SWNOVELS Sinful: Chapter 59
“I’m sorry,” Bryce said the moment Church left us. Cady had winked at me and scooted off, leaving me with only Bryce and Mirage. I knew she was trying to give me the time I needed with them. I loved her for that.
“It’s fine. He’ll be OK.” Mirage waved Bryce’s words off as they flanked me. I had no idea where we were going, but I’d grabbed my jacket, and Mirage had taken my backpack from me.
“I need you to stay warm.” Mirage stopped me when we reached the doors and pulled my hat over my head.
I gave him a tiny smile that made his blue eyes light up. I took note of the carrot hanging out of his back pocket and shook my head at his antics. He truly was trying to be his own person. I had to admire that about him. It had to be rough always living in Asylum’s shadow since, let’s face it, his shadow seemed to swallow everything around it.
Mirage smirked at me, making me wonder if he knew what I was thinking. When he didn’t elaborate, I looked back to Bryce.
“We can just go to your place if you want,” he said. “I didn’t really have a plan other than seeing you.”
I was good with that plan. More than good with it. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze to show him, earning a relieved look.
“So I heard Sin is back with the watchers,” Bryce said as we walked. One of his curls fell out from beneath his hat and bounced against his forehead. He cast me a quick glance. “And he’s with you now too.”
I locked eyes with him for a moment before focusing on the path in front of us. The hurt in his voice was apparent, but I was still working on one thing at a time.
“That part is solved,” Mirage said. “Sin is home.”
I peeked over at him, still intrigued by how he simply knew things.
“Maybe it’s beginning to be that time where you focus on the next one,” he continued.
I kept walking in silence until we stopped at one of the vending machines for Bryce. Staring at my feet, I got lost in my thoughts on what Mirage said about focusing on the next one.
The next guy.
“It’s not me,” Mirage murmured as Bryce shook the machine for eating his dollar and cursed.
I followed Mirage’s eyes and knew he was talking about Bryce being next.
My feet became my focus again as I realized I didn’t even know how to traverse that part. I’d never even kissed Bryce, but he’d quickly become someone I cared deeply for and wanted to explore the possibilities with. He already said he wanted to. The problem was doing it without upsetting the guys.
Maybe I needed more time to acclimate to all of that so we were comfortable before I plowed on. . . or got plowed further.
My cheeks heated at what was going through my mind.
“I just want some damn crackers,” Bryce muttered, shaking the machine again. “Everything in this place sucks. The damn machine in the cafeteria ate my other dollar. I’m out of money, man.”
“I got it.” Mirage stepped away from me and went to the vending machine.
“You have a dollar?” Bryce sounded hopeful.
Mirage scoffed, and then the noise of a crash sounded out and made me jump. He’d knocked over the vending machine and was kicking it. The front cracked a bit, and he shoved his boot through with the next kick, completely obliterating the entire front.
“There. Get as many as you want,” Mirage said as a few students scattered away from us.
“You’re insane.” Bryce shot him a look, but he still bent down before grabbing a bunch of snacks from the wreckage and stuffing them into his bag. “That’s because I know they overcharge my parents for what I get out of this place.”
“The anger management classes could use some work,” Mirage agreed, grabbing snacks with Bryce. “They’re certainly not helping me. I think they just piss me off more.”
A hand came to rest on my back. I thought maybe it was one of my guys, so I turned to face them.
Instead, I came face-to-face with my nightmare.
Adam Larson.
My breath caught as I stared up at him.
“Hey, Sirena,” he greeted me, a sly smile on his face. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
He’d moved his hand to my waist.
I was frozen. Completely frozen.
“You’re still so pretty,” he whispered in my ear. “That pussy still tight for me, baby? I think I’ll be finding out soon enough.”
“What the fuck are you doing?” Mirage was between us in an instant, shoving Adam away from me. “You looking to die, fuckmeat?”
Adam let out a laugh. “Sorry, man. I was seeing if she knew where I could find Cadence. My bad for forgetting she doesn’t speak. Silent little church mouse.”
Mirage’s fist flew out lightning fast just as Bryce grabbed me and pulled me behind him to shield me. I didn’t need to see to know Mirage had connected with Adam’s face. The loud crack and grunt let me know he’d been successful. And if that hadn’t been my first clue, the blood dripping into the snow was the second.
“Get fucking lost,” Mirage snarled at him. “And don’t ever fucking touch her again. I’ve killed pricks for less.”
“Whatever.” Adam stumbled to his feet, holding his bleeding face. “I’ll see you around, Sirena.”
And with that, he tucked tail and retreated. The moment he was out of my sight, I, too, turned and ran in the opposite direction, desperate to be as far from him as I could be, his words on repeat in my head.
Again. Again. Please, god. Not again. Don’t hurt me. Please. Please. PLEASE.
“Sirena! Hey!” Bryce shouted.
I couldn’t stop. I needed to put as much distance between me and Adam as I could. I’d been fine on campus because he hadn’t been around, but now he was definitely making an appearance and torturing me. Testing me. Teasing me.
I ran faster, knowing I’d lost Bryce and Mirage somewhere behind me as I wove my way through alleys and trees.
I looked over my shoulder, taking note I wasn’t being chased. I collided with a hard body, the impact sending me stumbling back. Before I could hit the ground, strong hands caught me at the waist and dragged me into the dark recess between the theater building and the gym.
“It’s me. It’s me,” Mirage’s voice came out as I squirmed in his hold, terrified out of my mind. “Rinny. It’s me.”
I collapsed against him and cried into his chest.
He wound his arms around me. I had no clue how he’d gotten ahead of me, but he had.
“Shh. It’s OK. It’s OK. I’m here. It’s just me and you.” He rocked me in his arms, murmuring over and over that I was OK.
“Breathe. Please breathe. That’s it. You’re fine. Everything is fine now. Just us.”
As much as I wanted to be fine, I couldn’t. My brain wasn’t working.
“You can do this, Sirena. You’re stronger than you think. Let it out. Fuck, let that strength out. It’s not darkness. Not the way you think. It’s what I have. What we have. Come on, baby. Come on.”
I shook my head.
I couldn’t.
“You fucking can,” he growled at me. “Damnit, I need you to, Rinny. Everything depends on it. You’ve overcome so much. Take control. Please. I need you to do this. We need you to do this.”
I tuned his voice out, losing myself inside my head. My safe place. The place where I wouldn’t experience pain. The place where it was dark.
Mirage’s voice sounded so far away. Eventually, it gave way to silence, leaving me in a place where no one could hurt me.
Except myself.
Because even though I was safe from everyone else, I wasn’t safe from me.
And that may have been even more terrifying.