Page 35 of Edge of Desperation

Lykos sits up and gives me a pointed look. He pushes the front part of his body into her lap and lays his head on her chest. He whines until she starts to pet him once more.

I decide to press my luck even further. “Is that why you tried to kill yourself?”

Her shoulders slump forward, and she buries her head in Lykos' fur. There are so many things I want to say to her.

If someone doesn’t intervene soon, she might try to kill herself again. Defeat is written all over her face. Fuck it! She can hate me later.

“Aurora, look at me,” I plead. Haunted emerald eyes stare back at me. “I know you don’t want to talk about whathappened… And you don’t have to, but if you had been successful and killed yourself, those bastards would’ve won.” A tear slides down her cheek. “I can’t even begin to fathom what you or any of the others went through. Hell,Istill have nightmares about the night we rescued you.”

“I’m tired, Jaxson. So fucking tired,” she cries. “What am I supposed to do?”

“Stand up and fight… take your life back. Be the stubborn, strong, independent woman your dad told us about.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“You can,” I encourage. “You have to want it bad enough. The shitty things that happen to us don’t have to define the rest of our lives. Do you lie down, watching your life pass you by, or are you gonna stand up and give those motherfuckers the middle finger? Show them they didn’t break you. If you keep trying to destroy yourself, they willwin.Don’t fucking let them.”

With those parting words, I stand up and dust myself. I hit her with a lot today. Aurora needs time to absorb everything that I’ve said and to get to know Lykos alone without an audience.

There’s still a spark behind those captivating eyes of hers. It’s small, but it’s there. Aurora might not see it, but I can. Someone just needs to help her turn that spark into a burning flame.

I’ll gladly fucking volunteer.

CHAPTER 12

AURORA

“Callme if you ever need to talk.”

Jaxson strolls back to the house, leaving me to ponder his words. With one last glance, he opens the door and heads inside. I continue to stroke Lykos’ fur. I’m shocked that Jaxson thought enough about me to bring me a dog. Lykos is huge, and at first, I was afraid he was going to try and tear me apart. But when he laid his head in my lap, I was a goner.

“What do you think, Lykos?” His head snaps in my direction at his name. “Jaxson says that if I would’ve been successful with my…” I gulp. “Plan… Then they would’ve won. Didn’t they already win? They tookeverythingfrom me.Everything!”

Exhausted, I lie down in the grass. Lykos lays his giant paw on my stomach and his head on my chest above my heart. I wrap my arms around him while he absorbs my pain. I’m so sick of crying, but instead of a sense of heavy foreboding, this release feels cathartic.

Is Jaxson right? Can I still have a life after all the shit that has happened?

Once my tears dry out, I slowly drag myself over to a patio chair with Lykos at my heels. I love sitting in the grass, but my body is stiff and sore from lying on the ground and sitting withJaxson this afternoon. The sun is slowly starting to set. I’m so mesmerized by the different soft color tones of oranges and reds that I don’t realize I’m no longer alone.

“They’re gone.” Dad leans against the house.

I grab my chest. “Jesus, Dad!” Lykos takes a defensive stance in front of me, growling. “Lykos, down.” He immediately settles but eyes my dad warily.

“Sorry, baby girl.” Dad pulls up a seat next to me. “I wanted to let you know the guys all left.”

“It’s okay.” I scratch under Lykos’ jaw. “I zoned out.”

“How do you like him?” Dad gestures toward Lykos.

“He’s great,” I say. “Are you okay with a dog around the house?”

Dad smiles. “I’ll do anything that’ll help put you at ease. Besides, it seems like he’s pretty smitten with you already.”

Lykos licks my hand and drops back down on his paws, resting his head.

I choke up. “Thanks, Daddy. What about Vera?”

“She’ll get over it,” he says dismissively. “You’re more important.”

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