Page 111 of Second Chance Mates

My throat contracts. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Jaxon rests his forehead against mine and closes his eyes. “I know, baby.”

“I’m sorry.” I lean up onto my toes and kiss the corner of his mouth.

He presses me back into the tree and claims my lips with every ounce of energy he possesses. I sigh, feeling all of his emotions flood out of him when he kisses me deeper, and I don’t want to make him feel like this again.

37

AVA

Ipace Gemma’s office as she watches me closely. Blood pumps around my body, and I’m convinced it helps calm me. She never questions why I don’t like to sit down and accepts me for who I am. This isn’t a safe space; this is a safe haven.

“And how do you feel knowing Lucien and Damon are gone?” she asks.

My tongue extends to lick my bottom lip. “Relieved,” I admit. “I did think it would give me closure, but I’m not really feeling anything yet.”

Gemma’s mouth curls into a soft smile. “It’s barely been a week, Ava. Closure doesn’t have to happen the next second. You are probably still digesting what happened, and that’s okay. It might take time, but don’t be frustrated with yourself.”

I nod once. “I know.” I raise my thumb to my lips to chew on the nail. “It felt surreal seeing them again.”

“Did it upset you?”

“At first, yes. It felt like someone had punched me in the throat and I couldn’t breathe. But I knew they were going to die, and I wouldn’t get the chance again. That’s why I decided to do what I did,” I sigh and drop my hands to my sides, flexing my fingers. “It didn’t fulfil me with the satisfaction I thought it would.”

“Why do you think that is?”

I meet her gaze. “Because the pain I made them feel in those short seconds is nothing compared to the years of abuse they gave me. It put things into perspective for me, and I’ve never been so angry.”

“And you have every right to be angry,” she states, leaning forward in her chair. “What other emotions did you feel?”

My body turns towards the window, and I stare out at the cloudy sky. I fold my arms over my chest and release a heavy sigh. “Fear. I feared them, just like I did when they kidnapped me from my school–”

I cut myself off and blink. School?

“I haven’t heard you mention your school before, Ava. Would you like to elaborate?”

My eyes dart from tree to tree as I search my mind for the memory. I swallow back the lump in my throat. I close my eyes, letting the memories flood towards me.

“I-I was at school. I was in my final year, a few months away from graduating, and they took me…in the car park. There was a white van. A white van,” I murmur as the memory replays in my head like a movie. “And…”

Gemma waits patiently for me to carry on. I turn around to face her as she watches curiously. I keep my mouth parted, but for a few moments, nothing comes out. The words are all jumbled in my mind.

“And…” I rasp through trembling lips. “I was there with my friends.”

“Do you remember the names of your friends?”

I nod slowly. “Kayleigh. She was my best friend.”

Tears well in my eyes as the memories become clearer by the second. I take down a shuddering breath and slip a hand through my hair.

“I spent a lot of time with her because I hated my foster parents,” I whisper. “Her family was like my true family. I loved them to pieces. They treated me like their own—like everyone does here.”

A hand covers my mouth. “Oh, my God,” I gasp. “I remember. I remember.”

“How does that make you feel, Ava?”

“Weightless.”

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