Page 57 of Deviant

Unless I can find a way to prevent her from going wherever she has to go tomorrow night.

Nora might think she’s clever, but so am I.

I must find a way to keep her from leaving my house tomorrow night. If her only chance is really tomorrow night, then all I need to do is keep her busy the whole night. Even if I have to go to extreme lengths to ensure that she never leaves.

If she can’t go to god-knows-where, then she won’t get chosen.

Or maybe she will, and I’m just battling an unseeable force that already wants her.

“I need an answer, Rowen,” she says, pulling me out of my internal scheming plans of betrayal. “What will it be? Will you stand with me or against me? I need to know if I can count on you to do what’s right?”

My tense muscles instantly relax by the way she phrased her ultimatum.

“I’m a good girl. Isn’t that what you said? I always do the right thing.”

She doesn’t detect the hindrance behind my words and gifts me one of her warm smiles.

“Thank you,” she says gratefully, hooking her arm around mine and leading me back to the church. “All this heavy talk has made me hungry. I know you just got off your shift, but do you mind if we pop over at Rosie’s to grab a burger and some chili fries? Today feels like a cheat day.”

I nod, keeping to myself that the idea of eating anything right now churns my stomach.

“Good.” She gives my arm a little squeeze, her blue eyes shining at me. “I do love you, you know?”

“I know.”

I’ve always known.

And I love her too.

Maybe a little too much.

Maybe more than she knows.

Even though she just threatened our friendship, her life means more to me than that.

Even if she says she’ll never forgive me, it’s a risk I’ll just have to take.

Because I will do what’s right, like the good girl that she just reprimanded me for being.

And what’s right is protecting my friend at all costs.

Even if that means protecting her from herself.

When I finally give up my search and walk out of the church, I’m surprised to see Elias leaning against his bike, looking like he’s been waiting for me for quite some time now.

“Are you following me?” I ask, since I’ve had this sick sense of having been watched all day.

“And why would I follow you?” he retorts with that air of contempt he loves to flaunt against me.

“I don’t know, you tell me?”

Instead of answering, he gifts me that wolfish grin of his that’s meant to intimidate.

“I saw you walk inside and thought I’d wait for you to come out so we could talk.”

“Talk? What could we possibly have to talk about?”

Elias doesn’t respond yet again, leaving me furious at how he never seems to answer any of my questions.

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