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Not prayer.
Not guilt.
Nothing.
A roar of thunder echoes in the distance as if to punctuate that hopeless reality. I’ll never find peace, and in stinging lashes, rain comes down, slicking the railing and making it harder to grasp. I lean forward to stay centered, feeling the moisture soak through the front of my navy skirt.
As gray daylight tinges the horizon, I know it won’t be long before traffic picks up, and I risk being spotted. Panic gnaws away at my few remaining shreds of determination.What are you doing, Frey?
What am I doing?
Spiraling. Standing on a bridge, separated from the edge by only a thin rail. And for what? There are other ways to make Father suffer. Other ways to avenge Hale. Other ways to punish myself.
But this is the only option I’m capable of. Inhaling raggedly, I tighten my grip on the rail, prepared to climb over it…
The wind must pick up, tousling my hair amid a burst of heat. Heat that smells like smoke and musk. My spine tingles as if I’m being watched.Wait.I don’t even get the chance to turn around before my fear is confirmed.
“You gonna do it already, or what?”
The voice—deep and masculine—drips into my ear and startles me so badly that I slip. My heart drops through my body, and I swear I see it fall into the waters down below. Luckily, my grip keeps me upright, and I pant, desperate to regain my bearings.
As I do, the terror I’ve fought to keep at bay breaks loose—I can’t do this.My fingers tremble, slick with rainwater, and I loosen my grip.I can’t do this!
“Hey!” Two fingers speckled with grime snap beneath my nose. “Look at me.”
Shivering, I turn to finally take in the imposing stranger at my back.
He’s tall. Too tall. Wild blond hair drapes his shoulders, longer than mine. He’s kept it loosely tied in a ponytail, but the wind already ripped most of it free. Stray strands fall across his face, obscuring a pair of bloodshot gray eyes.
Alarm shoots down my spine as they connect with mine. I’ve never seen someone sport such an expression, teeth bared, brows drawn.
“Did you hear me?” he demands. The deep tone of his voice rivals another roll of thunder.
Years of obedience betray me. I can’t stop myself from croaking out, “W-What?”
I haven’t pleased him. Those gray eyes narrow further. “You gonna jump or what?” He jerks his chin toward the rough waters down below. The motion conveys a universal expression—I’m waiting.“Some of us need to use this space too, princess.”
Use? I stare, too stunned to reply. I shouldn’t be. I spent hours rehearsing what I’d say if someone found me. Never did I imagine them berating me for not being fast enough.
“You think you can hurry the fuck up?” He scoffs, rolling his eyes as my cheeks flame at the vulgarity. “You aren’t the only one who needs some peace with the deep blue, so just hurry up.”
Peace?The way he hissed that word sticks out to me. He has a smoker’s voice. Gritty and grated—a fitting match for his smell—sweat and alcohol. A lot of it. That must be why his eyes are so red.
Like Hale, he’s crammed his veins full of vice and sin.
I should be repulsed by him. I can’t take my eyes off him.
“Hey!” He slashes his hand through the air. “You ain’t the only one with problems, sweetheart.”
Irritation breaks through the fear, and I consider leaving. But being a coward was what drove Hale from me in the first place. I couldn’t defend him to our father, and I can’t even defend my right to follow him.Get a backbone, Frey.
Channeling my anger, I try. “Leave me alone—”
“It’s not that hard, sweetheart.” The stranger grabs my shoulder, and I’m paralyzed. “Either jump… or move.”
“S-Stop!” I try to buck him off, but he grips my forearm instead. I should be screaming. Only God knows why I’m not. It could be his lack of pressure. Or his voice, relentlessly authoritative.
I’ve spent my entire life obeying men who speak with a fraction of the conviction he does.
