants on as I sprint—and nearly trip—down the hall toward the living room.
I don’t know what comes over me.
Rage. Horror.
An immense sadness and disappointment.
Everything boils in my chest, threatens to have my heart exploding into a million pieces. My joints are achy and sore. My head is feverish. There’s a mounting pressure behind my eyes as a migraine starts to form.
To make matters worse, Mother’s got her claws in Eve’s hair, pulling so tightly that Eve’s to the point of tears. Mother repeatedly slaps Eve, shoves her, yanks her right back. Her pointy manicured fingernails look like talons. There are long, vicious scratches covering Eve’s delicate arms, red welts forming where Mother managed to sink her nails in.
Eve tries to fight back, kicking and throwing her fists in an attempt to punch. Nothing lands, though. I get the sense that Eve doesn’t actually want to hurt Mother, even though the latter clearly has no problem with fighting dirty.
“You bitch!” Mother screams. “It’s all your fault. It’s all your fault my son’s dead!”
“You’re hurting me. Stop it! Let go!”
I immediately get in between them, snatching Mother’s bony wrist before she gets the chance to lay her hand on Eve again. She tries to push me away, throw me aside, but I’m too big and sturdy for Mother’s little frame.
She looks like hell. The last time I saw Mother this distraught was the day of Jacob’s funeral. Her mascara’s not waterproof, made evident by the ugly black smudges now running down her face. She looks weary and haggard, the dark circles under her eyes accentuated by her frown.
Mother continues to swipe in Eve’s general direction, but she nicks me across the arms and chest instead. If I wasn’t awake already, the sting of her claws definitely does the trick.
Eve staggers back, weeping. Angry tears streak her cheeks, her eyes as red and swollen as her jaw where she’d been struck. Her dark hair’s frazzled, sticking out in places thanks to Mother’s death grip. She sobs so furiously that she sounds like she’s choking, unable to get the air she needs.
“Mrs. Winthrop, please. I didn’t—”
“How dare you show your face to me!” Mother rages on. “What? One boy’s life wasn’t enough? You just had to come after Nathanial too?”
“No, I’m not—”
It breaks my heart to see Eve like this. I want to reach out to her, to hold her.
Protect her.
I want to shield her from all this. I want to keep her safe, hide her away. Mother’s a terrible, devastating hurricane, and I’m Eve’s only shelter from the storm. Every fiber of my being screams at me to scoop her up in my arms, push my mother away. If I can just get Eve to safety, maybe things will calm down and we can work things out.
But I’m too busy keeping Mother from ripping Eve’s eyes out to make a move.
“Enough!” I snap, raising my voice so loud I feel the air around me shake.
The neighbors are definitely going to make a noise complaint.
“What the hell are you doing here?”
Mother glares at me. “I have been calling you and calling you, but you’ve refused to answer. I had no choice but to drop by and see how you’re doing.” She turns to look at Eve, nothing but hatred in her eyes. “And now I finally understand why you’ve been avoiding me. You’ve been screwing this slut.”
