Page 64 of Ravaged
Because he cared about me.
“I refuse,” I added on.
“Refuse what?”
“Refuse to see the darkness.” I spun around, letting the few drops of rain hit my face. “This is life, Ethan. There’s good and there’s bad and there’s a time for everything. But this? This is it. This isourtime. This is all we have.”
“Don’t you get it?” he said, raising his voice. “This could have been you.”
“But it’s not.”
He came closer, and I stayed still, waiting for whatever it was he needed to say.
“This is your last chance to say something,” he said. “Your life depends on it.” He leaned down, using a finger to angle my chin so that I was looking into his eyes. “Where is the Pink Diamond?”
“I don’t know a thing about the diamond, or any harp that has a secret message!” I laughed. “If I’m going to die, I’m going to die. Just let it be.” I pressed my lips together. “Letyourselfbe.”
He scrubbed a hand over his face, washing off the rain, then adjusted the man on his shoulder, turned back to the path, going deeper into the woods. I followed behind him, a bounce in my step. A tiny voice inside of me screamed that I could run. There were no chains on my feet. Handcuffs chained my hands close together, but my feet were free. I was even wearing athletic shoes.
But I didn’t. Call it stupid. Call it naive. But I trusted Ethan.
A few hundred yards in, the rain started pouring down, soaking us both. What was once romantic in nature, became irritating, but we trudged forward. A hole in the ground, several feet deep and wide enough for a body appeared in front of us. Ethan threw the man down, then grabbed a shovel against a tree. He motioned at another shovel.
It took longer than you’d expect. I went through the motions. It was as if it wasn’t me burying the poor man, but someone else moving my arms and legs, controlling me with puppet strings. The rain kept coming. My muscles grew sore. Still, when we were done, Ethan looked up at me, and I smiled at him.
He grabbed my shoulders and pushed me against a tree, the bark digging into my back, our faces slick with water.
“Why don’t you run away?” he growled.
“I’m not going to run,” I said, shaking my head. “I won’t.”
“What is wrong with you?” he asked. “What do you want, Teagen?”
I knew my answer. “I want you.”
His eyes narrowed and he threw a hand to the side. “You don’t. You’re afraid for your life. That’s why you want me.”
I shook my head. “It’s not.”
“We buried a man, Teagen. A man I killed. I put a bullet in his head, and had that been the choice I was given when we first met? I—” His eyes fell to my lips. “I—” But he couldn’t finish the sentence.
Because he knew it wasn’t true.
“Don’t lie to yourself,” I said. His eyes met mine, and the darkness crowded his soul, but there was good in there too, shining out. I could see it. “You’re not the evil man you think you are.”
“You don’t know me.”
“If you were, Iris would be dead.” I clasped my hands together. “Dad would be dead. I would be dead.”
He studied my face, peering deep into my eyes. Then he shoved the tree, pushing himself away.
“You’re a good man, Ethan,” I called after him.
“I’m not,” he muttered.
“You are. I can see it inside of you.”
He whipped around and shoved me to the tree again, then took the handcuffs and hooked them behind the tree, trapping me against it. Rain splattered on my body, knocking into our faces. He leaned against the tree, his breath hot on my face, the rain cold on my skin.
