Page 79 of Scavenger's Oath
Zane’s hand finds mine, firm and grounding. “You think they'll come after you.”
I don’t need to nod. He knows it as well as I do.
Taking a shaky breath, I stare at our hands, locked together. His, steady and warm. Mine, trembling.
But for once in my life, I feel anchored. Even with the weight of our confessions, everything in me wants to stay in this moment.
“I think being here with you is the only reason they haven’t found me yet,” I say finally.
Zane leans forward, pressing his forehead tomine. His voice is gentle, but it carries steel beneath it. “If they come, no one will touch a hair on your head. I swear it.”
Something in his tone makes my heart crack open. I believe him.
But part of me still aches for the girl I left behind. Guilt and fear mingle with the awful thought that I might have escaped just in time to lose her forever.
Zane pulls me closer, curling one arm around my back as he strokes my hair gently. “You don't have to tell me everything,” he murmurs, voice full of understanding. “Not right now. But I’m gonna need to know what we're up against.”
His words are simple. But one word stands out from the rest.
We.
Not you.
We.
It makes my throat tighten. I nod against his chest as Zane holds me.
This moment—it feels so safe. Quiet. Peaceful… but it feels stolen. Like I’m on borrowed time. And I don’t know how to hold onto it longer.
Only that I want to.
To stay here. Like this. With him.
Before the world outside remembers I exist. Before someone comes looking and I lose everything I’ve found here.
Before I have to run again.
Chapter 27
Zane
Phoenix is exactly where I thought he'd be. On the roof, hunched on the railing at the edge like he's guarding Hell's Gates.
Smoke coils around him as he takes another long drag from a cigarette, the red ember flaring against the pale morning light.
He doesn't turn to look at me when I come up behind him, but his whole body tightens as if he's been expecting me.
“You here to gloat?” he mutters, voice tight like a coiled snake, ready to lash out.
I sigh, not rising to the bait.
Phoenix sneaking around with Ivy could actually work in her favour. Even if he’s not ready to admit he wants her to stay.
Ivy thinks I’ve gone to start breakfast. But everything she said this morning kept playing over in my mind. So I came up here first, knowing I’d find Phoenix.
“You done pouting, or should I come back after your tantrum’s over?” I say flatly.
His jaw flexes. “Depends. You here to rub it in?”
