Page 74 of The Order

His hand clamps down on my mouth, stopping me from finishing. He pulls me into the front of him, resting his free hand in my hair, moving his fingers along my scalp to soothe me. He has us backed into my house, both of us silently listening to the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Fallan?” Valerie calls out, appearing from the same direction Fallan had come from. “Did you get her?”

I’m annoyed that she’s here but not surprised. Fallan squeezes me in an attempt to remind me to stay quiet. She can’t see us yet, but if she moves any further, she will. His fingers weave gently through my hair, trying to ebb the anxiety I know he can sense in all my tense body parts pressed against his front.

“She got away. She didn’t recognize us,” Fallan says in her direction, moving his hand away from my hair to run his fingers down my side. “Aaron might need help. Keep moving,” Fallan says, urging the blonde to move past my house.

She obliges, not seeing me with him. I want him to keep me pressed against him like this. His lips lower close to my ear, holding me still with his firm hands on my stomach.

“Hate me, Forest,” he begs, his hands dragging up and down beneath my shirt. “Please, hate me,” he continues, stopping his hand motions, “I can't keep having you look at me like I matter. Like you’re holding a door open for me, and I can have you. It’s delusional to think there’s a way for me to get to you, knowing they'll rip it all away,” he seethes, making me that much more confused.

“But having you look at me tonight the way you did was worth every lashing they gave me,” he admits, pressing his lips firmly to the top of my head. I feel my heart burst on the spot, my mind forcing something back into the shadows to keep this moment free from falling into obscurity, to be uninterrupted for just a little longer.

“It will be worth it every time,” he finishes, pulling his lips away from my forehead.

I feel his thumbs rub along my cheeks, grazing my lips before he steps back. His hand quickly swipes the necklace around my neck, giving it a gentle kiss before turning on his heel and disappearing into the darkness. I stumble backward into the wall, feeling weak in my knees from his sudden absence.

My head spins. Slowly, I take in deep breaths, willing myself to slow the jumble of thoughts whirling and buzzing in my skull. My heart races as I commit everything that just happened to memory. It may not make sense right now, but there’s more here, and I don't want to forget any of it. His vulnerability, his words, his piercing blue eyes wide with truth and desire, all of it real.

"If he tells me, he’ll lose me,” I whisper to myself, reflecting on what he’d said. I raise my finger to my chip, feeling its warmth, indicating its active status.

“Have we been here before?”I question in my mind. I close my eyes, hunting through all the spaces where the chip has embedded itself. I can feel its presence, waiting and threatening to seal my thoughts shut, trying to trap me in. But this time, I’m ready and hold it back.

“The answer to that doesn’t change anything, Little Dove,”he whispers back, filling my body with chills.

I look down to where the broken pieces of the security camera are scattered around the deck. I lean down and pick up a glass shard that must have been part of the camera lens.

“You want to control me?” I whisper, mocking the chip as I clench the shard of glass so tightly that my hand begins to shake.

“Fuck you,” I utter, driving the glass right into the center of the chip behind my ear, barely able to hold in the scream lodged in my throat as I drag it down toward the base of my skull. I hear the sound of my skin rip apart as the glass finds its way to the soft tissue and tendons underneath. I keep scraping, the feeling of blood trailing down my neck and warming my top, doing nothing to dull the sharp pain from the gaping wound I’m creating.

I drop the glass and push my fingers into the flesh. I channel all my rage, hate, and disgust to the tips of my fingers as I work to untangle every talon of oppressive machinery.

There’s a tightness around my skull. The pressure is immense as the chip defends itself from being ripped out. It’s fighting me, refusing to loosen. My fingers become frantic and chaotic, pulling and tugging faster as I realize how much blood I’ve probably lost. I try to control the sway of my legs as I become lightheaded.

But then something taut snaps free, and a comforting silence greets me in the free space it leaves behind. The creature in my mind stretches out and unfurls, claiming back the space that was stolen from it.

I let out a sigh as darkness consumes me.

Chapter twenty-four

Forest- Untouchable sector, two years ago

Thehouse'swindowflasheswith multiple colors, changing with the beat of the music. It’s loud enough to reach me, even outside the busy home. I glance down at the small piece of paper Max had given me, ensuring I have the correct address. Josh’s house was farther out than most in our sector, almost touching the ward. The house is massive, taking up at least three times the lot space as other houses in our sector. I’m starting to see one of the many reasons his ego is so large. I don’t know how he has the strength to carry it.

My oversized hoodie hides my last-minute decision of an outfit that was a bit more revealing than I’m used to. While my hair is usually up in a ponytail, I’ve let it run freely down my back in soft waves tonight. People work in and out of the house, carrying cups behind the house where a small bonfire brings life to the otherwise dark expanse of the yard. People stumble, clearly already under the influence of Josh’s father’s supply of rich bourbons and champagnes.

Once a year, Josh hosts this party as a “Back to School Social” to ensure the Officials leave it alone. If his father weren’t so high up on the Council, it would be shut down immediately.

With great hesitation, I move past the large metal gate, forcing myself closer to the front door, ready to turn around the minute my hand clacks the metal knocker.

“Shut up,” Josh says in a half laugh to his friends from the other side, swinging open the door with a smile, only to let it drop once he sees me.

“What are you doing here, Blackburn?” Josh questions, giving me a cold welcome and a look that surely means he’s about to slam the door in my face.

“I invited her,” Max says, working his way through the crowd, holding a glass filled with a purple liquid.

I raise my eyebrows at Josh, challenging him to try and be an asshole to me with this many people watching.

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