Page 122 of Drown My Sorrow

“Old injury.”

I’m caught in strong arms.

“Aw, Omega, what happened to you?” The dark-haired guy with tattoos smiles at me kindly.

I’m going to die in his arms, and though I will regret leaving him, at least I’ll have this.

I’m safe.

I don’t know how I know it, I just do. Through the pain, I recognise I’m safe. Maybe that’s why my body gives out, and I slip into the dark.

PresentDay

“It’s not right.”

I shift restlessly and lift my cane and put it back down again. Shale nods.

“It’s not right. Let’s go,” I say again.

“Wait, what’s not right about it?” Gael asks.

Shale snarls but, though Gael flinches, he doesn’t back down.

“If you can tell us what about it is wrong, we can narrow it down better to find you the perfect nest.” He glances from me to Shale as if silently asking for the latter to understand.

Shale pauses and drops his chin in a nod.

I consider it. “It’s too open. And the floors are creaky. And-” I burst into tears, but Gael scoops me up before any of the others can.

“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay. That helps. We can cross some off just knowing about that.”

“Nothing we’ve seen feels right. I miss my cave. Can I have a cave?” I whine.

“No, you cannot have a cave. But we will find you the right one. Let’s go to the next one,” Ezy says with a charming grin that pulls me out of the fear that’s gripped me.

They lead me to the next house.

“No!” I whisper.

“It’s okay, no problem. We’ll check the next.”

Half an hour later, we arrive at a house that’s a long way from any beach. It’s hidden by trees and jungle.

Hope grows in my chest. Ezy parks the van he hired. We pile out, and I follow Kelly as he walks up and opens the door. He steps back and allows me to look in.

It’s dark and comfortable. As I make my way deeper into the house, I find the room that will be my nest. It’s huge. I think it may have been an entertaining space.

I exhale. It’s dark and safe.

“I like this one.”

Keagan drops an arm over my shoulder. “Happy?”

“Very.”

“All right. Let’s go shopping, then.”

Iwalkbarefootinthe grass. The materials we chose are in the nest. Everything is waiting for me, but I’m not ready to go in and deal with it all yet.

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