Page 9 of We Are Yours
Once I had Kraven’s hoodie on and could see him, he had his keyboard bag over his shoulder, whipping around and leaving, running toward what I assumed was a back exit.
Time seemed to stall as Julius’s concerned regard suddenly met mine. I wasn’t sure if it was seeing me in his brother’s hoodie that triggered him, or if it was just from the sight of me drenched in blood that obviously upset him.
Briefly, he scanned my body from head to toe. Attacking every last fiber of my being as he landed his gaze back on mine.
It was my turn to reassure him. I unconsciously nodded, letting him know I was okay even though I was far from it. My head started spinning, and I felt a little woozy.
He must have noticed, stating, “You’re not okay.” Then, all in one breath, he coaxed, “I’m going to need you to trust me.”
I swallowed hard, partially opening my mouth to speak after not speaking a word for days…
Months…
Years?
All the rehomes. All the fosters.
All, all, all…
One big jumbled mess of silence.
I didn’t give him an answer. Instead, I watched as he threw his violin in his case before he gripped my hand, and we started running.
Another first—the concept of trust.
Is that what I’m doing? Trusting him?
I was tired, dizzy, and unwell.
Spots danced around my eyes. One second, I was running, and the next, I vaguely heard Julius whisper into my ear, “I got you.”
Am I straddling his lap?
The question barely formed, and it was my last thought as I took comfort in not only Julius’s scent but Kraven’s as well.
Both addicting.
Both familiar.
And then everything went black.
Although this time…
* * *
I didn’t feel so alone.
Chapter
Four
Julius
This wasn’t something I’d ever done.
I couldn’t just leave her there. She was badly hurt, and I could see it in her eyes. She’d gone through some shit that night.
Most likely, some really bad, dark shit. The kind of trauma that stays with you forever, no matter how hard you try to escape it. You could never outrun it. It was easy to recognize her flight response. She was definitely running from someone, and given that she was covered in what appeared to be her own blood, she fought to get away.
