Page 32 of Born Chaos

“You’re welcome, Juliet,” he cuts me off. “Just… get some rest.”

I nod once and hold his gaze until he closes the door between us.

Holding in a stiff breath that I very, very slowly release between pursed lips, I turn, taking in the new, unfamiliar place I’ve found myself in.

There’s a dresser across from the bed, but nothing else. I find an attached bathroom. It’s simple with an old clawfoot bathtub, a pedestal sink, and a toilet.

I fill the bathtub. I sink down into its depths, closing my eyes, and releasing what feels like the first breath since that night at the club.

I thought I was going to fall apart as soon as I was alone. I thought I’d sob and wail and that I was going to have to try to be quiet in a church full of vampires with impeccable hearing.

But as I sit in the bathtub, alone, in the dark, I suddenly feel like I can breathe. I feel an immeasurable amount of tension release from my shoulders.

That means something. I know it means something.

I shouldn’t feel relieved right now.

But it’s been too terrible of a day. It’s too much to process for one night.

So I push it all out and sink under the surface of the water.

CHAPTERTEN

At ten o’clock thenext morning, I walk out of that bedroom. I hate that I feel timid, that in this moment, I feel weak and maybe even a little defenseless. But even I am not immune to all of life’s bullets.

It’s quiet in the church. As I listen for the sound of… anything, I only hear someone in the kitchen. I slept in Roman’s clothes last night, not that I really slept. There was too much in my mind, and it was kind of hard to relax when what I was wearing smelled like Roman. But now I walk out in my dress again because I literally have nothing else to wear.

I find Roman in the kitchen, cooking some sausages in a pan. Just then, some toast pops up.

Those icy eyes slide over to me, looking me up and down once, checking my state of being.

“Morning,” he offers quietly. “You hungry?”

“Not really,” I admit. I watch as he dumps them out onto a plate and quickly butters the toast.

“There’s a supply of blood in the fridge, if you’re thirsty,” he says. He leans back against the counter, biting into the first slice of toast.

I just nod, my arms wrapped around my waist. “I uh… I need to get some supplies. I wondered if you… If you…”

“I’m free all day,” he offers when I can’t quite get the words out. “Let me finish eating and we can go.”

This isn’t supposed to be easy. Roman is a dick. Or, at least, I thought he was. We’ve spat vile words at each other, called each other out on their shit. For months, I was so scared of him because he had dirt on me.

Out of everyone in this city, Roman De Luca is the very last person I would expect to be my savior in a vulnerable moment of crisis.

I nod and return to my room for my shoes. I feel totally ridiculous since I’m wearing four-inch-high heels and a way over-the-top dress. I’m dressed for my own engagement party when I’m just running out for errands.

By the time I walk back out, Roman is waiting with his car keys in hand. “Ready?”

“Yeah,” I say through a scratchy throat.

We walk back outside, barely even needing sunglasses, the day is so cloudy. We drop down into the parking garage, and I buckle in while Roman backs out of his parking spot.

“I just need a few days to think things over,” I start talking as soon as he pulls out onto the road. I don’t even care where he’s taking us. “I just… I can’t go back home yet. It’s too messy, too fresh.”

“Like I said before, you can stay as long as you like,” Roman says without looking at me.

“Thank you,” I say, meaning every word. “I’ll be out of your hair in a few days. I just… I need some space to get this mess sorted out.”

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