Page 103 of Bite Marks & Broken Hearts

The mattress springs creaked as I shifted position for the hundredth time. My temporary room at Killigrew Street was as homely as I could make it—with my clothes creating an impromptu textile installation across every available surface—but it was safe to say I was absolutely sick of it.

19:47. My phone screen glared back at me. No new messages.

I’d spent the day wandering between Felix’s lair and the kitchen like a lost puppy, desperate for any scrap of attention. The others rushed past with tight smiles, too caught up in their work to stop to chat. Even Freddy had better things to do than entertain me, despite my wandering the corridors with crackers.

This morning, Seb had kept his promise to be there when I awoke—his cool fingers threading through my hair, warm chestnut eyes fixed on mine. But then, just a brush of lips against my forehead and he was gone, muttering an extremely vague suggestion about seeing me “later” before disappearing in a swirl of coat.

Later.Right.

My thumb hovered over the camera icon. I was already in my pyjamas, ready for bed. Maybe if I sent him a photo… Nothing provocative, just… something to remind him I existed?

God, this was now getting pathetic beyond belief.

He was out there protecting the world from supernatural evil—and trying to save my life—and I was here moping around pining for him because I hadn’t seen him in over twelve hours?

There was somethingseriouslywrong with me.

I scrolled through social media instead, trying to distract myself. Images of some of my friends out on the water made me feel so homesick it hurt. When I saw Tom’s name, I quickly swiped past it.

Then a photo of Katie popped up—she was grinning at the camera, birthday cake in front of her, candles casting a warm glow across her face.Shit. Her birthday. I’d been so wrapped up in all the crazy drama I’d completely forgotten to message her.

The realisation hit like a punch to the gut. What was I doing? Sulking about the affections of a vampire I’d met only weeks ago, while my sister celebrated without me. For all I knew, I could die tomorrow.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I hit the call button. The phone rang once, twice.

“Flynn?!” The emotion in thatoneword.

“Happy birthday,” I said weakly.

“Fuck you.” It was more sarcasm than anger, but it still hurt. “Seriously? Are you going to pretend everything is normal?”

“I miss you,” I all but whispered, hot prickles building behind my eyes. “I miss everyone so much.”

Katie’s tone softened. “Hey. I miss you too. Is everything okay in London? You haven’t been squashed by a bus yet?”

I gripped the phone tighter, throat constricting. “I need to talk to you. In person. But I can’t come home to Ireland.”

She was silent for a moment. “Well, I can’t just leave Mum here all alone, can I?”

“Don’t say it like that.” The words burst out sharper than intended. “You sometimes go a whole week without seeing her!”

The unspoken accusation hung between us—unlike me, who’d tried to visit every other day before… everything. Another wave of homesickness crashed over me.

“I can’t just abandon my shop, Flynn. At least tell me what this is about.”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. In the background, Connor’s laugh reverberated through the phone, followed by another voice.My stomach turned at the sound. The last time I’d tried telling Katie about Connor’s behaviour—years ago now—she hadn’t believed me. He’d slapped my ass in the kitchen, made some crude comment about my jeans. When I told Katie, she’d laughed it off.

“Is Mum there? Are you all having a party?”Without me?

“Mum just left, actually. She brought my birthday cake round.”

“Was it her chocolate fudge one?” I traced patterns on the duvet with my finger.

“Flynn.” Her tone dropped to deadly serious, and my stomach clenched. “What is going on? Please, this is getting ridiculous. And look, don’t be mad, but Tom spoke to me. Only because he’s so worried he hurt you—”

“Stop.” I closed my eyes, falling back onto the bed. “Yes, that whole thing was awful, and I still need to properly fix it. But this is nothing to do with him.”

A soft knock at the door made me jump. The handle turned slowly, and Seb’s dark curls appeared around the frame. His eyes met mine, questioning.Shall I come back later?

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