Page 88 of Shadow

I liked Bryce enough. I just didn’t like myself, so it was fucked.

“Sin. Tell her,” Church said.

Sirena looked at me with her big, colorful eyes, and I broke all over again.

“I’m so fucking sorry,” I managed to say. Ashes rubbed Cady’s back as she went to curl into herself again.

“I-I,” I stammered, staring at her pretty face. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t say the words. They were choking me. She was the one I wanted. I wanted everything with her. Even a fucking house with a white picket fence and our little boy running around the front yard, terrorizing the neighborhood. It was supposed to be her. Not Cady. Never fucking Cady.

“I’m pregnant,” Cady whispered, her voice trembling.

Sirena didn’t move an inch. Nothing. It was like she completely checked out. She didn’t even blink.

“Angel?” Stitches called out, noticing her reaction.

“Siren?” I made to reach for her, but she seemed to snap out of it. She got to her feet slowly, walked to the door, and left.

We all stared after her in silence, stunned.

My heart was shattering, though. Panic rose within me. Fuck, she needed someone. I had to go to her. I needed to apologize. To tell her I wanted her, and things would be better. That I’d do whatever she wanted me to do?—”

“I’ll handle her, Sinclair,” Asylum said softly as he got to his feet. “Bryce, would you please make sure all the weapons are put away. We may have a problem on our hands. Come.”

“I’ll go with you. You guys stay with Sin,” Church said, getting to his feet.

I let out a breath, my lungs and chest screaming at me to do something besides sit in stunned, confused silence.

“Church,” I called out.

“You need to stay here and get shit sorted,” Church said. “I mean it. Don’t make me sort them.”

I swallowed hard, not even knowing what the fuck he even meant by that.

“Hey, it’ll be OK,” Stitches said, moving to sit next to me as Asylum, Church, and Bryce left the house.

“How?” I whispered as I watched Ashes comfort Cady. “How will it be OK?”

“I don’t know,” he mumbled, “but it has to be, so it will be.”

I really hoped he was right. I couldn’t survive anything less.

CHURCH

Ijogged with Asylum through campus and to the cemetery. Nothing. Sirena was nowhere to be found. My frustration grew, my anger simmering to a dangerous point. Bryce had broken away to go to their dorm to secure weapons or something.

That wasn’t my concern.

My specter was.

“Can’t you fucking tell where she is?” I demanded as we stopped near the mausoleum.

“Maybe,” he muttered. “I got high and drunk last night. Brain isn’t exactly firing on all cylinders.”

I shook my head in irritation at him and watched as he stared into the woods, his head cocked to the left and his eyes narrowed.

He was like watching a living statue. He didn’t move. I wasn’t even sure he was breathing.

Finally, he snapped out of it and blinked.

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