Page 212 of Indulge

---

I shift, pushing Bella behind me, nudging the weapon with my foot toward him.

If he can reach it before she does—maybe, just maybe?—

It’s a fucking risk. One of us will bleed for it. Maybe both.

Bella’s crying behind me, the sound tearing through my chest.

I spin to face her, pressing her against the wall, arms braced on either side of her head.

She’s trembling. So am I.

“Just look at me,” I whisper, my forehead against hers.

It’s all I can do.

105

BELLA

Song- Blood Sport, Sleep Token

“Rowan, get the fuck off me. Stop him from doing this!” I sob.

I try to look over his shoulder, but he blocks me, his weight pinning me to the wall.

He’s shaking. So am I.

I know what he’s doing. He’s being the shield. Again. The fool who’ll die before he lets me take a hit.

“Look at me, precious. Don’t look at him. Just focus on me and breathe. Just fucking breathe.”

I don’t know if he’s saying it to calm me or to convince himself.

I love Reggie. But so does he. That’s his twin. His other half.

And right now, I can see both of them breaking in different ways.

“I can’t do this. We can’t let him.”

“Shhh, baby. It’s going to be fine. Just trust us.”

The silence in the church is deafening, the kind of silence that comes before something holy or hellish.

“I love you, Princess. I love you so fucking much,” Reggie says, and the sound of his voice ruins me.

It’s too honest. Too final.

I can’t see through my tears. My chest is heaving.

“Aw, isn’t this a moment for the history books? Dying for the one you love,” Lyla sneers, her laughter echoing through the pews.

“You’ve got what you wanted, haven’t you? Get it over with.”

“No!” I scream.

“Stay with me, Bel.”

His voice anchors me, even as the ground tilts beneath my feet.

---