Page 24 of Raven's Nest
Chase grunted. “That’s right. Similar scenario, wasn’t it? Bad weather. Engine trouble.”
Mac shoved back her chair, the feet scraping along the floor breaking through the ghostly memories. “The official story was that it suffered a catastrophic system’s failure. That coupled with the category one cyclone that swept through…”
Kash sighed. “If I remember correctly, there weren’t any survivors.”
I thought you were dead, already… she’s been like a daughter to me… you do it…
Snippets of disjointed conversation flowed through Saylor’s mind, the voices eventually drowned out by that fucking tone. The one that lingered in her head, ready to strike. A stark reminder that she’d never be free. Never escape the fragmented memories that haunted her.
Zain’s hand squeezed hers. “Saylor.”
She pushed to her feet, jumping when the chair tipped back and crashed to the floor. Zain stood beside her, eyes narrowed, brow furrowed.
She took a couple stumbling steps backward. “I’m sorry… I…”
She turned and bolted toward the front door.Anything to put some space between her and the memories. The sting of the icy spray against her face. How everything had faded into a numbing gray.
The floor tilted beneath her feet, and she stopped just shy of the door, hands braced on her knees, everything spinning. She tried to breathe, but nothing made it past the lump in her throat. The heat swirling up from her core as familiar black streaks cut in from the sides.
Strong arms encircled her waist, drawing her against a muscled frame. Zain leaned over, shifting his hold until he had her wrapped in his embrace, his face next to hers.
He slowly eased her upright, bridging all her weight when her legs threatened to buckle. “Easy, sweetheart. Just try to breathe. In, hold, then out. Again.”
He kept talking, the low timbre soothing the panicky roil of her gut. She held on, her hands cinched around his wrists, her sanity hinging on every word until her vision cleared, the frantic beat of her heart finally slowing.
God, she was tired. Exhausted in a way she hadn’t experienced since the first month of recovery. Where every simple act had taken twice as long and required double the energy.
Zain’s firm grip gentled, and he shuffled them over until he hit one of the chairs. He pulled her onto his lap, still holding her tight to his chest as her head fell against his shoulder, the haunting sounds finally quieting.
Chase had her wrist in his hand a moment later,obviously checking his pulse as everyone took a seat. “Just keep breathing, Saylor. I need your pulse to stabilize before I’m confident you won’t pass out.”
She barely nodded, afraid any movement would trigger another round. Or worse, have her racing for the bathroom.
Zain’s breath feathered across her neck before he dropped a soft kiss on the top of her shoulder. “Kash has some water. You should try to drink a bit.”
Saylor blinked, forced herself to hold Kash’s sympathetic gaze as he handed her a mug. She took a cautious sip, coughing when the strong shot of whiskey burned down her throat. “Is there any actual water in this whiskey?”
Kash sighed. “Not much.”
She took another sip, then handed him the mug. “Thanks.”
Chase finally removed his fingers. “Better. You okay? Feel like you’re gonna puke?”
She shook her head. “Not sure what your definition of better is, but I’m not going to puke.”
Zain shifted, giving her a bit more room. “Can you tell us what set you off? So, we don’t accidentally trigger you, again?”
Her chin quivered, that damn tone starting to creep into her head before she willed it away. “I…”
He tightened his hold, again. “Easy, sweetheart. Just let it go. I shouldn’t have asked. We can talk, later, if you want.”
She nodded, focusing on the steady thump of hisheart against her back. The easy rise and fall of his chest until the worst had passed.
Mackenzie scooted over and grabbed one of Saylor’s hands. “I’m sorry. I should have stopped the conversation before it got any traction.”
Saylor gave her best friend’s hand a squeeze. “It’s not your fault that I go off the deep end whenever it pops up. It’s been a year. I should be over it.”
“Are you high? You don’t just get over something like that, despite what you tell yourself.” Mac sighed. “I still have nightmares, and I didn’t live it.”
