Page 75 of Buried in Blood
The clatter echoes too loudly in the small space, and I freeze, heart pounding.
What if Brooke heard?
What ifhehears?
What if I finally pushed too far?
I press my palm over my mouth and drag in a slow, trembling breath.
I can’t run.
I can’t love.
I can’t even fucking cry too loud.
Because everything here has consequences.
And still—I want Reese.
His hands.
His heart.
His reckless, dangerous softness.
I curl into the mattress, fists balled beneath my chin, and whisper the truth into the dark.
“I’m scared.”
Scared of Damien.
Scared of loving someone else.
Scared of how much I’ve lost… and how much more I might lose.
But mostly?
I’m scared that thereisno way out.
That this is it.
That no matter how many times I dream of escape, I’ll always wake up in a locked room, with a collar made of secrets.
That I’ll always belong to him.
And no one else.
24
Lucien
One Week Later
The air in Dante’s office smells like old smoke and blood—like secrets that have soaked into the walls and refused to die.
He sits with his back to me, elbows braced on his knees, hands clasped so tight they’re white. The bruises on his face are fresh. So are the ones he won’t show. The ones under his skin.
I stay silent.
