Page 31 of Savage Torment

“But for real, at least they all have good intentions and want to keep you safe.”

My brows gather in confusion. “Yeah, that part's weird,” I admit, and Bryony stares at me in confusion too.

“Which part?”

Minnie hums, tapping her chin knowingly. “She’s been a lone wolf for so long that she doesn’t know what it’s like to be part of something,” she states, leaving me gaping at her; she simply smiles at me smugly.

That’s… an accurate assessment.

“I see your little wolf reference there,” Bryony teases, nudging Minnie’s shoulder, and the pair of them giggle.

There’s definitely something going on between them. It feels easy and carefree, and I can’t help but envy it. Nothing I feel or experience resembles those emotions. It hasn’t since I arrived here. Everything is drenched in pain, anger, or comes with revelations I struggle to come to terms with.

Even now, as they accurately dissect my struggle with the adjustment required to accept that people care, they’re in a bubble of fun while I’m wrestling with the knowledge that this is my reality.

I can handle the fact that the world contains witches, wolves, and vampires, but understanding people actually care for me… that’s far harder to swallow. It doesn't feel real, like I don't deserve it. I can sense both of them staring at me, eager for more gossip, but it feels raw and far too real for it to be fun anymore.

Instead of offering them any further information, I fake a yawn, stretching my arms above my head, inhaling another strong whiff of Blaze’s scent from his jacket before I turn to them with heavy eyes.

“Maybe we can dig deeper into it soon, but right now I'm really tired,” I admit, shuffling off the edge of the bed.

“Of course,” Minnie insists as the pair of them follow me. “I just wanted to make sure you had space and weren’t overwhelmed by everyone,” she explains, and I smile. “Do you want someone to stay with you tonight? Or?—”

I shake my head, my smile growing appreciatively at her thought process. “I’m good. Thank you, honestly. Just make sure you get one of the guys to come over here and walk you back, okay?” I say, and she rolls her eyes.

“You say that like they're not waiting outside the building right now.”

I gape at her in disbelief, guilt swarming my gut, but I squash it down the best I can. The people pleasing part of me wants to head downstairs and explain myself, but if I can’t explain anything to my girls, there’s no chance of me explaining it to them.

Instead, I wave my goodbye and step out into the hallway, heading to the bathroom to complete my nightly routine and fix my hair before I clamber up the stairs to my room. As I make my way upstairs, a sense of calmness finally washes over me. I don't feel any pain. I'm not overwhelmed by anyone's proximity. It's just me and my thoughts, which is strange, because that'susually what keeps me up at night, but right now, it offers me a sense of comfort.

Opening my bedroom door, I sigh with relief, letting it close behind me as I switch the light on. I frown when a shadow remains in the room, and my heart lurches.

Panic floods my veins as I follow the tip of the shadow to the owner when one single word fills the room.

“Midnight.”

10

LINCOLN

“What are you doing here, Lincoln?”

I’ve been asking myself the same question for what feels like my entire life, and I still don’t have the answer.

I don’t know why I’m here. I shouldn’t fucking be here, but it seems I’m no longer in control when it comes to her.

I’ll more than likely regret it in the morning. I want to regret it now, but everything I feel inside and can’t express is so far at the opposite end of the scale it’s impossible to deny. So I don’t. I don’t utter another word. Instead, I track her every move as she curls her fingers around her jacket, pinning it tighter to her chest.

“Great talk,” she mutters with a sigh, finally stepping away from the door and slightly closing the distance between us as I remain locked in position, seated at the foot of her bed. “I don’t know what this is, but I don’t have the energy to deal with your bullshit, so please see yourself out,” she adds, wiping a hand down her face.

I can see the exhaustion clinging to her. Fuck, I feel it myself. But the fatigue that clings to me doesn’t intensify when I look at her, it seeps from my veins, luring me in closer.

She looks away from me, and I sense she’s hoping that avoiding me will convince me to get the hell out of here, but I’m not leaving; I can’t. I’ve already come to terms with that. The quicker she realizes it too, the better.

“Would you kick Blaze out if he were here?”

The words spill from my lips in a harsh snarl as my hands ball into fists on my knees.

---