Page 52 of Drown My Sorrow

My irritation grows as I pace past him, scanning the open living area, looking for Nat or the Daane.

“They’ve gone down to the pit.”

I stop dead and, with great reluctance, turn. “Did they?”

“Yep.”

I nod my head and retreat into the lounge where I sit down, only to find that Kelly has followed me.

“So, you’ve been here since it all happened? You came out here?” His question is mixed with aggression, and I find myself reluctant to answer him.

“No, I was in another town for years. I came here when Daane saved me.”

“Oh.” He perches on the arm of the couch and looks at his hands. “What happened to your mother?”

I stiffen. There are some things I don’t want to talk about. This is one. A big one.

“She left me,” I admit.

“Ah, well, we all have to leave the nest sometimes.”

I glower at him, at the sheer arrogance wafting off him. “Does this patronizing attitude come naturally or are you trying extra hard?”

Kelly blinks.

“My mother disappeared on my nineteenth birthday. I had no job, no home, and, as you can see, a body that makes those things difficult. She took the blankets and any money we had. I never saw her again, but I heard she got married. Apparently, she was happy. I was a burden to her, Kelly.”

Kelly stares at me. I can feel it. I don’t even bother looking at him, I just close my eyes and will him away. Will him back where he came from. I’m sick of the humiliation and shame. I’m sick of being tired and sore.

“I’m sorry that happened to you.”

“Are you?” I snap at him. “Every single moment that we have exchanged, you have made me feel like I have massively inconvenienced your life simply by breathing.”

“I don’t mean it that way.”

Kelly runs his fingers through his golden hair and scowls out the glass doors.

“And yet, here we are with you, for the second time today, making me feel like a bug you can’t wait to squish.”

“Aww, she’s so beautiful,” Nat purrs.

“My baby’s grown teeth!” Keagan hums and beelines straight for me. He sits right beside me so we’re touching all along one side. The Daane have no idea of personal space, and I love them for it.

I need his closeness right now. I need him to chase away the shadows in my mind.

“I don’t think you’re a bug. I think that you already have what you need. You have a life here. It seems idyllic.”

Keagan snaps his head towards Kelly and snorts. “Jeez, you’re dumb.”

Kelly stands up and adjusts his shirt. “Yeah, I’m dumb. Whatever.” His coldness to Keagan is surprising. I’m not sure how they even met for Keagan to deserve this animosity.

He stalks from the room, leaving me curled up in Keagan’s arms as he snuggles even further into me.

“Well, that’s not how you win friends or influence people,” Nat says with a snort. She brandishes a wooden spoon and whips it through the air. “Line 'em up and let the whacking begin.”

Keagan snorts, but I pull back so I can see his face. “Why are they here?”

“They need a place to stay, and since we all share an omega, it seemed the right thing to do.”

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