Page 130 of The Road to Ruined

"How do you know?"

"No one's looking for you—for any of you. You'll be fine, Teagan."

I take the hand resting on my leg in mine and lace my fingers between his, holding it tightly, trying to focus on breathing.

But his pulse is racing, too.

"I think I'm going to puke."

"Please don't."

I keep my eyes closed, my face buried into his shoulder, until I feel the car roll to a stop. It's still raining—not the same heavy rain from earlier, but the misty kind that makes it harder to see in the dark. I can barely make it out, but there's a plane sitting on what I assume is a runway; the lights are on in the cabin, but I don't see anyone around.

"Let's go," Sebastian says, turning off the car. He releases my hand and reaches for the door handle.

I grab his forearm, digging my nails into the skin. "If they're not here, don't leave me."

"I won't," he says. "No one is leaving you, Teagan. Okay?"

I nod, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Okay."

I let him go, reach for my own door handle with shaky hands, and step out of the car. I open the back door to get my bag, but Sebastian places his hand on mine and moves it away.

"I've got it," he says. He takes my suitcase from the car, looks at the wet, floral dress on the floorboards, and says, "I'm keeping the dress."

"Okay." I choke on the word. My heart drops into my stomach, and I sob again.

"Hey," he says, cupping my cheeks in his hands. "Get your shit together. You're supposed to be a killer, Teagan. Look around—there are no cops, no one is shooting at us…" He nods over my shoulder. "And there's your boyfriend. No one is leaving you."

I look back at Declan, relief washing over me before my old panic is replaced by a new one. I press my palm against his heart, but I can't find the words, so I grip his shirt and pull him into me, kissing him hard enough that I feel his teeth on mine.

And when he pulls away, I feel Declan's hand on the small of my back. "You ready to go home, kitten?" he asks.

I nod. "I've been ready."

"Thank you," he says, extending his hand to Sebastian, "for saving her…and bringing her here."

Sebastian stares at it for a minute before taking it and shaking Declan's hand.

"If you wanted to come with us, I wouldn't tell you no," Declan says. "We're family."

"No," Sebastian says. "I'm not."

Declan shrugs and takes the suitcase from Sebastian. "Okay. Come on, sweetheart."

I take a few steps away from Sebastian before I turn back and jump into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and burying my head in his neck—right beside his Oscar Wilde tattoo. And I finally find the words.

"You will always be fond of me," I quote to him. "I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit."

"Yeah," he says, holding me tightly against his body. "You do."

"I love you," I tell him. "I'll miss playing monsters."

"You deserve better than just playing monsters, Teagan. You need other things." He presses his lips to mine. "But I love you, too."

"Bye, Sebastian."

"Bye," he says, setting me down.

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