Page 150 of Scavenger's Oath
“You can breathe,” he adds.
“Don’t start that shit with me,” I mutter, grinding my jaw as I look back toward Ivy.
“I’m not starting anything,” he says, voice easy. “Just saying what I see.”
I swing back to him, jaw twitching. “And what’s that?”
Phoenix shrugs like the whole conversation means nothing. “I wasn’t comfortable at first either. But she doesn’t want to explore the town. She just wants to garden.”
“They’restill out there,” I bite out.
His eyes flicker — a flash of steel behind control. “I know. But it’s been two weeks. No one’s tried again. She’s not worth the blood to them.”
I want to believe that. God, I do. But the part of me that wakes up in a cold sweat when she’s not beside me? The part that watches every expression on her face like it’s gonna be the last. That part doesn’t know how to stop.
Phoenix pushes off the wall. “We’re thinking of leaving. Taking her somewhere safer.”
I scowl at him. “What? And leave a whole group likethat alive to keep buying and breaking women?”
“We’ll come back once she’s settled,” he says, jaw tight. “But she needs somewhere secure. Remote. Somewhere she won’t be alone.”
It clicks. My breath snags. “The Ranch?”
Phoenix nods. The Ranch. Paradise tucked away in ruin. Ivy would love it.
“Is this why you’ve stalled the cult hunt?” I growl.
He doesn’t answer. Simply stares past me, down the hall to the couch. Won’t meet my eyes.
“You’ve already started working on the truck, haven’t you?” My voice rises, bitter. “Didn’t even tell me. Just going ahead without me.”
“It’s not like that.”
“Feels like it,” I scoff.
He sighs, running a hand over the back of his neck. “We weren’t hiding it. Just wanted to be ready. Trying to figure out if it’s the right call.”
My jaw flexes so tight my teeth ache. “And Ivy? When were you planning on telling her?”
“Soon.”
“That’s it? Just soon?!” My voice rises. Glancing back to Ivy, I find Zane looking up at us. The need to tear him away from her and lock her in my room bubbles up like boiling water about to spill over.
Phoenix lowers his voice. “We want her with us… obviously. We’re doing it for her.” He shrugs. “But she needs to make the decision herself. To choose.”
I shake my head at him like he’s lost his mind.
For a second I think I misheard. Then my stomach drops.
“She doesn’t need to choose! What the fuck are you talking about?” I snap, voice cracking. “She’s ours. We protect her. We’vedone everything—”
“I know,” Phoenix cuts in, growling low. “But we did it because we care about her. That doesn’t give us ownership. If we care about her, we let her decide.”
The words sounds foreign coming out of his mouth. And he seems to be surprised it even slipped out so easily. But he’s right, we care about her… in our own damaged ways.
Still, the idea makes my skin crawl. “That’s insane. What if she says no? What if she wants to find her friend instead?”
Phoenix’s face doesn’t shift. “Then we stay and help Ivy find her. If we mean what we say about caring about her… we have to mean all of it. Even the part where she doesn’t choose us back.”
