Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72231 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 361(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
When she finally wakes with no issue, she looks up at me with tired eyes. “It’s all true, isn’t it?” I nod just as a knock sounds at her front door.
She tenses, and I get out of bed and walk into the bathroom to slide my pants back on before I go to see who’s there. When I open the door, Sebastian is on the other side, his eyes red and puffy.
“I just found out. Does she know about Delaney?” He sniffles.
“Yes.”
He wipes his eyes and peers past me into the apartment. “Can I come in?” he asks, and I step to the side, knowing Cora will want to see him. And hoping she doesn’t tell him anything because if she does, I’m afraid of the consequences—for all of us.
The Forsaken has been my home for the last decade—a place where I have always felt safest. Where I could indulge in all my fucked-up ways. Even though I don’t want to lose that, with her, I don’t feel the need to cater to my darkness as I once did. It’s like she quiets those parts of me with her acceptance of them. I told her about the worst parts of myself, and she’s still here. Even though I’m currently at her place, I’m refusing to leave her side until I know she’s okay.
I hear them both crying as I walk into the kitchen. Grabbing whatever ingredients I can find, I start making breakfast. Cora didn’t eat last night, and now she needs food. She needs to rest and heal.
I listen to their hushed conversation as I mix pancake batter and then pour it onto the griddle. Sebastian can’t believe what’s happened, and all Cora does is cry. I find some strawberries, cut them up, and then plate them before setting them on the counter next to the maple syrup. When I turn the corner into the hall, I find her standing in her bedroom doorway, her eyes puffy as she wipes them.
“You cooked?” she asks, surprised.
“Yes. You need to eat before you do anything today.”
“I can’t eat.” She grimaces.
“I’ll feed you.” I wave toward the counter, and she shuffles over and takes a seat as Sebastian exits the bedroom. “Hungry?” I ask him. “I cooked enough for you both.”
“We need to arrange funeral stuff,” Sebastian announces as he plates up his food.
Cora and I stare at him as he takes almost all the pancakes I cooked.
“I comfort eat, okay?” he says defensively, and we leave it at that.
I cut a bite of pancake and then lift it to her mouth. She opens and takes it. We watch each other as she chews, her eyes broadcasting her devastation.
“Is this weird for you? I mean, having to look after someone,” she asks as she wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.
“I wouldn’t do it if it were anyone else.”
“Now, tell me why I believe that,” Sebastian interjects, already through his first pancake and onto the next.
She eyes me as I continue to feed her, but we don’t say another word to each other as she and Sebastian discuss plans for handling Delaney’s funeral. At one point in the conversation, I wipe away a stray tear that falls from her eye, and there is no way I can miss the hurt behind them.
There is so much pain, and I hate that it’s there.
She hides her physical pain from the injuries she received last night and gives Sebastian the excuse that her face is red because she stumbled and hit the wall when she found out about Delaney. She’s believable when she says it, even though I know it’s not the truth. And Sebastian doesn’t comment on it as they make plans to go to funeral homes tomorrow.
Once she’s eaten a single pancake, she tells me she’s had enough, so I start cleaning up the kitchen. A few minutes later, my phone rings. When I see it’s Reon calling, I step out of the room to answer it in private.
“Yes?” I say in greeting.
“How is she?” he asks.
“You know what happened?”
“No. Soren grumbled something about you announcing you’ll be marrying her, and I put two and two together when Rylas showed up dead,” he says.
I go to the bathroom, find my shirt, and finish getting dressed.
“How did you handle it?” I ask.
“Handle what?”
“Falling in love with Lilith?”
“Surprisingly, loving her was the easiest thing I have ever done. The issue was the outside world. Are you telling me you love her?”
“Yes, I do. I love Cora.” A small gasp comes from behind me, and I turn to find Cora there. “I have to go.” I hang up immediately and meet her shocked gaze. It’s the truth though. No denying it, she is it for me. “You heard all of that?”
“Sebastian went home. Do you have any strong pain meds? My ribs hurt,” she says, ignoring my question.