Page 13 of Echoes of Desire

“Raven, wait!” he calls, catching up to me as I reach the hallway. “You can’t just let him do this!”

“What do you expect me to do, Eric?” I snap, spinning to face him. “He’s the boss. I can’t exactly force him to keep me on.”

Eric hesitates, his face scrunching in frustration. “You could... I don’t know... fight back or something!”

I shake my head, my chest tight with a mixture of anger and despair. “What good would that do? He’s looking for a reason to get rid of me. I’m not giving him the satisfaction of seeing me beg.”

Eric opens his mouth to argue, but the sound of my phone buzzing in my pocket cuts him off.

I pull out my phone, my hands trembling as I swipe the screen. It’s another message from the group chat.

Jasper:We’ll talk about this later, Pet, but I hope you’ve eaten something. Text us when you can.

My stomach twists. I haven’t eaten. I haven’t done much of anything except rush to this stupid meeting only to lose my job.

“Everything okay?” Eric asks, glancing at my phone.

I shove it back into my pocket and force a smile. “Yeah. It’s fine.”

“You don’t look fine.”

I sigh, running a hand through my hair. “I’ll be fine, Eric. I just... need to figure out what to do next.”

He hesitates for a moment before stepping closer, his voice lowering. “Look, if you need anything, just let me know, okay? I mean it.”

“Thanks,” I say, offering him a small smile.

He nods, lingering for a moment before heading back to the staff room.

As I step outside, the cool morning air hits me, and I realize I have no idea what to do next. My car is still dead over in the parking lot, I’m officially unemployed, and my mind keeps drifting back to the messages on my phone.

Punishment.

The word lingers in my thoughts, stirring a strange mixture of curiosity and unease. What did Jasper mean by that? Was he serious, or was it just another way to get under my skin?

I pull out my phone again, staring at the chat.

Me:I’m fine. Just got out of a meeting, and things didn’t go great.

The response comes almost immediately.

Jaxon:What happened, sweetheart?

I bite my lip, hesitating. Do I really want to unload all of this on them? They’re practically strangers.

But as I stare at the screen, another thought creeps in. Last night, they made me feel safe. Protected. Maybe, just maybe, they’d understand.

Me:I got fired. It’s a long story.

The response is instant.

Jasper:Where are you right now?

Me:Walking home.

I stop mid-step as my phone buzzes again.

Jaxon:Stay where you are. We’re coming to you.

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