Page 51 of Echoes

My eyes look over the broken bolts, the sheets covered in sweat and blood. Shrugging, I give her a small smirk. "Don't worry about it."

"Is he going to be mad?" she asks hesitantly.

"No," I say confidently. "Now, eat something."

She looks at the fallen, forgotten candy bar, cheeks red before she makes her way to the drawer to grab a new snack.

Pulling the knife out of the wall, I twirl it around, watching her carefully. Her expression changes instantly when the chocolate reaches her mouth, a look of pure happiness.

It's everything.

The access pad outside the room beeps a few minutes later, the door swinging open to reveal Damon. He looks at me casually, then to Avery, before glancing unbothered at the bed.

"She needs to go back to her room now," he says to me, dropping a manila envelope on his desk.

I give a stern nod, holding my hand out for her. She takes it, squeezing my lacerated palm before giving Damon a quick smile of appreciation. It's surreal to witness, but I understand. No doubt he'll have some words for me when I get back, but to her, what he did means something.

I know there are reasons behind it, but still, it's the first time in days I've been able to think clearly. I'm thankful too, no matter what the price is.

Chapter 18

Damon

After Grey leaves to escort Avery back to her room, I head down the corridor to find Connor. He's stationed at the door for the night shift, and gives me a respectful nod as I approach.

"Fetch some new bedding and change my room," I order him.

Connor nods, rushing off to take care of it. Blood doesn't faze me in the slightest, but I have no compulsion to clean up Grey's mess.

I'm not surprised in the slightest to have found my room in that post-coitus condition, but I'm glad to see that they havemadeup. It was a slight detour in the road, but now we can get back on track.

I hate that I've had to accept that she makes him stronger. No one should ever have their emotions and strength controlled bysomeone else.But alas, this was just another situation that needed taking care of.

After reflecting on it, I decided that I can utilize Avery after all. Sadly, it just involves having her around in a more engulfing capacity. Preferably, I'd rather as little contact as possible, butwinning is winning. It doesn't matter what you have to do to get there.

Sitting at my desk, I flick open the file from Byrone detailing the new patient's information. I had planned to meet him today, however it appears Christopher has decided to play difficult, sheltering him from me.

Never fear—tomorrow is a new day.

When footsteps head toward my room, I raise an eyebrow in surprise. Grey struts back into the room a few seconds later, an airy, carefree composure about him.

"I wasn't expecting you back so soon," I tell him lazily, scanning the file.

He sits on the bed, stretching out. "Avery needs rest. Besides, I have a suspicion she will be woken up early by Arthur. Apparently, he's assigned her to another task."

There's a darkness to his tone, distracting me from the file. Swinging the chair around, it's confirmed by the look on his face.

"What now?" I ask annoyed.

Grey's face tightens. "He's fucking with us, Deadman. He knows she's with us and is pressuring her for information."

I fold my arms. "And do you think she'll give it to him?" I question, wondering if it's too soon to regret my decision.

"No," he answers confidently. "Which is why he has resorted to other methods."

"The chores," I shoot back. "We were already aware of this."

Grey snarls. "It's beyond that. He's torturing her, cutting her off from everyone, trying to get her to kill herself."

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