Page 123 of Taken By Touch and Torment

“No one,” I said softly. “Fucking no one.”

I didn’t need the witch to remind me of Scarlett’s impossibility.

“That’s why I know she’s going to go. And not only that, she’s going to accomplish exactly what she sets out to do, no matter what’s thrown in her way,” Snow whispered. “We can’t stay in denial. Not us nor her. No matter how badly we want to.”

Snow and I mirrored each other’s heartbreak, for the briefest of lapses. We wanted to stop Scarlett, just like her friend in Crescent Haven tried to do. We wanted to tell her it was a suicide mission, and she was far too vulnerable and breakable to survive.

But Scarlett had this obnoxious way of proving everyone wrong.

“Of course I will tell her,” I said, rising from the chair. “Don’t you understand?” I ran a hand through my hair, raw emotion threatening to spill over. “That the moment she finds out she will leave?”

Snow deflated even more, conflict in her features.

“Scarlett makes so many of her decisions out of guilt,” I said, near angrily to cover up my devastation. “That’s what childhood abuse and neglect does to us. It makes us fucking starving for attention, for validation, for love. And we get it all confused. We go looking for it in all the wrong places. We bear the weight of the world on our shoulders. Scarlett already carries so much guilt for what happened to her friend, to the human slaves, and even to Isabella. She blames herself for far too much. When she finds out that Durian’s obsession with her has sentenced innocents to death…”

Wave after wave of sorrow washed over me, more than I’d allowed myself to feel in centuries. Everything I’d had to dam up and hide from Scarlett, so I could be strong for her, was now hemorrhaging. That someone so pure, so full of love, had to endure what Scarlett had—it broke me. It shattered me that I couldn’t protect her from any of it.

I’d deluded myself into thinking that when I had her back, I’d be able to shield her from all pain and suffering for the rest of eternity.

But that wasn’t how life worked. And it certainly wasn’t how Scarlett operated. I felt my features moving to reflect my pain. My walls were slipping, and my shadows slowly bled.

“Rune,” Snow said, tears falling from her soft green eyes. She walked to me and pulled me into a hug.

Uriah looked uncomfortably to the floor.

I leaned into Snow, remembering all the times she’d held space for me when Scarlett was with the born. She’d allowed me to be human, to be vulnerable.

“I’m grateful Scarlett has you,” I whispered.

Snow sighed, as if her next words were reluctant. “I’m grateful she has you too, fascist prick.”

I chuckled, pulling away from her. “Today’s fascist prick is tomorrow’s gods-blessed savior.” I couldn’t help but smirk. “Or vice versa.”

Snow’s eyes narrowed. “What does that mean? Spill.”

I glanced over at Uriah, who was moving past his discomfort now that he wasn’t forced to witness my emotions.

Uriah grinned. “The born civilian population isn’t very happy, Blondie.”

“In-fighting has begun,” I illuminated. Then, I paused, glaring at Uriah. “How the hell have we been overrun by this many uninitiated women running around with top secret clearance and clan secrets?”

“Acting like they own the damn place, too,” Uriah agreed, amusement coloring his eyes when Snow turned on him and glowered. “Won’t listen to a single bloody order, ignore the chain of command and basic codes of conduct.”

“God forbid you have to act like actual people every once in a while and flex some empathy muscles,” Snow bit back.

It was more and more apparent every day why Scarlett loved her so much. Speaking of, my ears tingled, detecting the sound of approaching footsteps. I exchanged a glance with Uriah, making sure he knew that Scarlett was here, too.

“Rather than brainless soldiers controlled by Rune’s hive mind,” Snow muttered, continuing her little rant.

“You know, I actually quite like the sound of that,” I said.

“You would,” Scarlett said, surprising only Snow as she slipped into the study and looked around at all of us. “Given your pathological control freak tendencies.”

I grinned, my shadows crawling along the floor to tease her ankles.

“I think there’s some sexy roleplay potential in here somewhere,” Uriah said, scratching his chin.

Snow fumed, her cheeks reddening.

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