Page 19 of Grave Intentions

“We’re leaving.” His voice is low but sharp.

David’s hand stills on my thigh. “Back off. This is none of your business.”

“Get your hands off her.” Talon’s words carry deadly intent.

“She’s my girlfriend. You’re just some foster kid who?—”

“Shut up!” Someone behind us whispers harshly.

“Yeah, keep it down,” another voice adds.

Talon’s hand wraps around my arm, yanking me to my feet. David tries to hold onto me, but Talon’s grip is stronger. He pulls me past the other seated viewers, ignoring their grumbled complaints.

“You can’t just take her,” David whisper-shouts after us.

“Watch me,” Talon growls back, leading me up the theater steps.

I stumble beside him, relief flooding through me as we escape the suffocating darkness of the theater. My legs shake with each step, but Talon’s firm grip keeps me moving forward.

The cool night air hits my face as we exit the theater. My heart still pounds from what happened inside. Talon’s grip on my arm loosens, but he keeps me close as we walk toward his black car.

“How did you find me?” My voice trembles.

“I’ll always find you, Lena.” His blue eyes lock onto mine, intense and unwavering. “Always.”

He opens the passenger door, and I slide into the leather seat. The car smells like him—a mix of pine and leather. Talon gets in beside me, his presence filling the small space. His knuckles are white on the steering wheel.

“Were you watching the movie too?” I ask, rubbing my arms where David’s touch still burns. “I didn’t see you inside.”

“No.” His jaw clenches. “I wasn’t inside.”

“Then how?—”

“Does it matter?” He cuts me off, turning to face me. The streetlight catches his profile, highlighting the sharp angles of his face. Electricity crackles between us in the confined space. I can’t look away from him.

“You were following me,” I whisper, the realization hitting me. Something warm unfurls in my chest at the thought.

“Following. Watching.” His voice is rough. “Call it what you want.”

My breath catches as his hand reaches across the console, fingers ghosting over where David grabbed my thigh. Unlike David’s forceful grip, the touch is gentle but sends sparks through my entire body.

“I saw what he did to you,” Talon growls. “How he put his hands on you like he had the right. It took every ounce of my self-control not to snap his wrist right then and there.”

His eyes meet mine, smoldering with a dangerous intensity. “I’ll always be watching, Lena. I’ll be the shadow that follows you, the whisper in the dark that keeps you safe. And if anyone tries to lay a finger on you again, they’ll have to answer to me.”

“For how long?” I ask, knowing that Talon has been working to save up enough to leave, or at least, that’s what he says. It still doesn’t make sense. He could sleep in his car for a month or two to get enough for a deposit on a place. Instead, he’s stuck in an abusive home where he used to be beaten on the regular. Mr. Wilson won’t dare raise a hand to him now, not with how stacked out he is.

Talon’s hand drops from my thigh, and he leans back in his seat. The loss of his touch leaves me cold.

“If you mean me getting enough to move out, the Wilsons are making it impossible.” His fingers drum against the steering wheel. “Takes more than half my paycheck for ‘rent.’ I owe him for all the years he put up with me, even though the state paid for my ‘care.’”

“That’s not fair.” I shift in my seat to face him. “You’re barely making minimum wage at the grocery store. Why don’t you just leave?”

“Life isn’t fair, Lena.” He turns those piercing blue eyes on me. “You and I, we’ve seen the worst of it. The Wilsons are just another reminder that the world doesn’t care about people like us.”

“There has to be something?—”

“Listen to me,” he interrupts. “I know what they’re capable of. They’ll break you down, piece by piece, until there’s nothing left. And they’ll enjoy every fucking minute of it.”

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