Page 63 of Wings of Destiny

“Rather have that anyway,” I mumbled.

Glasses clinked as he grabbed the only two wine glasses he owned out of his cabinet. The wine splashed as he poured, the bottle’s glugging filled the silence.

Seth set the glasses on his coffee table before he sat down again. I lifted my arm and made a grabbing gesture in the air. He huffed out a strained laugh before he placed the glass in my hand.

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

“Maybe. But I have every right to be. I’ve been up for less than a day since y’all rescued my ass, risking yourselves”—I squinted both eyes open, sending him a sideways glare—“and it feels like a whole ass week has gone by.”

“I mean, technically, it has been a week, Erin. And we would’ve done the same for Derik or Libby. You might be new to all of this, but we’re a team. And we have each others’ backs.”

“That’s different though.”

“How?”

I gulped down my wine, noticing he’d filled mine to the rim.

Good.

I smacked my lips together. “Because you don’t have some big-brother complex about either of them and they don’t know me that well.”

I’m just here. Being a burden.

Seth scoffed. “I’m sorry, but a big-brother complex? Did you hit your head on a rock or the doorway on your way in?”

I rolled my head to the side and stared at him. “You act like I’m this frail fragile girl who can’t take care of herself. When I clearly can and have since middle school,” I took another heavy gulp from my glass. “Even when we’ve been lifting or running together over the last few years it’s the same thing. I know I’m clumsy but I’m not helpless. I would’ve figured a way out.” I chugged the rest of my wine. I stood up and headed for the kitchen to grab more when my foot caught on the coffee table. I whipped my arm out, catching myself before I face planted and proved exactly the opposite.

Go figure.

I grabbed the bottle, now half empty, near the edge of the kitchen island and slung it back. I eyed the unopened bottle perched across the island and reached for it as well before I sauntered back toward the couch. I sloppily set the unopened wine on the coffee table before taking another pull from the one still in my hand and hitting Seth with a dead stare.

Give me your worst, Seth.

“You could’ve been killed, Erin. And until we have this whole ‘Key’ bullshit sorted out and you have a hold on your powers,I’d rather make sure you're safe than risk your clearly drunk ass getting swiped or worse. If you don’t like it, too damn bad.” He boomed, his jaw twitching.

“Well, fuck you then, Seth.” I quickly drank the rest of the wine and moved to open the second bottle.

“Tell me when and where, Snow. When. And. Where,” Seth rumbled. My cheeks flushed.

I scoffed and flipped him off. “Ha. Yeah, right. I’m just a damn protection project for you. I’m notyourtype. And you wouldn’t dare.”

He’d leaned forward, his nose mere inches from mine causing me to jump, my breath hitched. Erebus’s face flashed before me and I screamed.

Amber eyes stared at me, hunger flashed.

Seth jumped back, apologizing profusely. “Erin, are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. Shit,” he ran to grab some water and a blanket. My body shook. I fought back the living nightmare trying to take over. “Erin, listen to me. I’m just going to put this blanket over your shoulders, is that okay?” I absently nodded my head. The clank of another glass sounded from the coffee table. “I’m here, Erin. Whatever just happened, wasn’t real. It’s me, Seth.” He paused. “We’re in my living room. It’s you and me. You’re safe,” his voice was unwavering. “You’re safe.” Seth repeated until the shaking stopped.

I came back to myself. The living room came back into view. I blinked a few times, pushing the final scraps of fear into the far recess of my mind. I pulled the corners of the blanket further around myself and kept my half-dazed line of sight focused on my lap.

“I’m sorry,” we said simultaneously.

“Erin, do you want to talk about it?”

I shook my head. “I don’t know. No. Not really, I guess. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’ve freaked out, what, twice since I woke up this morning now?”

I’m a broken mess.

He reached his hand out, stopped, and waited for me to reach my own out to his. I slid mine out from behind the blanket and rested it in the palm of his hand.

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