Page 58 of The Lightkeeper

“Kit!” Jamie’s voice cracked through the wall of adrenaline. He shook me violently, and my eyes flung open. Aurora stared up at me, tears glistening in her eyes.

“Kit…” It was the softness of her voice that shattered me—that brought reality crashing down through the flashback. She was okay. No one was in danger.The noise wasn’t a bomb.

“Fuck.” I shoved up off her, Jamie’s grip on my arm helpinglift my weight.

“It was fireworks,” he rasped low. “Nox told Richie not to, but he didn’t know—he wanted it to be a surprise?—”

I heard what he was saying, but all I saw were the stares. Dozens of eyes looking at me, almost all filled with pity. The hum of concern buzzed through the silence.

My head whipped toward Aurora. I reached down and helped her stand, acid burning up my throat. “Are you alright?” I demanded, scanning her for signs of injury.

“Oh, just fine,” she said, but when she went to nod, I felt her sway.

Fuck, I was an idiot. Careless. A fool.Broken.

I knew better than to come here, but I was selfish. I thought I’d be okay. I thought it would be okay.What could possibly go wrong in a few hours?Everything. The answer was everything.

This was what happened when I got close.

“I have to go.”

“Kit—”

I jerked out of Jamie’s hold and stormed around the house. Bile worked its way into my throat with every beat of my heart. Sweat started to soak through my shirt, the wind feeling like whips of ice on my chest. But better that than the burning.Better sweat than scars.

“Kit!”

I spun when she grabbed my arm, hating the way it made her gasp. I closed my eyes for a second, but instead of relief, I flashbacked to that day, the smell of my own burning flesh filling my nostrils.

“I’m leaving.” My voice sounded like it had been hit with a pipe bomb, all its smoothness blown to bits. “I have to go.”I yanked open my truck door, nausea rolling through me.

“Let me drive you,” she insisted, one hand holding the door, the other extended for my keys.

I glared at her and clutched the keys until the metal bit into my palm. I wished like hell I could hold onto them and refuse her, but not only was she right—I shouldn’t be driving like this—behind her several yards back stood Jamie, Mom, my sisters, Nox, and Gigi, all ready to jump in if Aurora couldn’t get through.

Fuck, I wouldn’t take their pity. I’d already taken enough.

“Fine.” I dumped the keys in her hand and stalked to the other side of the truck.

“Just take it. Bring it back… whenever,” I ordered gruffly, slamming the passenger door and heading toward the lighthouse.

She needed to take my truck and go back to her B&B. Back to town. Back to anywhere that was away from here.From me.

I wiped the sweat from my brow, my heart still slamming into the front of my chest. Every time my eyes shut, I saw the dust. The smoke. The debris.Fuck. Fucking fuck.I walked faster toward the water—desperate to drown out the sound of screams with the crash of the sea.God, there were so many screams.I reached up, my fists pressing to the sides of my head as I forced myself to focus on breathing.

In and out.Just breathe.In and out.It was over.In and out.

The whip of the breeze hit me in the chest, sinking salt air into my lungs, the brine burning in the open wound of my memories. It welcomed me back to the edge. Back to where nothing and no one else could stand to be… where the only things that survived were covered in hard shells just to survive… back to the only place fit for a man like me.

I reached the house, the door swinging wide as I stumbled inside. The scent of her hit me first. Orange and vanilla.Since when had she become so infused into my home?

My life?

“Kit!”

Shit.I hadn’t even noticed she’d shut the truck off—that she’d followed me.

“You need to leave.” I whipped around and ordered like a snarling beast.

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