Page 88 of Loving Ladybug: Part One
The blade came down, biting into my neck as I screamed.
I sat up with a start, sweat running down my back, heart pounding. This was the third time this week I’d had some variation of this nightmare. Now they were back with Austin, who hadn’t even been there. Even the fairy lights from Home Things couldn’t keep them away.
My room felt suffocating, so I went to the kitchen and got a glass of water, the tile cool under my feet, the darkness now familiar.
“He can’t get you,” I muttered as I leaned against the counter, drinking my water, my hands still shaking, sloshing liquid on my tank-top. “It was years ago. He’s gone. You’re safe.”
The feeling of being smothered, the terror, didn’t stop. It was like he lurked in the shadows, even though that was impossible.
Before I could stop myself, I grabbed my phone, shoved my feet into my flip-flops, darted across the hall, and knocked on Tenzin’s door, shaking, my mouth dry.
The door flew open and a shirtless Tenzin stood there. “What’s wrong?”
I’d never heard such fierceness in his voice before. My arms wrapped around that bare, muscular chest, and I cried for everything I lost because of that spoiled, selfish man.
“Hey, it’s okay, I’ve got you.” His arms wrapped around me as he brought me inside and closed the door.
I slipped off my shoes and kicked them toward the rack by the door.
“What happened?” His voice was softer, but still reverberated with alpha authority.
“I had a nightmare.” I winced. It sounded so childish when I said it out loud.
“Okay. Do you want to talk about it?” Tenzin’s hand smoothed my hair.
“Absolutely not. If I don’t talk about it, it never happened.” I sniffed. Dealing with that time in my life hurt too much. So I ignored it.
“That’s not healthy, but I won't make you talk about it tonight. What do you need?”
What do you need?Those four words catapulted me back to being a teenager, lying in bed with my mom, when she was too sick to move, and I had a broken hip, as we watched movies. One of my dads would come in and check on her. Mom was their omega, the love of their life. While they could be giant alphaholes, they’d do anything for her.
Her death had broken them.
I cried harder. My relationship with that time in my life was complicated, too.
Tenzin picked me up, and we sat on the couch in the dark living room. He pulled the blanket off the back and covered us with it. I nestled into his warm, hard body, letting his earthy, citrusy scent comfort me.
“You’re safe. No one can hurt you here,” Tenzin whispered as he stroked my hair.
It was so kind, so tender. It would be so easy to fall in love with him. Part of me really wanted to. Not just because being withsomeone filled the gaping wound in my soul that would never fully close.
As I drifted off to sleep, I wondered if he and Clark would still care about me if they knew I’d killed a man.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Clark
It wasearlyin New York as the car stopped in front of my building. I got my stuff and went in, waving to the doorman. My place was quiet when I slipped inside, piling my bags in the living room.
“Gwen?” I called. It was about the time she got up in the mornings, so I didn’t feel too bad about looking for her.
The bedroom door stood open, but her room was empty, her fairy lights still on, the sheets and pillows in disarray. It reeked of fear and sweat, like something bad had happened. Fear balled in the pit of my stomach.
“Gwen?” Where was she?
I opened the location app on my phone. We shared our locations with each other for safety. She was in the building?
Oh. Right. Her hockey friend, Tens, lived in the building. Must be a rich boy, considering he livedhereand had atruck. I’d gone to community college and lived at home, borrowing my grandparents’ car, or taking the bus.
