Page 98 of Savage Torment

Bryony hums in amusement, sweeping her hair over her left shoulder as she glances between Minnie and me. “I’m more shocked that the guys aren’t complaining,” she states, and my eyebrows rise as I peer at Minnie, who shrugs.

“Please, if you don’t think one of them is going to follow us then you’re even more insane than they are,” she grumbles with an eye roll, but there’s something about it that I like.

I glance around, seeing if I can spot anyone I recognize, but I come up empty. I have no idea where I am, all I know is I’m standing in the middle of a patch of grass, people laughing and smiling around us, while tall buildings frame us in the distance.

“Do you really think so?” Bryony asks, surprise in her voice, and Minnie giggles in response.

“Absolutely.”

Unfazed by the potential detail we might have, I turn my attention back to Minnie. “So, what are we doing then?” I ask, excitement clinging to me like a breath of fresh air. It’s not often I feel light and happy, but in this moment, I truly do, and it’s nice to not have those feelings entangled in a man for a change. Just me and my friends. It’s exactly what I need. My cramps are gone at least. Bryony taught me a spell to rid the aches and pains, and now I feel like a new woman, ready to take on the world.

“Well, I thought about the theme park again because it’s my favorite happy place in the entire world, and if the reveal of my blood kin doesn’t go well, then at least I got to go on the log flume one more time,” she muses, and I feel my cheeks heat at the mention of that ride. “But I decided you deserve to see something new since you’ve never really been out in the real world among the humans who don’t know we exist,” she explains, and I’m eternally grateful for her.

She could have taken me anywhere, even somewhere on campus, and I’d be delusionally happy right now.

“And where’s that?”

“We’re back in New York, only this time, it’s of our own free will,” she says, a hint of nerves to her smile, but when I beam back at her, she relaxes. The idea of creating better memories here, after suffering at the end of an arrow, I’m all for it.

“Well, I was thinking we could go and grab some sushi from my favorite spot, get a coffee, and enjoy some sunshine in Central Park.”

“Sushi and coffee. It sounds great.”

“It’s a way of life,” Minnie insists, and Bryony snatches her hand, grinning foolishly at her, and it makes me smile.

“If you say so,” I muse, and Minnie waves me off.

“Then I was thinking we could do the Empire State Building?”

I grin. “You’re saying that like I know what it is.”

“That’s true,” Bryony chimes in, and Minnie links her arm through mine, keeping Bryony tight on her right side, and just like that, I’m whisked away.

I’m lost to the world around me; concrete buildings towering over concrete roads. Cars honk, people yell, music blasts from passing bikes, and I absorb it all. Everyone is in a rush but us. I trail along with my friends, grabbing the sushi that Minnie was desperate for, and find myself in a caffeine coma when we stop at her favorite cafe.

Hours drift by as we find the perfect spot in Central Park, eating, drinking, laughing, and having fun.

It’s carefree.I’mcarefree.

Music plays in the distance from different street performers. There’s a duo playing jazz with a guitar and trombone, while a guy in the opposite direction strums a tune on an acoustic guitar, the bass much heavier in comparison. They shouldn’t gotogether, but sitting in the middle of them both, it feels like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.

“Okay, I’ve had my sushi and caffeine. Now it’s time for you to tell me about your mark, Polaris,” Minnie states. I tear my gaze away from where I’ve been transfixed on watching people dance on rollerblades.

How have I come from an academy for supernaturals to the middle of Central Park, and this seems to hold more magic?

“There’s not much to say about it,” I offer, hoping to gloss over the subject, but there’s no way in Hell she’s going to let that happen.

“Please, you’re bound to a vampire and mated with a wolf. That’s some next level shit right there. Besides, I’m assuming it’s Tatum. It’s fresh and he’s been snarly at the others even trying to spend time with you,” she explains, and my instinctive reaction is to feel guilty, but it doesn’t last.

Not when I know I’ve experienced things with the others, held a connection different than what I have with Tatum. He deserves this moment, this intertwining of our lives, just as much as I do.

“It is Tatum,” I confirm, and she beams at me.

“I knew it. I’m happy for you, I really am, but Tatum, he…” Her words trail off as unshed tears settle along her eyelashes. “He deserves this more than I could ever explain.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” I agree, nodding along, and her smile grows wider.

“Are you doing okay, though?” Bryony asks, interjecting. “Bound and mated, that’s a lot for anyone.”

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