Page 25 of Heroes & Hitmen
I nod, even though we both know it’s a lie.
He swallows hard, punching the button for the lobby before shoving his hands in his pockets. The elevator doors glide shut and the box hums with its descent.
“You look like you’ve been hit by a truck,” Ares murmurs, his tone somehow both teasing and tinged with worry.
“I’m fine,” I grit out, watching the numbers on the panel count down. “Just let it go, okay?”
His jaw tightens, lips pressing into a stubborn line.
Please just let it go…
The elevator chimes as it arrives at the twentieth floor and I exhale a ragged breath, stepping past Ares to exit. He moves to follow me, but I whip back around, shaking my head.
“You can’t,” I say firmly.
His jaw flexes, hands clenching into fists at his sides. He obviously doesn’t like it, but by some miracle, he actually heeds my warning.
“Miley,” he rasps, the raw edge in his voice scratching at something buried deep inside me.
I give another quick shake of my head, holding his eye contact as the elevator doors begin to close between us. The moment seems to stretch on forever as we stare at one another, until the last sliver of him disappears behind them. Then I blow out a shaky breath, turning on a heel to stride away down the hall.
The sting of tears pricks behind my eyes, but I don’t let them fall.What’s the point?Crying won’t change anything. It won’t fix the piece of me that broke in that exam room.
I’m relieved when I enter my apartment to find Jordan waiting for me inside, sprawled out on the sofa with her phone in hand. She jumps up the second I come through the door, tossing her phone aside and rushing toward me.
“How was it?” she asks, dark eyes rounded in concern.
“Hell,” I mutter, poking my tongue against my sore gums.
Her brows pinch together, a flash of fear and sympathy painting her features before she quickly schools her expression and turns back for the coffee table. “Here,” she mumbles, swiping up a plastic cup and thrusting it in my direction. “Heard it helps to drink something cold after.”
“Yeah, who told you that?” I scoff, eyeing the red slushy in her grasp.Sarcasm is all I have left at this point.
She shrugs as she shoves the cup into my hand with a wink. “I have my sources.”
I roll my eyes as I take it from her, bringing the straw to my lips for a sip. It’s cherry– my favorite– but it somehow tastes bitter going down, as if the events of the day have tainted the sweetness. At least the cold numbs my mouth just enough to dull the edge.
“Come on,” Jordan coaxes, slinging an arm over my shoulders and guiding me toward the couch.
The two of us collapse down onto the cushions, snuggling in close while I sip the slushy and she toys with the strands of my hair.
“This whole thing is so fucked up,” she mutters. “It’s not natural to seal mate bonds with a goddamninjection.”
“No, but it’s efficient,” I murmur as I stare blankly at the TV across the room, the dark screen reflecting our slumped figures back at us. “And Alpha likes efficiency.”
A heavy silence descends, one that neither of us have words to fill. We both know how this ends. We’ve always known.
“You could run,” Jordan suggests after a beat.
“To where?” I laugh, the sound of it sharp and bitter.
She abruptly sits up, flickering me a side-eyed glance. “Haven’t you ever thought about it?” she asks hesitantly, chewing on her lower lip. “Just packing a bag and leaving all this behind?”
Of course I have.
“You know what would happen,” I grumble, taking another sip of cherry slush.
She hums in agreement, heaving a sigh as she flops back against the sofa cushions and leans her head on my shoulder.
