Page 118 of Wicked Little Nightmare

I'd always known I was different. Broken. But Lakey... she saw something in me worth loving. Or at least worth keeping around. The thought of losing that, of seeing disgust replace that adoration in her eyes... it terrified me more than any torture Chimera could devise.

"Hey," Lakey whispered, her lips brushing my ear. "Whatever's going on in that gorgeous head of yours, we'll figure it out."

I nodded, forcing a smirk. "Always, darlin'. Just promise me one thing?"

"Anything," she breathed.

"No matter what, you’ll always choose me."

Her answering laugh was dark. “Oh, Cammy, you are everything. I’d choose you a thousand times, in a thousand lives, even if every fucking one was worse than the one before.”

Whatever memories surfaced, whatever the future held, at least I had this. At least I had her.

I tuned back in, wanting to ask a question because I didn’t do variables, and they just kept introducing new ones. "Just wondering... what if we're walking into something bigger than we can handle? Who is there for back up? You were saying something about potential allies. So, who are they?"

Sarah scoffed. "Since when are you the cautious one?"

I flashed her a grin, shrugging my shoulders at her response. "You don’t know me very well. I'm still game for a little mayhem. Just like to know what I'm dealing with. Or who I’m dealing with."

“We have friends. But they’re not like us, Cam. They’re outliers. Unknowns. We will only bring them in if necessary and right now, it’s not. Understood?” Kyle finally spoke for the first time in ages, pinning me with a look.

Yeah. I understand.

Those were the people I’d shoot first and ask questions later if it came down to it.

So, let’s hope we don’t need to find out where their allegiances lay.

Forty: Lakey

Tap, tap, tap. My fingers danced across the kitchen table like they had a mind of their own, desperate to escape the shit show brewing in my head. I glared at the stack of files in front of me, wishing I could set the whole damn pile on fire with my mind. Wouldn't that be a neat trick?

"Just do it, Lakey," I muttered to myself. "It's only hypnotherapy. What's the worst that could happen?"

Oh, I don't know. Maybe unlocking a Pandora's box of fucked-up memories better left buried? Reliving every excruciating detail of whatever those Chimera bastards did to me? No thanks.

But then again, ignorance wasn't exactly bliss in this case. Those blank spots in my memory itched like a scab I couldn't stop picking at. What if the key to taking down Chimera was hidden somewhere in that darkness.

I tapped the outline of Cam's initials on my wrist, the familiar curves of the tattoo soothing my frayed nerves. What would he do? Probably tell me to woman up and face my demons head-on.Easy for him to say. He won’t be the one allowing someone to fuck with his brain.

The soft padding of footsteps pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts. Sarah glided into the kitchen, all serene smiles and calming energy. Damn her and her zen bullshit.

"How are you feeling, Lakey?" she asked, sliding into the chair across from me.

I plastered on my sweetest smile. "Well, I’m alive. Nothing like the threat of mind-fuckery to brighten up a girl's day."

Sarah didn't even flinch at my venom. "I understand your hesitation. Hypnotherapy can be intimidating, but it's actually quite gentle."

I snorted. "Right. Because poking around in the cesspool of my subconscious is just like a fucking walk in the park."

"It's more like... guided meditation," Sarah explained, her voice soft but firm. "You're always in control. We're just creating a relaxed state where memories might surface more easily."

Part of me wanted to believe her. To think that maybe I could face whatever horrors were lurking in those blank spaces without completely losing my shit. But the cynical, battle-scarred part of me wasn't buying it.

"And what if I don't like what I find?" I asked, hating how small my voice sounded. "What if it's worse than not knowing?"

Sarah's eyes met mine, filled with a compassion I both craved and despised. "Then we face it together. You're not alone in this, Lakey. Rose has done a couple sessions since we’ve been back, and she says she’s feeling more free. I just thought it might work for you. That’s all. Nothing sinister. I promise."

I looked away, focusing on a crack in the kitchen tile. It was tempting, the idea of finally having answers. Of arming myselfwith the truth, no matter how ugly. But fuck, I was scared. Not that I'd ever admit that out loud.

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