Page 140 of Redeemed

Directly in front of him is Haven. She’s gripping a flogger in her right hand, and Xander has a protective hand on her back.

“Go ahead, doll. Give him hell.”

I slam the door behind me. “What the fuck is going on here?”

Haven

IyelpatLucas’svoice, and the flogger clatters to the ground. My vision is still blurry with tears, so it blends into the dark floor.

“Hey, it’s okay.” Xander grabs the flogger and places it back in my hand. “It’s just Luc. Go ahead.”

“Wait.” Lucas steps toward me, close enough that I can make out a half-full glass of water in one of his hands and a tiny white pill in the other. “Take this.”

“W-what?” I stumble back until I collide with Xander.

“Hey, deep breaths, remember?” Xander murmurs soothingly in my ear. His hands come to rest on my hips, a comforting gesture that has my hair standing on end.

Xander has been so angry since he found out what Colton did to me, and I don’t know how I feel about it. I crave the safety that used to come with his protection, but I don’t know if I can truly trust him—any of them.

“What is that?” I ask. I’m still shaking, and it comes through in my voice, making Lucas’s expression soften.

“Anxiety meds. Got them from my sister.”

“Rora doesn’t need them?” Xander asks.

“Said she had extras,” Lucas explains without taking his eyes off me. “Please, Haven. They’ll help you.”

I shake my head frantically. Xander has managed to calm me down some, but my chest is still tight, and now the feeling intensifies. I took a random pill from them this afternoon, and that was a stupid mistake.

Lucas sighs. “Haven—”

“The one you gave me earlier made me fall asleep.”

“We were trying to help you calm down,” he says gently.

“I don’t want to fall asleep again!”

“It’ll just help you relax that’s all,” Xander explains, rubbing my back. “I’ve taken them before.”

“I don’t believe you.” My throat tightens, and my breaths turn short.

“Goddammit,” Xander mutters quietly.

“Fine.” Shoving the pill back in his pocket, Lucas yanks out his phone and taps a few buttons. He holds it to his ear a moment later. “Aurora? Yeah, hi, remember that friend I told you about? Is it okay if she asks you a couple questions? Okay, thanks, here she is.”

I jumps when Lucas shoves the phone at me. Carefully, I take it. “H-hello?”

“Hi,” a sweet voice says. “Lucas said you had a couple questions for me?”

“I… yeah. Just one question, actually. Will—will they make me fall asleep?”

“Oh! No, nothing like that. Sometimes they make me a little drowsy, but never enough to actually put me to sleep. It just makes my mind go quiet, that’s all.”

“That… sounds nice.”

“I hope they help you. And just let Lucas know if you need more, okay? I haven’t been taking them much, and I get a refill next week, so I’ve got plenty.”

“Thank you.”

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