Page 8 of Sinful

She said nothing, but I didn’t really expect her to. Instead, she squeezed my hand lightly and hummed that damn song I’d heard her hum before.

It was better than nothing.

SIRENA

My entire body hurt.

I kept retreating to my safe place, peeking out long enough to make sure things were still OK.

But OK still felt really awful.

I didn’t even know the extent of my injuries, just that I had many, and it hurt to even breathe. The knife Adam had used had torn me up, and I was scared to even know just how much.

Which was why I stayed in the dark corner of my mind, humming my and Seth’s song, hoping that this was all just a bad dream I’d wake from.

Something ugly lurked on the edges of my mind, beckoning me closer, though. I wasn’t alone in my safe place. I knew this. It scared me, so I tucked myself deeper into the darkness, hoping I could make sense of everything soon. I’d felt this darkness before, but it had never been so pronounced. So. . . alive.

“She’s been like this all day,” Stitches murmured, his warm hand in mine as I stared up at the ceiling in Church’s room. He’d brought me here after the doctor released me. I’d been here a long time it seemed. I didn’t have an accurate count of time. It was all the same to me. Could have been a week or a month. I just didn’t know, nor did I care. The only thing I wanted was the nightmare to go away.

“She’s humming more than usual.” Ashes commented.My pyro.“That’s good, right?”

“She hummed when she was in the med ward last time,” Church muttered. “Look how that went down.”

“You said she asked for Claws. Maybe we should get her. We can’t keep pushing her away. She’s nuts and will fucking set the house on fire just to smoke us out,” Stitches said. “Or Seth. Get Asylum. You always tell him no when he comes to check on her.”

“Mirage,” I whispered.

There was a scurry of activity as the guys gathered closer to me.

“What’s that, baby? What did you say?” Ashes pleaded, cradling my face. “Come on, heaven. Just talk to us.”

I said nothing, my heart hurting. I needed to see Mirage. And if I couldn’t see him, I needed Asylum.

“Asylum,” I murmured.

“OK. Fine.” Church placed a warm kiss on my forehead with so much fierceness it made my heart jump. “Malachi, get Seth.”

There was a scraping of a chair and then the sound of Stitches’s heavy footsteps leaving the room.

“He brought her back before,” Ashes commented, squeezing my hand.

“At what cost?” Church let out a sigh. “They grew closer after.”

“Well, I mean, it’s worth it, right?”

“Is it? What if he’s right about all of this shit? That he gets her in the end?” Church asked, his voice soft.

Get me in the end? I’m not leaving you. I’m not. God, why can’t I just scream it for them to hear? Why was I so messed up?

I love you all so much.

“She loves us. I know she does.” Ashes kissed the top of my hand. “I’m not worried. Much.”

Church snorted.

I closed my eyes, desperate for a little escape.

The curious tendrils of the monster lurking on the edges of my safe place raised its head and smiled.

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