Page 1 of Make Me Feel Again

Prologue

Cash

“Jaceisbraindead.”

Everything stops. My whole world crashes to the floor in a thousand pieces. My blood runs cold. Never in my life did I think I would hear those four words while on this earth. How can it be, how can I be living in a world where Jace doesn’t. I stare at the doctor in front of me, his mouth is moving, but no sound reaches my ears. My stomach curdles, so I place my hand over my mouth. It can’t be my boy.

“My boy. Not my boy,” I choke out on a sob, trying to hold in the sickness threatening to come out. Pressure lands on my arm, and through blurry vision, Bohdi falls to the floor before me, gripping my shirt and tugging me into him. The pain seers through my chest, causing me to grasp Boh harder. Boh’s shoulders shake with mine as we cry into each other’s arms.

“My baby.” I zone back into the world, pulling away from Boh enough to look over, and one of the most amazing women to ever walk this earth falls to her knees beside Jace—the most amazing sister and auntie anyone could ever ask for.

“Bridge,” I croak out. Boh leans back as we open our arms to her. She crawls along the floor; I doubt any of our legs could carry this pain at this moment. She pushes up to her knees and falls into us, and our pain combines as we all cry together.

“How are we going to do this.” She sniffles into our chests. “How are we meant to go on without him, Cash.” The pain intensifies, the words cutting like razor blades over my heart. I can’t say anything because this is all I could think about the entire week. How do I go on in life without him. My son, my best friend. The light in all our lives, the bigger-than-life smile that lit up every room he walked in, the sense of humor that brought smiles to people’s faces on their worst days. How can this world exist without my son. All I know is my life, all our lives, won’t ever be the same without him. My mind flashes to Rylee, and with blurred vision, I scan the room for her, but she’s gone.

Chapter one

Rylee

“James?”

I stay rooted to the spot and stare into his soulless eyes. My vision becomes hazy from tears, and I open my mouth, then close it again, unable to say a word. I just want to ask him why he has done this.

“You’re probably thinking, why, am I right?” He smiles at me. My heart rate picks up, as the smile on his face does not make me feel safe in any way. I want to answer, but I can’t get any words out, so I nod.

“When I first saw you in that club, Ry, I was mesmerized.” He walks toward me, and my body freezes, as though I am being held down. The closer he gets, the louder my brain screams for me to move, to do anything, but I can’t.

“You were and are so effortlessly beautiful. It was like seeing an angel. I knew, from that moment, you were mine.” He says it like he believes I have been waiting my whole life to hear him say it. What is happening right now? This can’t be real. He crouches in front of me, so I drop my head to my chest. I can’t look at him. The smell of his aftershave makes me sick to my stomach.

“Look at me,” he whispers.

I keep my head down, shaking it side to side, tears trailing down my cheeks.

“Rylee,” he snaps, so I flinch away from him. “Look. At. Me.” He grips my arm, making me wince. I lift my head slowly, the endless pools of black stare at me as he leans down, and I stop breathing.What the fuck is he going to do?

His lips skim my cheek. “Fucking beautiful.”

A sob escapes my mouth before I can stop it, and then I find my voice. “James, please. Stop.” I don’t know what else to say, but I want him to get away from me. I don’t want him anywhere near me.

He huffs in my ear, as if my reaction is an inconvenience to him.

He pulls his head back a few inches so he is nose to nose with me, and his eyes, which represent the pits of hell, flicker between mine. A tinge of sadness flashes in his eyes.

“Get some rest, this has been a lot for you. I’m sure it will all make sense once you have slept and eaten something, my beautiful girl.” He slowly stands. I shake my head back and forth.All make sense? None of this will ever make sense, what planet is he living on?

“No,” I choke out. “James, what is happening right now? What have you done, and why am I here?” My whole body shakes as the fear flows through me at not knowing what he will do.

“I told you, Rylee. You belong to me. I was hoping you’d come to the realization on your own, but that fucking prick Cash made me recognize I needed to push this along.” His face turns an alarming red, his chest heaving, then he takes a few deep breaths as if he is trying to calm himself down.

“That prick always tried to get involved. I don’t know how Jace put up with him,” he grits out.

Jace’s name leaving his lips sends a jolt of sadness through me. I need to keep him talking.

“What do you mean he always tried to get involved, get involved with what?” I keep my voice quiet and as uninterested as possible. If he picks up on me trying to gather information, then he may not give me anything, and I need to know as much as possible.

He sighs like he doesn’t have the energy to get into it. “It doesn’t matter now.” The smile he flashes makes me sick; it’s like a mask has been lifted off James’s face and I’m finally seeing him for who he is. I have never seen so much coldness, so much evil in his eyes before. “I have you now, so I won. He didn’t.” His thumb grazes my cheek. I stay frozen to the spot, waiting for him to continue or give me more.

“James, please tell me what is happening.” I hold eye contact with him, even though I’m trying to hold the sickness at bay.

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