Page 16 of Stone

His eyebrows furrow. “He was willing me to.”

“Then why did you change it? If you couldn’t remember.”

“Because I knew if I remembered, it would change everything. Change this.” His bright-blue eyes implore mine. He doesn’t want to lose the connection we have. My stomach swirls with a foreign feeling of happiness.

I lick my lip, and his eyes follow the action. “What do you mean, exactly?”

His cheeks turn red, and his gaze snaps away, staring at the white walls of what doubles up as an infirmary and his bedroom in the staff quarters. I get the distinct feeling he’s talking about me, and I bite my lip to stop myself from smiling.

Then he fidgets from side to side. “Don told me he was going to burn off my tattoo. Probably worried I’d finally remember something important, so might as well wipe the reminder from me.”

My breathing stills.

“I went out and got the tattoo covered, figured I could choose it myself. If he burned it off after, so be it.” He shrugs.

I trail my finger over it again. “He let you keep it.”

He laughs, but it lacks humor, and my blood runs cold.

“He did.”

I trail my finger over the scythe. “Does it have a meaning to you?”

“Yeah.” He clears his throat. “I should have died a thousand deaths by now, Sienna.” Nausea ripples through me. “Death keeps trying to claim me, but I’m still here.”

I bend and place a kiss on the reaper, and he flinches at my touch, but I ignore him and lift my head to meet his eyes. “I’m grateful you are.”

“Pretty sure he took my soul, Princess.” His lip twitches, but I see in his despondent eyes that he believes it, and I hate that he does.

“You’re wrong, Stone. It wasn’t taken by the reaper. I took it, and I’m going to keep it safe for you.” I want to tell him I’m keeping it safe for us, but I don’t want to push him away when I’m making such progress with him.

“You keep my soul, and I’ll keep your heart. That way, we’ll always have a part of each other, no matter what.” His ragged breaths become shallow as his eyes fall closed.

“You have every part of me, Stone,” I whisper.

“What did Don do to you for having the tattoo?”

His gaze narrows on me as sweat drips from his forehead. His body is coiled tight as he stares down at me with pinched eyebrows.

He slowly licks his lips as if gauging what to say. “You really want to know, Si?” His warm breath fans over my face as he leans down, and I melt against the locker with a need to crash my lips against his.

“Y-yes …”

His mouth moves toward my ear, and the closeness of his bare chest sends a flurry of goosebumps down my spine. “He chained me to the floor, burned me, and laughed while herubbed salt on my wounds. Then you know what he did?” I shake my head as I stare back at him in horror. “He used a cattle prod to stun me, but I welcomed it. You know why?” I shake my head. “Because it didn’t hurt as much as when he fucked my ass.” He chuckles sadistically, and my heart twists with the brutal methods our uncle would use to torture him. My blood runs cold, my heart stutters, and I whimper as tears fill my eyes.

“I’m sorry.” My lip trembles at the thought of him enduring the agony his life has been, and I hate myself for knowing the truth. Sobs rack through me. “I’m so sorry.”

He shakes his head beside mine, then breathes in my hair. “Don’t be sorry, baby. It meant I got to spend time with you.”

My mind whirls with his words, and my vision becomes hazy as I slowly realize the meaning behind them.

He endured torture to spend time with me.

Realization hits me as his words ring out in my mind. “Don’t be sorry, baby. It meant I got to spend time with you.” Did he do things in order to receive punishments? Punishments that brought him closer to me.

Stone

I know the moment she realizes what my words meant because her body trembles against mine and a soft cry leaves her throat, yet her pity brings me no pleasure. I simply don’t want it. I never have. All I have ever wanted is her close to me, in whatever capacity.

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