Page 175 of Firestorm
Willow helped Skye to move Aiden onto his side, and after several tense moments, he began to breath more evenly. We all sat in silence, only the sounds of our ragged breathing mixed with Aiden’s wheezing filling the tiny dorm room.
“Holy fucking shit,” Mia finally whispered, her voice shattering the quiet. “What was that?”
“Heroin,” Skye replied. “I found it right when it was s-stopping his heart.” She was now lovingly running her fingers through Aiden’s hair. She leaned over the top of him to press her forehead against his chest. “Fuck, Aiden.”
“Aiden, you idiot.” I sighed.
That got Skye’s attention. Her head jerked upward, her silver eyes narrowing on me in a glare that had Rafe and Willow stiffening, Mia grinning, and me wishing I’d never been born.
“Get out,” she hissed. “You’re not welcome here.”
“Are you serious?” Anger washed down my spine. “I just brought him here–”
Rafe cleared his throat, and all the girls looked to him. His hands were clasped behind his back, his face serious. He looked completely put together in his royal coat, the pompous bastard.
“Oh my God,” Mia whispered as if she’d just noticed. “Is that the fucking prince?”
Skye furrowed her brow at Mia and then looked Rafe over again, her eyes narrowing in recognition. I almost scoffed. Mia had met Rafe before. As my closest friend, he was often invited over for family events and get togethers, so he wasn’t a complete stranger to her.
“Actually,” Rafe said, his voice smooth and controlled as he ignored Mia and settled his dark eyes on me, “Ibrought him. You just happened to come along.”
“You dick,” I growled.
Aiden began to cough. Skye jumped, holding his shoulders and looking over his body as if she could find some new injury. The concern she showed him sent a pang of sadness through me, and I resisted the urge to rub my chest.
“Fu-fuck. Wh-what happened?” Aiden’s voice was shaky, his eyes still squeezed shut. “Skye?”
“Aiden,” Skye breathed. She dropped to the floor, lying beside him and placing her forehead to his for a moment, and he visibly relaxed, even though he was confused as fuck. She rubbed her hands up and down his arms, his chest, his neck. He shivered every few seconds, clearly responding to that touch. Jealousy reared its ugly head inside me again, and I tried furiously to blink back…tears?Kill me.
“What happened?” Aiden whispered. “I feel like shit.”
“I just pulled heroin out of you,” Skye explained, like that made any fucking sense at all.
“Holy sh-shit,” Aiden coughed. “What the f-fuck.”
“Wanna explain what that’s about?” I asked, my stern counselor voice coming out.
If looks could kill, Skye’s glare would have flayed me. I could feel Rafe behind me like a snake, tense and coiled, ready to strike. It was amazing how quickly he’d gone from being wary of Skye to being ready to kill his oldest friend for her.
“Wyatt,” Willow chided, sounding exasperated.
“Shit, don’t tell me Craig is here,” Aiden whispered. “Wait…where am I?”
“Unfortunately, Craigishere,” Skye replied. “You’re in my dorm, it’s a long story. Did…did you do this, Aiden?”
“No!” Aiden cried, his eyes flying open, then squeezing shut again as he groaned. “No. Skye. Baby. No. I’ve n-never done n-n…needles.” He shuddered, then continued, “Lucille. My m-mother. She…in the dorm…” Aiden shuddered violently and Skye hunched over him to hold him again, shushing him gently. When Skye spoke, her voice was lethally quiet.
“Lucille did this?”
Aiden nodded tightly.
My stomach dropped.
Fuck.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
Rafe and I shared a look, and my knees buckled like the floor was going to fall out from under me.
