Page 25 of We Hunt the Night

I gulp and take a deep breath to expel some of the anxiety before continuing. “Once the Mindless had ripped my dad to pieces, it came close to me and then just walked away. I climbed out of my bedroom window and ran into the forest. A group of them followed me, but they might have been going through the forest, I don’t know. They circled me for a bit before they ran away. I was lost in that forest for four days before someone found me. I saw Mindless every night. They came up to me every single night. Every night I screamed and cried and begged for someone to find me other than them. Other nights, I sat in complete silence because I was so terrified. I was in my father’s shirt. I became kind of weirdly attached to it after that.” I feel raw after telling them this. “I haven’t had nightmares that insane for many, many years. It was like living it again.”

“As long as I breathe, you won’t face it alone again.” Black strokes my arm, completely in awe. “I’m yours now. Anything you want, you tell me, and I will make it so. My loyalty is to you, Juniper.”

I blink. “I’ve never actually had anyone on my side.”

“Well, I will be forever, and I’ll walk with you on any path the goddess lays out for us.” He nods and I nod back. He is my bonded and there isn’t a path I wouldn’t go on for him, either.

There’s a knock at the door outside the room. I lift my head, seeing a mixture of feelings on Maz’s face. “How are you touching him?”

I look at Black. “I don’t know.”

“Black?” Maz questions.

Black simply looks at me. “It’s a gift from the goddess and a sign. She is our future.”

Something passes between them, and the door is banged two more times. Maz grunts, turning to go and open the door. I climb off Black’s lap, and he pulls me to my feet, holding my hand. “Thank you for waking me up from that. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome, Juniper.” He smiles at me, keeping hold of my hand as we walk outside the bathroom together. I let him because it must be so strange to finally be able to touch someone after years of not being able to…and because I like it. I like how it feels to have his warm skin pressed against mine. It feels familiar and normal.

As Maz opens our door, I stop mid-step and turn to Black. “Wait, I’m not going to be cursed, right?”

“No, the curse instantly kills people. It drains them into Mindless. I think we would know if you were cursed.” His eyes cloud over, like he is thinking of when that happened before.

“Has that happened to your family?” I gently ask.

He nods, unable to say it out loud. “It isn’t your fault. It never was.” I go to tell him it’s okay to be upset, but Maz is speaking too loudly.

“It’s for you, Juni. It’s the foster sister and the friend.” Maz leaves the door open. “I’m going for a run.”

I walk over and pull the door further open, finding Wini and Rue in casual clothes. “Do you want a girls’ day? I’ve got a picnic.” Wini holds up a basket of food.

“And I’ve got an old DVD player with some cool DVDs to watch,” Rue offers. “You know, like we used to. I know you loved that.

“I’ll just get changed. Sounds great.” I grin.

They both look at where I’m holding Black’s hand. Rue clears her throat. I’m going to have to explain that one to them over the movies. “Come to Wini’s room. I’ll be there.”

Black shuts the door on them and leans on it, letting my hand go. “Do you trust those two?”

“Shouldn’t I?” I ask.

He doesn’t answer, his eyes unreadable. I go back to the bathroom, looking at the makeshift bed on the floor and back to the main room. Enough is enough. I pick my duvet up, my pillow too, and put it back on the empty bed that is mine.

Maz is in tight shorts and a tank top when he comes out of the bathroom. There is too much golden skin on show, and my mouth waters. “So, this means you’re sleeping in that bed now and we don’t have to feel guilty about the bathroom floor and beg you to come out?”

“I’m sleeping in the bed, but don’t smile about it.” He doesn’t listen to me. “Stop with the smiling.”

“I can’t not be happy—I’m delighted.” He begins his stretches. “Today is good.” He nods at Black…who is smiling. Maybe it is.

The rest of the day,I spend with Wini and Rue, all of us laughing and joking, being normal. It reminded me of the years where Rue and I used to sneak up to the attic to watch movies on old, scratchy DVDs when her mother was out for a good coupleof hours. It was nice, quiet, and normal. Sometimes the best days are that—the normal ones.

I walk back into my bedroom when the sun is setting, only for a rope to wrap tightly around me when I step in. The rope wraps around me a dozen times before lifting me up off the floor. I scream in shock for all of a minute before the rope goes over my mouth and tightens. I’m thrown on the bed. Kane’s bed.

He walks over like a devil, his eyes furious, a notebook in his hand. “This is a book on all the ways you’ve annoyed me this week. A whole fucking novel, Juniper. It’s nearly forty thousand words. What do you have to say for yourself?”

I laugh, but I can’t respond to him. He clicks his fingers and the rope around my mouth drops back. I can’t help the snarky reply that leaves my lips. “Technically, it’s not a full novel unless it’s over forty thousand words. It’s a novella. Now let me go.”

He snarls at me. “No, I’m going to read it to you, considering how you love books so much. Now, let’s begin with how you smiled at Lock over breakfast and?—”

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