Page 26 of As Darkness Fall
“What?” Johnathan asked, propping himself up into a full sitting position. “Why, Danielle? After everything that’s happened to you, why would you go back there?”
I rolled my eyes. “Because, you idiot, we’re taking you back there. I’m not going back for my own sake. Fuck that place.”
“Oh,” he said, calming with sudden embarrassment.
We were quiet for some time, him once more staring off at something only he could see, while I returned my gaze to the fire, losing myself in the wild dance of its flames once more, hoping our conversation was over.
It wasn’t.
“Please don’t,” he said later, the fire beginning to die down.
I reached beside me and tossed a few more logs onto the fire, watching as the heat snapped at the bark and twigs, slowly consuming the fresh fuel. It was mesmerizing.
“Just–just let me go off on my own. I’ll leave you alone, do my own thing. Go my own route,” Johnathan said, all but pleading with me.
I pondered his request. It would certainly take a weight off my shoulders to let him go. To not have to go back to Seguin.
“The plan was to take you back because you hadn’t seemed capable of caring for yourself,” I explained. “But now…”
“I’m fine now,” Johnathan said. “I’ve recovered.”
“Maybe,” I said. “You’ll keep coming with us. If you’re still good when we get there, then you can go and do your own thing as far as I’m concerned. But I would feel guilty as sin if we left you now and you had a relapse tomorrow. So, you’ll travel with us first.”
Johnathan didn’t protest.
“What about your family?” I asked, making it clear I meant everyonebuthis asshole of a father.
“They’re on their own,” he said quietly. “I’m not going back there. Not after everything that happened. Unless I can prove my worth still, my dad will just kill me. Like everyone else who ever had anything to do with you.”
“With me?” I said quietly, a slow, horrible, sinking feeling coming over me.
My parents…
“Johnathan,” I said in a cold, harsh voice. “What do you mean by that? Who are you talking about?”
Chapter Fourteen
Ididn’t realize I’d raised my voice until Johnathan started cringing away from me.
That was another thing that had changed in Shuldar. He no longer had a hold on me, true, but I had changed. I was stronger. Not physically or anything, but mentally. I knew my strengths, I knew my weakness, and I wasn’t going to let Johnathan intimidate me ever again.
Around us, the others paused their conversations to watch. I didn’t know how much they’d heard, and I didn’t care. This didn’t involve them. It was between Johnathan and me, and hewasgoing to tell me everything I wanted to know. Starting with what the fuck his father did to my parents.
No Alpha command was going to save him now. That wouldn’t work on me. I didn’t think he was going to try it anyway, but I got to my feet and stared down at him. My wolf was right there with me, the she-bitch firmly on my side, lending me her strength and her ferocity as we glared down our nose at the weakened shifter before us, demanding he submit.
“Answer me,” I snarled when he didn’t immediately speak.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m so sorry, Danielle. I didn’t want to do it. My father, he told me to. He made me do it.”
“Dowhat?” I growled, the sound filling our little campsite.
No one else spoke. No one moved or offered to help Johnathan. Nobody tried to restrain me. They knew better.
“Lars forced me to,” Johnathan whispered. “Said we needed to do it. I didn’t know. I thought…I thought he was right.”
“Tell me what you did,” I said, taking a step toward him; my wolf disgusted with him as he cringed deeper at our approach. “Now.”
“Didn’t mean to,” he blabbered. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I should have known, but I didn’t.”
