Page 4 of Savage Scream

“Fuck, Deranged.” He tugs my hood off, exposing my head, and I know the moment his eyes find the dried blood on my skin by the way they widen. “Shit. You’re hurt.”

Shifting his hand under my chin, he tilts my head. And as always, I don’t say anything. I just stare at this boy.

Wait, no.

Not a boy.

This man.

There’s a rare beauty to him. I’ve never studied his face this closely before, and even past the paleness left behind from his concussion, I can see strength. I don’t mind the way he looks right now. A little dishevelled. His blonde hair is sticking out all over the place, and he even has a dusting of blonde stubble framing his jaw. His lips are dry, but not too bad, and he has a scar on his upper lip from an old injury.

Probably left behind from Lexi’s now dead brother.

If that guy wasn’t already dead, then I would bathe in his fucking blood and let Thana dice him up.

“Do you need to see a doctor?” Jared asks, as my eyes shift from the scar above his lip to return to his blue gaze framed by thick, dark lashes.

I shake my head, reaching up with a trembling hand to press my fingers to his cheek. There’s a slight graze there, and when he doesn’t flinch away, I know it mustn’t hurt.

Fuck… I want to keep him.

I want to call him mine and have him call me his and face this fucked up world together.

But I can’t.

I have to leave soon. My birthday is exactly two weeks away, and then I’ll be gone.

Pain slices through my chest at the thought of leaving Jared. Why did I let myself react to him? Why did I open my heart to him when I know it’s only going to break?

“Shit.” Jared whispers, his eyes glassing over as he presses his forehead to mine. “I thought I was gonna die and never see you again.”

More tears blur my vision at his words, and my lower lip trembles. Jared’s thumb comes up, pressing against my lips before running over them like he is savouring how they feel.

“I heard you,” he whispers, and I still, my eyes going wide at his comment. “I heard you scream, Dee.”

I don’t move or blink or do anything, hoping that’s all he remembers.

“And I heard your voice.”

I pull back from him abruptly, and the fucker grins, tightening his arms around me to keep me trapped.

I mean, I could get away if I really wanted to, but I don’t want to hurt him, so I stay there, waiting to see if he’ll elaborate.

“You have a beautiful voice.”

My eyes widen, and I shake my head, shooting him an incredulous glare.

He chuckles. “You were on the phone, talking to emergency services.” His lips thin. “You were crying, too. I didn’t like hearing that part.” He presses his forehead against mine again. “But I fucking loved hearing your voice.”

Shit.

The need to flee is overpowering, to say the least, yet I stay there on Jared’s lap because my need to be near him is even more consuming.

I shake my head, trying to silently say that he didn’t hear my voice, but he smirks, pulling back again.

“You can try to deny it all you like. I know what I heard.”

Reaching into my hoodie pocket, I tug out my phone and tap out a message to him.

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