Page 74 of Savage Hope

“I still don’t see you leaving,” Tatum states, not reacting to his statement, and to my surprise, Blaze releases his hold on my chin, dropping his hand to his side as he stands from the table.

The amusement that tainted his words lingers in his eyes as he stares me down for a beat. “Catch you soon, P.” He pops thePlike his life depends on it and I cringe, a shiver running down my spine as he saunters off without a backward glance.

It’s only when Tatum drops down into the chair beside me that I release a breath, only to inhale another as I take him in.

How have I gone from being consumed by one man to another in a completely different way? His long brown hair is braided back off his face before being secured in a bun today, and his brown eyes are wide, swirling with concern that I know is aimed my way, and I…like it.

I’m not saying he cares, but it almost feels like he might, and it’s a foreign experience. I like it nonetheless.

“Are you okay?”

Clearing my throat, I settle my eyes on his. “You didn’t have to do that, but thank you,” I breathe, feeling the smile take over my features as he offers me one in return.

“No problem. That’s what friends are for, right?” he states, tapping his fingers on the dining table as he assesses me.

“Is that what we are?” I ask, my breaths evening out with every pass as I find myself lost in his orbit.

He shrugs, his smile turning wry. “We’re two sad souls; it’s as if wehaveto be friends.”

I snicker, dropping my gaze to my lap. “Yeah, two sad souls on an express train to an untimely death. How fitting,” I muse, and he nods in agreement.

“Will I see you tonight?” he asks, lightening the conversation as I frown at him.

“Tonight?”

“At the fight,” he explains, and I feel my cheeks heat instantly.

“Oh, Wylder invited me to that the other day, but…” My words trail off as he sits, patiently waiting for me to explain without pushing me for answers. It’s refreshing to have someone wait for me to be ready. Clearing my throat, I try again. “Wylder invited me to watch him fight. I forget the name of the place, but he asked Bryony to take me, and she is my friend, or was, I guess. The one…”

“The member of the coven who made you sad,” he finishes, finding the words I can’t, and I’ve never been more thankful.

“Yeah,” I say with a nod, my gaze turning glossy as I look at him.

He stares right back at me, rubbing his lips together as he thinks. “Can I give you some advice?”

“Sure,” I murmur, unsure what he could possibly have to say.

“If I’ve learned anything, it’s that deciding what is important to you is one of the rare freedoms we get in this life. What you have to ask yourself in regards to your friend, and anyone else for that matter, is, did she violate those morals, or was she a bystander? From there, you must decide if her being a bystander is just as disappointing as being the instigator. Plus, did she know your boundaries before she broke them? Once you’ve figured that part out, you can decide how hard you want to punish her and yourself for it, but don’t stay hung up; that’s not worth your time.”

“That’s a lot of words. I feel like they only complicate it more,” I admit, my mind swirling, and he winks like he hasn’t left me in internal turmoil.

“I’d say you’re welcome, but we both know you’re not thankful. That’s generally the case when someone pushes you to think harder about a situation when all you want to do is bury your head in the sand,” he states, the grin on his lips comforting before he glances at the table in front of me. “Now, are you finishing that?” he asks, pointing to the remainder of my lunch.

“No.” There’s no way I can eat now with all these questions floating around in my mind.

He takes the sandwich without another word, biting at the corner I had taken a nibble from as he rises from his seat. After a quick salute with the sandwich in hand, he smirks. “See you tonight, Polaris.”

I gape at him in surprise. “I might not know how to get there,” I state, and he gives me a pointed look as he steps back from the table.

“We both know you will,” he says, a lot more confidently than I feel, before turning to leave me with my thoughts and an empty plate.

I lift my hand,panic, drop it to my side, and sigh. A set of motions I repeat three more times before I finally get a hold of myself and complete the final step: knocking. The noise thuds around me and I instantly regret it, stepping back in the hope of getting the hell out of here before the door opens, but it’s too late.

A whoosh of air follows the click of a latch before the person on the other side appears.

“Hey,” Bryony murmurs, linking her hands nervously in front of her as I blink, quickly remembering what I’m here for.

Clearing my throat, I stand tall, trying not to rock back on my heels as I speak. “I don’t like people trying to force me to do something…anything,” I reiterate, and she nods.

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