Page 143 of Awakened
“You got it, doc.” After a wink, his eyes shut, and my heart started to race.
Tying the last strip around a leg wound, I noticed a pouch tied to his ankle. I checked that his eyes were still shut. Cupping his face, I brushed my thumb along his cheekbone to see if he would wake up. He leaned into my palm, but his eyes didn’t open, so I dug into the pouch.
Inside was a key, a tube of ChapStick, and a burner phone.
My hands shook as I took the phone out. “What the fuck?”
Seth didn’t respond.
When I opened the phone to the recent messages, I saw one thread with my name.
My Celeste
I was drunk.
I get it. No worries.
That’s it?
I mean, what am I supposed to say? You regret it. I don’t.
Please be careful at the retreat. There may be a list of targets, but you’re the one they want the most.
Scout’s honor, I’ll be good.
I’m serious. Let Marie run the show and take the risks.
Okay, I’ll try.
Thank you.
I backed out of our thread, seeing only one other marked Dublin.
Dublin
You’ll be removed from Spencer again if you can’t maintain a professional distance.
Understood. I’ll stay distant.
Your little conversation the other night was anything but distant. I like you, kid, but we took you off after The Gathering for a reason. You got too close. You swore you would stay professional when we put you back on her watch after Toledo.
My cheeks crimsoned. There had been an audience to my first foray into sexting. Sweet Moon Goddess, of course there had been. How had that not occurred to me? The Howlersmonitored everything. Why wouldn’t that include drunk romps?
Fucking Seth.
I won’t be removed. I don’t trust anyone with her. After you all fumbled Toledo, and I barely got there in time . . . I’ll be her handler, or I’ll take her out of the equation.
That’s not your call.
Don’t test me. You already broke your word by bringing her into this. Don’t think I’m above breaking my promises to you to keep her safe. She’s my number one priority.
My tears hit the cheap phone, blurring the words on the screen. Seth was Secret Creepy Douchebag, and I was fucking oblivious. My heart thumped wildly. He had been there all along.
I need to save him now so that I can bitch him out later.
I placed his head in my lap and brushed his hair back.
“Seth.” I lightly slapped his cheek, and his eyes fluttered open.
