Page 90 of Devoted

I winced internally. Yeah, promising him eternity when I’d had him in my house for less than twenty-four hours wasprobably a bit much, but my instincts were telling me this was okay. That Sam needed to hear it. “It is, but I do mean it.”

He sighed. “Well, we’ll see who’s right in the end, I guess.”

“We will.” Would it be wrong of me to rub it in in the future? Sam didn’t know we were mates, but when he did, he’d probably roll his eyes at me for knowing this all along. “Until then, will you let me help you? Please?”

He tensed before letting his breath whoosh out. “I’ll try. That’s the best I can do.”

I grinned. “I’ll take it.”

20

Sam

“So, a pill box?”

I groaned. Really, I should’ve known better. Even when our chats had just been online, when had Zeke ever given up on something?

Never. That was when.

“I’ve tried them,” I said. “But they don’t work for me because then I think ‘what if I refilled it after I took this morning’s tablet?’”

“What if I filled it for you? I’m a safe person, and you trust me, right?”

More than I probably should have given how long I’d known him for. But I spent my life looking for the risks and pitfalls.

With Zeke, I didn’t want to do that. For the first time ever, I wanted to jump, even though I didn’t know what was waiting at the bottom.

“It could work.” I bit my lip as I considered it before shaking my head. “But it’s not fair on you. I should be able to look after my own mental health without you helping me.”

Zeke rolled his eyes. “So, what I’m hearing is that you want to accept my help, but your brain doesn’t think you should.”

It wasn’t a question, but I couldn’t help but answer it like it was. “Um, yes?”

“Cool.” Zeke nodded, like it was settled. “In that case, I’m just going to do it until you tell me to stop.”

He finally got to his feet, humming as he went to find his phone. I just stared at him, jaw swinging open. “As simple as that?”

Zeke dropped into a comfy armchair, busily scrolling through his phone. If I had to bet, I’d guess he was browsing pill boxes. “Sure. Why complicate things?”

I touched my forehead lightly. “What I wouldn’t give to live in your brain for five minutes.”

Zeke’s jaw tightened. “It’s not as complicated as yours, but it’s not all butterflies and joy either.”

His earlier comment about trauma came back to me. What layers had Zeke yet to reveal?

Tempted as I was to push him, I didn’t want him to confide in me before he was ready. Instead, I fell back on my good ol’ inappropriate humour. “I’m glad. If you were completely sane, this thing would never work out.”

“That’s good.” The tension left his muscles as he smirked at me. “Because sanity is something everyone in this house is a tad short on.”

My mind drifted back to the kitchen, to all the noisy, bubbly personalities jostling for attention. “They certainly are something. Micah seems pretty normal. Him and Nox are together, right?”

Amusement rumbled in Zeke’s reply. “They are. Bit of an odd pair, but they love each other.”

“That’s nice.” I rubbed at my chest. “I’ve heard that before—that if you love someone, you can make anything work.”

Zeke’s smile told me he knew exactly what I was referring to. “But that hasn’t happened with you?”

“Nope.” My phone buzzed on the desk, reminding me I had work to do. “It hasn’t. Maybe I’m just too much hard work to make the love worth it.”

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