Dark Wish

I shiver as I get up from the floor, suddenly feeling cold to the bone.

I’ve lost my only sliver of humanity. The one girl I could finally talk to is shut off from reality. And all I have left is my own crazy thoughts whirling inside my head, convincing me I too am guilty of a crime deserving of all this punishment.

I’m tired of sitting around and waiting. No more.

If I can’t count on anyone, not Eli or Chris or even Anna … then I will count on myself.

I will be the one to set us both free.

Chapter 22

Eli

Tobias groans out loud when he pulls the metal from his leg. Blood seeps from the wound, which he quickly covers with bandages and tapes it up.

“Looks gnarly,” I say.

“It’ll heal,” he responds as he walks past me and grabs a glass from the cabinet. “Man … I’m thirsty.”

He turns on the tap and runs water into the glass.

“I can imagine after doing all that,” I retort as I sip my coffee at the bar.

He chugs it down in one go, sets the glass on the counter, and then stares at me. “It took quite a bit more effort because of your girl.”

I look away and sigh. “She needed to learn her lesson.”

Soren stomps into the room, eyes cold as though his mind is completely shut off. He opens the fridge to take out a carton of milk and slurps down the entire thing, then throws it into the trash from a distance and burps out loud.

“Can you not?” I say, pointing at my mug. “I’m trying to enjoy my coffee here.”

“That’s what happens when you interfere with our work,” Tobias replies, and he folds his arms. “You even tell off Soren nowadays.”

“You both make too much noise,” I retort.

“Do you have any idea how hard I’ve been working on cracking that one?”

“Really?” I raise a brow. “Because it seems like she only got here recently. If I wasn’t so busy myself, I’d say you had quite an easy time convincing her to tell the truth.”

Tobias smashes the glass down onto the sink. “Really? That’s your answer?” He rolls his eyes. “You let your girl roam around the House.”

“Yes. That’s my decision, not yours,” I say, clearing my throat. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some calls to make.”

When I walk to the door, Tobias blocks my way, and the air suddenly grows thick with animosity. “Something you wanna say to me?”

“If you hadn’t let her out of your sight, maybe she wouldn’t have snooped on us,” he says, folding his arms.

“She needed to see to know what would happen,” I say.

When I try to pass him, he blocks my way again.

“You make my job harder than it should be,” he says. “Why?”

“Your girl was easy,” I hiss. “You broke her in no time.” I snap my fingers. “Like that.”

“And you think yours isn’t?” he retorts.

My nostrils flare. “I know she isn’t. Now get out of my way.”

I march past him, determined not to let his anger over me busting in on their affairs with Amelia ruin everything we’ve worked so hard for. Fighting isn’t part of our agreement. And these boys know we’re in this together.

“Maybe I should have my way with her then,” he says.

I pause, right in the door opening.

One. Two. Three.

Fuck.

No amount of counting numbers in my head will quench this thirst for blood.

I march right back at him and get right up in his face. “Don’t you fucking dare.”

“Why not? If she’s so difficult, maybe it’ll finally break her, and then we can get it over with.”

“She is mine. Mine, you hear me?” I growl.

“Sounds like you have a problem dealing with your own sins, not hers.”

“She is a fragile thing. If you challenge her too hard, she will break beyond repair,” I say through gritted teeth. “So unless you want to go against protocol and actually risk losing one of our guests, I suggest you keep your mouth shut.”

We’re bumping chests now, and if lightning could strike between our gazes, this whole place would’ve burned down by now. The fire burning inside me is ready to burst into a crescendo. The only thing holding me back is our history together.

“The rules were put in place for a reason,” he hisses.

“And I was the one to inherit them. You think you can do a better job than me?” I growl back.

“Stop.”

We both look up.

It’s the first time Soren’s spoken up in ages. Neither of us takes his words lightly, even when there are so few of them.

Soren steps closer. “Do not forget your sins,” he says, eyes boring into mine.

I gulp. He’s right. We’re succumbing to the very thing we swore to fight.

I sigh and lower my eyes, nodding as I take a step back. “Look at us. Look at what this is doing to us.”