Page 32 of The Aftermath

“It changes nothing,” he says calmly.

“It changes everything! I can’t have kids, Silas! Do you know what’s going to happen to me in this fucking society? What will they do once they find out I can’t have kids?”

“They won’t do anything. I won’t let them.”

“And you? How the hell could you want me after what I told you? How could you even look at me?” I scream at him before pounding my fists against his chest once more. When I wear myself out, I fall to the floor at his feet, and he lets out the loudest roar I’ve heard from him yet.

He doesn’t stop. He’s drunk. He’s angry. I get it. I am, too.

Levi grabs one of my arms as Hunter grabs the other, picking me up off the floor. They lead me into another room and sit me on a chair, giving me water. I take small sips as everyone stands around, not knowing what to say. What the hell could they say?

“You should rest,” Hunter tells me.

“I’m not leaving him.” My voice is hoarse.

“I’m not letting him down until he’s sober,” Hunter says point blank. I didn’t expect him to.

“I’m still not leaving him.” Hunter nods his head and leaves the room.

“We’ll all stay here tonight,” Rylan says.

“No. You can go. I’ll be fine.”

“You’re strong, Angel. I’m not worried about you right now.”

“You’re worried about your friend.”

“Not just him, Angel,” Levi says.

We stay in silence for a long time until I notice it quieten down out there. I stand and walk out the door to see Silas’s head down, just hanging there.

“He passed out,” Hunter reports as he drags a cot across the floor. “You can sleep here.”

“Thank you.” He nods, and I walk over, pulling the blanket back and climbing onto the cot. I’m exhausted as I lay down and look back up at him.

“I love you, Silas.” Then I lie on the cot at his feet, my eyes slowly fluttering closed as sleep drags me under.

Chapter 17

Silas

I may have been drunk as fuck, but I remember everything up until I blacked out. I tore her apart. I ripped open every old wound she had and forced her to bleed for me. I had to hear her say it. I had to hear her admit it because I’m going to kill every single one of them. I’m going to move down the line and take each of them out for what they did to her.

I raise my head, and my fucking body aches from hanging from these damn chains all night. I get why they did it, though. They didn’t have a choice, and it was probably for the best I was strung up like that, so I didn’t hurt Angel any more than I already did.

“You awake?” I hear Hunter’s voice. I turn my head to the side and see him walking toward me and nod. Angel lies on a cot, sound asleep right at my feet.

“What’s she doing here?”

“She wouldn’t leave you,” he tells me. Fuck. How did I get so lucky with her? A sick bastard like me doesn’t deserve a girl like Angel. She deserves better.

Hunter moves to unlock the chains from around my ankles and then my arms. I lower them slowly and work them out to get some feeling back into them.

“I won’t say sorry,” he tells me.

“I wouldn’t ask you to. In fact, I’ll thank you.”

“Don’t do that either. We’re friends, right? It’s what we do for each other.” I nod my head. He’s right. We would do it for the other. I look down at Angel as she sleeps and I debate crawling on the cot with her or walking away.

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