AllFreeNovel
Share Us
One day, I’d share with him what Rosario told me about her time in captivity with Emersyn and the bond we formed that time she was there for me during my panic attack in the attic.
The ride to the police station was mostly silent, except for Rosario’s GPS on her phone, which guided us there.
Once we pulled into the station, Rosario panicked, believing they were going to arrest her for being Orpheus’s accomplice. Chase and I reassured her, over and over, that we would go inside and talk to the cops, explaining she was a victim just as much as we were.
Once inside, the questioning dragged on, taking forever. Finally, the cops accompanied us to the car we escaped in to retrieve Rosario.
But when we walked out the door, the car and Rosario were gone.
Chase looked at me, his face pale. He slowly pulled the car keys from the pockets of his sweatpants.
We told the officers we thought the cult took her and the car. If Daemon is still alive, maybe he followed us to the station? Or maybe one of the other members of Orpheus’s inner circle saw us leaving?
But whatever happened, no one has found Rosario, despite her face being plastered on the news day and night. A chill runs through me, and I shiver, hoping she’s alright. Chase tightens his arms around me, pressing a kiss on my wrinkled brows.
“I think about her often, especially after you revealed what she told you about her time in captivity. It helped me understand why she did the things she did. I don’t think of her as the villain in our story, unlike Orpheus, Daemon, and the rest of the cult. She did what she had to do to survive.”
I nod, warmth blooming through my chest from Chase’s maturity. He’s so much wiser than our eighteen years. A hellish home life and captivity will change the way you look at things and force you to grow up.
“She is a survivor. A victim of circumstances. I think she probably suffered from Stockholm Syndrome too, especially after she lost Emersyn.” A lump forms in my throat. “God, if you would have died at the hands of that monster, I don’t know what I would’ve done.”
Chase pulls me against him, hugging me tightly. “You didn’t lose me, Kenz. I’m here with you. We survived.”
I look away, staring into the dark shadows of my bedroom.We survived.Those words echo inside my head. Although we are alive, there’s a part of me that still feels numb to the things in this world that used to give me pleasure. I know that’s a trauma response. I don’t know how to get around it, to find the joy in the small things again.
With a sigh, my eyes drift back to Chase’s handsome face, my eyes caressing the stubble along his jawline. “We did. And you kept your promise to me. You got me out of there before my eighteenth birthday. And spared us from that awful ascension Orpheus prattled on about.”
A small smile tugs at Chase’s full lips and my heart catches in my throat from the sight. “I had some help,” his voice is gravely, reminding me of the tires rolling over the long, stone-covered road that led us from that house of horrors to our freedom. “I always keep my promises to you, angel.”
A long sigh escapes me as the first golden rays of dawn beam through the window panes. Sadness engulfs me, knowing my time lying in Chase’s warm embrace will soon be over and another day of pretending that my heart doesn’t beat in time with his, that the breaths flowing in and out of my body only occur because this boy in my bed loves me so much, he’d do anything to save me. Even kill a monster.
I don’t bring it up to him. The subject is too heavy, and we need a reprieve, however small, for it. Instead, I chose a safe topic. “Do you think the media will leave us alone today?”
Chase snorts. “Doubtful. I’m so sick of those bastards.”
“Me too.”
“You don’t have to worry about them, Kenz. It’s not like they can get close to us, considering we spend the vast majority of our time inside this house.” He tosses me a teasing smile, but I see the trepidation in his eyes. Other than going to doctor and therapy appointments, and the occasional drive-through or curbside pickup to get coffee or food, we mostly stay home, where it’s safe.
The silence descends over us again. Chase gently runs his hand down my arm, leaving goosebumps in his wake. We are grasping for every moment where we can be together, left alone in our bubble of love. But time is running out.
Chase lets out a long sigh. “I need to get back to my room, angel. Your mom will freak out if she catches me in here.”
“I’m eighteen, Chase. An adult. She needs to cut me a break.”
He grins at me. “She doesn’t see it that way, Kenz. She’s having problems processing… All of this. Give her a break.”
“I’m trying, but it’s hard. I know she’s been through a lot of shit, Chase. Both my parents have. But she’s being unreasonable. And I can’t focus on her when I’m trying to work through all this other shit.”
He squeezes me against him, placing a kiss on the top of my head. “I know, angel. Just focus on yourself and we’ll lay low for a little while longer. Give her time to adjust. It’ll be fine.”
A mournful sigh slips from my lips, sorrow draping over me like a weighted blanket. “I hate that I can’t sleep in your arms. It’s the only place where I feel whole again.”
“Soon, baby. Just be patient a little longer.” His lips press against mine, showing me what his words don’t say. Being apart and hiding our feelings is fucking torturous for him, too.
“I’ll see you soon, angel. Get some sleep.”
I watch as his long, lean form climbs from my bed and ambles across the room. I have to bite my tongue to keep from calling him back, begging him to stay.
