AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I want her to live.
“Fuck—I guess I’ll be sleeping over in your room in a few nights then,” Lanston teases, but I glare at him. He doesn’t even flinch. Instead, a curious light flickers in his eyes. “She’s a heartstopper.”
“Not her,” I warn him.
Lanston’s condition is just as bad as Wynn’s. Two people who want to die, sleeping in the same bed—no. I won’t allow it. He’s so close to getting better.
I look over at him and watch as his thumb traces over the old scars on his wrists. We all have scars here, some deeper than the rest. My eyes linger around his neck, and a cold shudder shoots down my spine. The night I found his body limp in the showers resurfaces in my mind and my chest grows heavy.
I’ll never forget the way his eyes lost their glimmer for a moment. He’ll never feel that low again, not if I can help it.
He wraps his arm around my shoulder and laughs. “Well, at least tell me her name.”
“Coldfox! Bergmot!” Jericho shouts as he struts across the courtyard, startling the two of them. They take off running, Yelina guiding Wynn to the west wing’s entrance.
My bones yearn to follow her, but I remain standing still.
“Coldfox?” Lanston smiles as her last name leaves his lips.
“Her name is Wynn,” I mumble as my thumb caresses the fresh scab on my forefinger, sending small thrills of pain through my nerves. “And she’s mine.”
6
Wynn
Yelinaand I run into the west wing, my heart beating faster with each step we take into the dim hallway. Light fixtures crafted to look like lampposts jut out every ten feet with a warm glow that isn’t quite bright enough to feel welcoming.
She lets out a laugh that rings through me and pulls us into a small closet, pushing her finger to her lips as Jericho runs by the door.
My clothes are soaked and the chill is starting to set in now that I’m not dancing like a lunatic in the rain. I wrap my arms around myself to retain any heat I have left. “Why are we hiding?”
Yelina winks at me. “Because Jericho is fun to fuck with.” She laughs and cracks the door to peek out. “Okay, I think we shook him. Run to your room—”
The door pulls open, revealing Jericho with his arms crossed. His cheeks are red from chasing us, and his brows are pulled low with rage. “All right,out, both of you.”
Yelina sighs and rolls her eyes as she slides past him and exits. I move to follow her, but Jericho catches my shoulder and stops me. My eyes meet his and he scowls at me. “Day one, Coldfox. You found trouble on day one.” He emphasizestroublelike he’s talking about Yelina.
I can see how she’d be one to cause havoc. She’s beautiful and completely crazy. I’m tempted to ask Jericho why he considers her trouble, but think better of it.
I give him my most innocent smile. “We were just dancing in the rain. I wouldn’t consider thattrouble.”
He doesn’t seem impressed and his brows remain firmly pinched as he guides me back to my room. “Who do you think gets reprimanded when the patients get sick fromdancingin the freezing cold rain?” My shoulders droop. The moment I start to feel any fleeting emotion that makes me feel alive, it gets thwarted. “I want you showered and dressed before your afternoon group session.” I nod and don’t bother saying anything until we reach my room.
I let out a long sigh of relief when I find our room empty. I forego the shower and just dry my hair; I hate community bathrooms. If I’d known, I would’ve had James stop somewhere so I could grab flip-flops and a swimsuit, since adult men will be in there as well.
My cold, wet sweater clings to my skin. It’s heavy and difficult to pull off. I leave my clothes in a pile in the corner. I’ll have to have Liam show me where we do our laundry later. I grab my black pullover hoodie and tug it on. It falls a few inches above my knees, so I pair it with long black socks and fuzzy slippers.
The door clicks open and Liam peeks his head in. “Hey, sorry, wasn’t sure if you were dressed or not,” he mumbles as he steps in and opens his nightstand, pulling out a Band-Aid and wrapping it around his index finger.
“Well, most people just knock.”
He shrugs and gives me that damning smile of his. His blue eyes twinkle; his sharp features are to die for. “This is my room too, I don’t have to knock.” His eyes trail down my legs and then back up. “Nice outfit. Did depressed gnomes raid your closet or something?”
My cheeks heat. “Ilikewearing comfortable clothes.”
Liam puckers his lips like he’s trying not to laugh. “Yeah, I can see that. Anything besides black? What were you doing out there in the rain anyway?” He picks up the screen that I popped out of the window earlier and puts it back in place.
“Yelina said we were performing a rain curse or something.”
