Page 88 of Triumphant Kings

“Do you want one from each of the guys?” Mia asks.

“Yeah,” I smile. “A mini one of them all.”

“Oh boy.” Alice laughs. “Good luck with that.”

Nah. I can’t wait to have a tiny human made by me and each of them. Sounds like a dream.

But for now, I’m just trying to make it one day at a time.

If I didn’t have so many people here that I loved and a life I’m building, I’d ask the guys to pack up and move far away. Sadly, we can’t always run away from our problems.

THE COOL NIGHT AIRhas me shivering. I’m cursing at myself as I head towards the tower. I should have brought a damn sweater or something.

Looking down at my phone, I sigh in annoyance when I see that Preston didn’t respond to my text.

It’s only midnight. He shouldn’t be sleeping. Last time I heard from him, he and Declan were spending the night at his dorm.

He wanted to be close to me just in case I needed anything.

The guys were hesitant to leave me alone for the weekend, but I promised them to keep them updated and to check in. Collin made sure to check in with his guys, and there are still no signs of his father trying to come back into the country.

After the girls fell asleep, I lay there in my bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep. I texted with Grayson for a little bit, but then things started to turn sexual when he sent me a photo of his dick and said he missed me. I felt weird being all turned on with my friends around, so I decided to get some fresh air, sit outside with a cup of tea, and enjoy the stars. Then the tower popped into my head, and I got excited because I haven’t been there in what feels like ages.

So, I texted Preston and told him to meet me there in the group chat. The other guys saw it, but he and Declan didn’t. I’m going to assume they’re busy.

Sad, because I was looking forward to that bit of my life I miss so much.

Still, I’m going anyway. And thankfully, I’ve left blankets there, so being cold won’t be an issue much longer.

Pocketing my cell phone, I head up the hill towards the church. Thankfully, there are lights all over the campus, so it’snever really too dark for the most part. Still, the light casts some pretty creepy shadows.

“Stop creeping yourself out, Sadie,” I mutter, starting to hate the silence of the night.

I’m hyper-focused now, every sound making me jump. Maybe this was a bad idea.

It shouldn’t be. This is something I’ve done for years, and nothing bad has happened before. I’ll be fine. Right?

The sound of footsteps coming from my right has my head snapping over to the side.

My breath catches in my throat when I see someone standing in the tree line.

“What the fuck?” My breath catches, fear settling in the pit of my stomach. The figure steps into the light, and I see they’re wearing a Ghostface mask.

Brows furrowing, I wonder for a moment if this is the guys. No. I fucking pray this is the guys wanting a repeat of the very epic night we shared.

“Grayson?” I call out, voice shaking. “Collin? Preston?” I don’t bother calling out Declan because after that night, he told me that while it was fun, it wasn’t his thing. I respected that and thanked him for giving me that one time. “I’m really not in the mood, okay?”

It has to be them. They all know where I’m headed. I pretty much gave them an opening. Right?

When the figure doesn’t move, my heart starts to race.

“This isn't funny,” I call out. “I don’t want to play this game, okay? Not tonight.”

A sound from my other side has me whipping my head around in that direction, but I see nothing.

When I turn back to look at the figure, it’s gone.

“No. Fuck no.” I try not to cry, shaking now, my breathing coming in fast.

---