Page 122 of Our Deceptive Heat

I decide to go the opposite way this morning, which is a complete break from my normal habits.

I spot a bunch of kids yelling and running around, but then I spot why. Mako and Digs have a ball and are kicking it around. About five kids chase them, laughing and shouting.

I stand behind a tree, watching, unwilling to get closer. I don’t know if I want kids, but seeing them with them is doing all sorts of unpleasant things to me. Where are Envy and Tony?

I miss them.

I miss their families.

I miss the crew.

All those hours of making songs, of laughing while we create something amazing. I miss the excitement of watching them get ready to go on stage, the electricity in the air.

I just miss them.

It takes everything in me to turn away from them, to force myself to walk one foot in front of the other. I go back to the hotel, feeling woozy, but stop when I see Tyr arguing with the chef.

I almost intercede until the chef puts a hand on Tyr’s back and starts to laugh. Seeing him like this is something I haven’t seen before. He looks happy and less stressed.

Is this the life they could live away from the prying eyes of the world? Calm and happy, making friends and playing.

I sit in the outdoor area and let my mind drift.

“Fish?”

I wince and open my eyes, only to find Mako crouched in front of me. His brows are creased, and he reaches out, and I just know if he touches me, I will lose it.

So I do the only thing I can think of doing, I run. I bolt out of the hotel and turn, walking backwards, checking to see if he’s following me.

It’s not until I slam into a hard back that I just know instantly I’ve fucked up. My panic grows because the scent of almonds is so distinctive that I don’t even need my sight to know who I’m pressed up against.

It took every ounce of willpower I had to try to get over them. I cried every night. I still cry. The betrayal has turned cold, and now all that’s left is the lingering pain of their absence.

Yet, here he is.

Larger than life.

He whips around, and before I can do anything other than sway, his hand closes over my wrist.

“Omega,” Digs breathes. “Are you real or is this just another dream? It’s been a nightmare without you.”

Cameras flash all around us. I try to tug my wrist free, but he just holds me tighter, his fingers like a shackle, his eyes roaming over my face, drinking me in. I’ve never felt more seen or more naked.

“Digs, please,” I clear my throat. “Let me go, right now, Alpha Fate.”

My words break the trance, and I’m pulled into his arms. I shiver as I clutch at his shirt, trying to push some distance between us. The ever-present tears threaten to return, and I breathe in his scent, drowning in him. My resistance crumbles, and I cling to him.

“Aura.”

He suddenly stiffens and snarls at the growing crowd. I’m lifted up and carried deeper into the hotel. In the lift, I attempt to struggle free, my cheeks burning from the humiliation of that spectacle. This will be everywhere. Every tabloid, every newspaper, every damn report. My father will know my location in minutes.

“Auryn Raines, I could spank you,” Digs grumbles and drags me to a hotel room that opens when he swipes a card. “We’ve been searching for you everywhere. Cities, islands, villages, ships. Under rocks and up in trees. Day and night. Looking every single day for you. You hid in the entire world, and then you found a way to turn this island into a place where I can’t even see you. It’s not fair.”

He finally lets me go, and I whirl away from him, trying to get some space to think. Digs is here with me, and he’s mad. I stare at him. He looks the same, but angrier.

The wound of their betrayal rips open again.

“I have to go,” I say coldly.

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