Page 14 of Demise

“What’s wrong?” Ronan asks.

“What did he do?” Asher accuses.

“I’ll fucking kill you,” Vincent snaps at Wesley.

Wesley throws his hands up, taking a step away from me.

“She was having a nightmare. I heard her screaming and found her thrashing in bed.

Narrowed eyes watch him as Liam comes through the door, frustrated and out of breath.

“What happened?” he asks.

“Bad dream. I’m sorry I scared you guys.”

“It’s fine, baby. Do you need anything?”

I shake my head, and he nods.

“We will leave you be,” he says as he pushes the others out.

Wesley begins to head out with them when I call out to him.

“Wait. Wesley, can we talk?”

Venomous looks are shot at him from all directions, but he doesn’t even acknowledge them, nodding his head as he takes a step toward me.

Ronan watches us for several seconds before speaking.

“Alright, we will be just outside the door.”

“Right outside the door,” Asher tacks on, narrowing his eyes at Wesley.

I nod at them before turning my focus to Wesley as the door shuts. For a moment, we sit in silence, just staring at each other until he speaks.

“I’m so sorry, little one. I…I can’t believe I fucked up this bad. I just…can’t believe it,” he says with a shake of his head.

I reach my hand out to cover his as I attempt to meet his eyes.

“Hey, I mean it. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but Corwin’s. You did everything you could to protect me.”

Wesley shakes his head. “That’s not true, and we both know it. I just…I don’t get how I missed it. I didn’t hear a thing upstairs. He didn’t wake you at all, and I can’t figure out how.”

I look down at our joined hands as I speak.

“I know how.”

Pausing for a moment, my eyes slowly lift to his.

“He did something to the apple cider packets. He knew I was bound to have one soon, and then when I was out—”

“He grabbed you,” he finishes with a head shake and a hollow laugh. “Still going to try to convince me that this isn’t my fault? I’m the one who made you the goddamn cider!”

Wesley begins pacing the room, his fingers digging into that blond hair as he shakes his head.

“You have to know I’d never let anyone hurt you. Not if I could help it. I…I don’t know. My guard was down. I was so fucking over the moon that you had given me a chance, me! I mean…men like me don’t get women like you.”

“What does that mean?”

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