AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What the fuck?” Sonny hushes out, anger blazing across his features. “You kept this from us!”
“Hudson had to be sure, Sonny, but to be one hundred percent certain we need Camden to identify her body.”
For a moment Camden just stares at Cal blinking, not able to take in anything more. Like the rest of us, he doesn’t move, he doesn’t speak, he doesn’t say a word. The room fills with a deathly silence, the kind of silence that only occurs the moment before a bomb’s about to detonate ending life as we know it.
We all wait for the explosion.
Then it comes rushing in, blowing us all to smithereens.
A keening, soul-breaking, heart-tearing, life-ending sound rips out of Camden’s throat. None of us are immune to the pain that explodes out of Camden, tearing him apart as he roars, falling forward into Cal’s arms. His legs buckle, his knees hitting the floor with a loud smack. Such a beautiful, strong, brave man reduced to a desperate boy calling for his mum.
And it’s allmyfault.
Mine.
“I’m so sorry,” Cal mutters, crouching down in front of him as Camden moans over and over again.
But Camden doesn’t hear him. He's drowning. The cracks within the depths of his soul fissure, widening and splitting apart with his grief. His distress is deafening. The keening noise he’s making has tears rolling down all our cheeks. Nothing is worse than this.
Nothing.
The King has killed his mum.
Myactions killed his mum.
“Cam,” Ford whispers, dropping to his knees on the floor beside him. He wraps his arms around Camden’s shoulders and pulls him tight against his chest, rocking him gently. Camden reaches for him blindly, their pasts forgotten as he holds on tight.
“Shhh,” Ford whispers as a tidal wave of pain rushes from Camden, threatening to drown us all.
My gaze meets Ford’s and I can see his strength waning. His eyes glimmer and I know he’s on the verge of breaking too. Something tells me if that happens he may never recover. Their pain forces me into action, and despite all the guilt I feel, I move towards them. Eastern lets me go, too shocked to do anything but stare at the carnage.
I drop to my knees and wrap my arms around Camden. “I’ve got him,” I say to Ford, easing him out of his hold and cupping his head against my chest.
“She’s dead,” he moans, his sobs filling the room, his tears wet against my skin as I rock him in my arms and press my trembling lips against his forehead.
“Mum’s dead.”
What can I possibly say? There are no words that will heal his pain. A million apologies won’t bring her back and nothing I can say will make this better.
“I’m alone. I have no one left,” he mumbles.
Ford shuffles back, his face draining of colour. Out of the corner of my eye I see Sonny crouch down beside him, resting his hand on his shoulder. Eastern steps closer, kneeling beside me, one hand warm on my back, the other resting on Camden. He gives us his support whilst I try my best to comfort Camden. I want to absorb all his pain, take it from him because it’s the least I deserve.
I’ll never be able to make this right. His pain is mine to shoulder forevermore. I was so fucking foolish. So stupid. What made me think I could get away with trying to murder the King without any repercussions?
This is on me and as that realisation truly takes root around my heart, a coldness settles beneath my skin, manifesting physically as I begin to tremble.
“I have no one,” Camden repeats, delirious in his pain.
“You’re wrong, you have us,” I whisper, but he’s oblivious to everything around him. I’m betting he has no idea that it’s me holding him, only that someone is. Selfishly, I grip hold of him tightly, trying to absorb some of his warmth because the moment the fog clears I know he’ll come to the same conclusion as me.
I’m responsible for his mum’s death.
