Page 173 of Fangs
Maybe I was cursed always to be alone. I got a handful of days of bliss with Trey, and maybe that was all I’d ever get.
“Hey, talk to me,” Lee whispered.
“I can’t, Lee,” I said, my voice wobbling. I wasn’t sure if I meant talking or…distractions. Maybe both.
His arms tightened around me, though I noticed he carefully avoided pressing on my back. Neither of us spoke for a while, and I tried my damndest to stop thinking, swallow back the tears, and pretend the fragile scaffolding I’d managed to re-erect hadn’t just come crashing down.
“You’re not alone, Em,” Lee murmured. “You’re not alone, alright?”
I pressed my face against his shoulder and didn’t respond.
“—wasn’t there?”
“Couldn’t find him anywhere.”
“But no one went through the gate?”
“Not according to the guards.”
I slowly opened my eyes, squinting at the daylight streaming through the windows. Wolf, Lee, and Sable stood before the fireplace, speaking in low voices.
“So he just vanished?” Lee sounded frustrated.
“He’s gotta be in the hold somewhere,” Wolf answered. “I’ll find him.”
“Did he say anything about motive?” Lee asked.
“Nemo said Hawk was arrested for being part of the rebellion. He doesn’t know for sure if Hawk was tortured. He wasn’t injured when they freed him.”
“Could be harboring a grudge,” Sable murmured.
“Hawk was close with a woman who was tortured, so Nemo’s fetching her to see if she has any answers.”
Mist.Oh fuck, I felt sick.
“Tell me again what you saw, Sable,” Wolf ordered.
“Not much. Ember was pretty far ahead of me, but when I rounded the corner, he was holding her arm and speaking to her real close. It definitely looked aggressive, but then he acted like nothing was wrong.” His voice grew dry. “And I know this will probably shock you, but Ember wouldn’t talk about it.”
Wolf muttered something I couldn’t make out, and Lee snorted a laugh.
“I thought it looked like he was gripping her arm pretty tight, but she didn’t really react, and she never acted like it hurt afterward.”
“Scar said the bruises werepurple,” Wolf said.
“Well, maybe she’ll have more to say now,” Lee said. When I glanced at him, I realized he was looking directly at me, one eyebrow raised.
Wolf and Sable both turned around to look at me, and I fought the urge to pull the blankets over my head like a child.
“Morning, Ember,” Sable said as the three approached the bed. “Can I take a look at the bruises on your arm?”
I stared at them with my lips pressed into a flat line. This was not how I wanted to start my morning.
“Ember,” Wolf warned.
“They’re just bruises,” I muttered.
“Ember,” Wolf repeated, his voice sharpening.
