Page 72 of Dark Endures

Canyon goes silent.

What is there to say to that?

I want to go feral, but I can’t.

Not yet.

How would I feel if it was not ever? My chest tightens.

***

The truck comes to a stop in front of a shiny new high-rise in a much nicer part of town than Mindy was from.

Too nice almost.

“Her boss lives here?”

“This is the address she gave me.” And I might have peeked a little into Adonis.

“He must have a trust fund.”

But he doesn’t. How is he affording this?

Is Adonis the reason for Mindy’s haunted eyes?

Those will have to be questions for later. I can’t procrastinate waking her up much longer, even though I don’t want to take my arms from around her anytime soon. “Mindy, we’re here.”

“Maybe we should just let her sleep?” Canyon whispers. “You can carry her up to her apartment.”

The idea of carrying her in…declaring my hold on her in front of Adonis

“I’m awake.” Her eyes open.

I move my arm from around her so that she doesn’t feel trapped.

Almost instantaneously, she jumps away from me.

Did I scare her again?

Am I falling for a woman who isn’t interested in me again?

What is wrong with me?

***

The thing about kids coming from the street moving into a dorm apartment is they all react differently when they first see it. Some dance with joy, others stare at it in shock, and a few cry.

What people don’t do when they move is not react at all.

There’s not a single emotion on Mindy’s face as she steps into her new apartment for the first time. All irritation aside about who she’s moving in with, this apartment should have evoked something even if it was just a, that’s pretty.

I detest the word pretty.

The thought of her living with that pretty boy—

“It’s your turn to chill out. You can’t kill him, no matter how much you want to.” Canyon whispers before following her in.

Yeah, but I can thrash you the next time we step in the ring.

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