Page 72 of Never To Suffer

“Hey, maybe it will inspire a song. Who knows!”

He nods, flashing me a beautiful, but sad, smile. “Well, I met someone and thought we hit it off. Today he called me. He sounded drunk, and he didn’t make any sense. Sent me into a tailspin, but now I can’t reach him. I also forgot my daughter’s birthday. More like avoided since she doesn’t talk to me anymore. We’ve fallen too far apart.” He swirls his drink. “Sorry to trauma dump on you. Guess I needed to get it out.”

“Yikes, that’s rough.” I take another drink, deciding how to unpack that. “I hate the drunk calls; it puts too many doubts in your head! Like, should you trust what they’re saying? Are they playing a cruel joke? Does it make them an asshole?”

“Or, the worst possibility of all, they didn’t even like you to begin with.”

“Ugh! Seriously.” I shake my head and get an idea. “You know how you get past drunken gaslighting? Dancing.”

“I’m not really?—”

“It wasn’t a request.”

He gulps down his drink and I wink at Racket before leading the mysterious man out into the buzzing hornets’ nest. This is punk music. Most people thrash and jump around, starting amosh pit that borders on a mindless mob. Those people enjoy the music, but they don’t live the music. They don’t welcome it into their body and soul, willing it to take over.

I close my eyes as the singer’s dark, raspy voice fills the room, letting myself go. Vaguely curious if Theo stands there like a confused weirdo or if he—the large hands on my hips answer that question, as he presses his fingers into my skin and follows my lead.

CHAPTER 31

CARRY ME HOME

ROYAL & THE SERPENT

“Xander?”The voice breaks through the storm in my mind, but not enough to wake me. “Come on, Bug, wake up for me. Please? Xander!” My body shifts and I force my eyes open, but they’re struggling to stay that way. Like quicksand, the harder I struggle to wake up, the deeper into the nightmare I fall.

“Oh bug, what have they done to you?” It’s my aunt’s voice. A moment later, she kisses my head and whispers, “Sorry about this, you can pay me back for it later.”

The sensation of drowning in a frozen pond does the trick, and I sit straight up, gasping for air as icy water drips from my forehead. I wipe the water from my eyes and glance around the room. I’m on the floor with a corded phone in my hand.

“What…how did I get here?”

“Come on, we’ll figure that out later. I need to get you out of here. Now.” She rummages around, throwing clothes that aren’t mine in my direction. I glance around, hoping for some sense of familiarity, but my brain only sends signals to run. Get out.

“Where am I?”

“We’ve been looking for you for a week. A week, Xander. Your father has losing his mind. What happened?”

“I don’t… I don’t remember…” I’m still not fully awake, still trapped with one foot in the world of darkness that likes me a little too much to let go. But I remember there’s something important about my backpack.

“Later, clothes, baby, now!”

I glance down.Why am I naked?If panic didn’t have control of my brain right now, embarrassment would, but I don’t even care at this point. I’m a tapestry of bruises, dried blood, and cuts, but I don’t remember how I got them. Every time I move, pain shoots through my entire body. Melody helps me off the ground and pulls a pair of jeans on me as I wince and whine.

“How did you get here? Did you see who did this?” She’s asked questions since I woke up, and I don’t have an answer for any of them.

I flail around, pulling the comforter from the bed, searching everywhere and finding nothing. I drunkenly stumble around the room, checking the closet, drawers, and bathroom. No backpack.

“Xander! We need to go!”

“What the hell is going on, Melody? Where am I?”

“You’re in a shitty hotel in an area of town that didn’t even exist to me yesterday, Xander. Your father wasn’t sure if it was a kidnapping or a sick joke you played as payback. You turned on your phone, that’s how we found you.”

“My…phone?” A spike goes through my head, and I grab my face, dropping to my knees.

“I’ve got you, bug.” Melody holds me until the screaming stops. My screaming. “Oliver said you were having headaches, what are you on? What did you take, Xander?”

“Oliver?” There’s something wrong with her face, like she wants to smack me but hug me at the same time.

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