Page 92 of Into The Darkness

“You were there the night this happened to me?” I asked, pointing to my ear, and he only nodded before cracking his knuckles.

“I told them not to, but my father insisted, and when I got down to you, they were already doing it. I told them not to put the D for the Den. I figured if one day I could make you mine, the ‘O’ would be better . . .” I knew he knew that he sounded absurd, too.

“So for the rest of my life, I am going to have this reminder of you,” I bit out.

“Is that the worst thing ever?” He attempted to half laugh, and I only shot him a look.

Slowly, he pulled his shirt up, and I was flabbergasted.

“What are you doing? Are you about to fucking fuck me?”

“No, Ember.” He pulled the shirt back and walked toward me. “Look.”

He pointed to where the bat was coming out of the cave on his chest. The familiar tattoo I sketched absentmindedly anytime we were sitting in bed. Right under the bat, were streaks of golden and orange swirls.

I stepped closer and looked inside the flames. There was a subtle ‘E’ inside in the exact same font as my tattoo.

“Ash,” I whispered. Shock wasn’t a strong enough word to describe what I felt in this moment.

“Why?” I asked.

“I didn’t want you to be alone.”

I nodded, tears threatening, as he threw his shirt back on. He had gotten a tattoo to match mine. He branded himself with me, so I would never feel out of place. We both wore a brand. The weight of his sacrifice felt as though my chest was going to cave in.

“Ember, I cannot live without you. I don’t know what it is, but my thoughts are consumed with you, and every beat of my heart echoes your name. You’re the light that guides me through the darkest nights. Every moment we’ve shared, every touch, every smile—it’s all imprinted in my soul. My love for you is a fire that burns brighter than anything I’ve ever known, a force that defies logic and reason.”

I swallowed . . . hard.Please be strong.I repeated in my head over and over again.

My bottom lip quivered, and the waterworks were about to explode when I swallowed, keeping them down. I needed to stick my ground. Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I’d managed to garner enough courage to speak—to push through the pain that was burning through me.

“I have to go on without you, Ash. The lies you’ve told me, the pain you’ve inflicted—it’s become too much to bear. I’ve brushed off so many hurts, forgiven so much, but this . . . this is different. Your own father was responsible for my mother’s death, and you knew, yet you kept it from me.” When those words finally came out, I knew I had spoken the truth, no matter how painful it was to walk away.

“I would never do this to hurt you. I warned you not to fall in love with me, but I fell in love with you first. I didn’t expect it, but you need to know that I would never ever hurt you.” I knew that. I felt it deep within me, but I also knew what I had to do to keep him safe. Ash would do anything to keep me away from harm, and I needed to reciprocate. I had to get out of here before things got harder.

“I-I need to go,” I said, and Ash grabbed my arm. We paused, locking eyes. This was for Ash’s safety. I was doing this for him, and maybe one day, he would realize when the bonfire was over that all I ever did was do this for him.

“Mi sol . . .” I shook his hand off me. When this was over, next year, we could start fresh. We could mend things between us. Ash would be safe. We would talk it out.

“I just . . . can’t,” I said, and his lower lip quivered. He was breaking. I was breaking the man I would do anything for. The man I was just simply trying to protect.

“Okay,” he finally said and blinked a few times. I grabbed my stuff and headed toward the door. We went down the stairs, but just as I opened the door, he grabbed my arm.

“Fuck this,” he whispered, then his mouth was on mine. I let him kiss me because I wanted to imprint it on my memory. I wanted to make sure I knew every groove his mouth had, the slightly salty taste of his lips mixed with my tears, and most important, the way he smelled so familiar and warm.

Pine.

I broke away, and he looked down at me. “Don’t go out this weekend. It’s non-negotiable, regardless if we are together, someone will be watching you.”

I was too tired to argue with him. The bonfire was in a few days, and I didn’t plan on doing anything except make sure my dad was good on his word, so I nodded.

“Will you please not harm Walsh?” Ash stared at the ground, and I knew he was wrestling with something deep inside of himself.

“Will that make you stay?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“But . . . please,” I begged.

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