Awakened (Steel Brothers Saga 16)

I’m not.

I should be hurt.

I’m not.

I should be disappointed.

I’m not.

Oh, I will be.

I’ll be all of those things, and soon.

But not now.

For once, all my senses are silent, and I’m an empty shell.

Now, I’m only numb.

Numb…and in love.

Epilogue

Dale

The sun rises over the Rockies and casts light on my vines.

I won’t stay long.

I have to get home to feed Penny and let her out.

But for a moment, this is where I need to be.

Away from the chaos.

Away from the fear.

I let her in.

I fucking let her in.

What’s worse? She let me in.

Now, I have to hurt her, and though I’d rather burn in flames from the inside out than hurt Ashley White—the woman I love—I have no choice. It can’t be avoided. Once you’re steering toward the cliff, it’s too late to stop the catastrophe.

She awakened me.

Made me want something I have no business wanting, made me want to confront the demons hiding somewhere inside me.

She awakened emotions left dormant for decades.

And though it led to the best and most profound moment of my life, the price is too high. Far too high.

For I know the truth. The problem with letting the good out is that the bad must come along for the ride. There’s no escape.

The monster inside me is loose now. Loose in the midst of the chaos.

And I’m on that ride into hell.