“I want you,” she whispers, bravely sliding her hands over my bare chest. “I want you back, Wren.”

A light laugh leaves me and I shake my head at her, snatching her forearms to keep her off me. “That’s not gonna happen.”

“I think it will.”

I tense at that, sliding my eyes to the tattoo on the inside of her left wrist. Hers remains the same as the day we had them done – an antique style key with a princess crown for a handle, the word forever written along the edge in black, cursive ink.

Mine says never forever now.

Never feel, never fall.

“And if it doesn’t?”

“I’ll tell everyone,” she says simply, hiding a wince when I tighten my grip on her. “Your family, your friends, the press, the cops..” she goes on, looking up at me with a look I haven’t seen on her in years. “You’ll be mine and I’ll be yours, same way it was before, and if you tell me no, I’ll end your life as you know it. Gone.”

I grind my teeth and bounce my eyes between hers, looking for the lie, searching for anything to tell me she’s bluffing, but I come up empty.

Fuck, she’s serious.

“Wren.”

I swallow and look at Damon, failing to keep my features even when I catch the look on his face. A clear mixture of anger and confusion flashes in his dark blue eyes, but that’s not what I’m afraid of.

He looks fucking terrified.

“What did you do?”

I hesitate, unable to form words while my family stares at me, not so patiently waiting for whatever comes next. Long seconds pass and I fight to think, but then Freya opens her mouth to speak and I panic.

“Don’t–”

“He killed someone.”

Fuck.

The silence that follows is deafening.

Nobody moves or speaks for I don’t know how long, but despite feeling their eyes burning six holes through my skull, I keep mine on Freya, grabbing her fucking jaw and squeezing to pull her into me.

“You listen to me, you little bitch,” I say quietly, leaning over her to crowd her space. “You’re gonna tell me everything you know and how you know it. Then you’re gonna give me a number, any fuckin’ number, and I’m gonna write you a check and watch you walk your twisted little ass out that door. You’re gonna leave this city today and you’re never coming back. Got it?”

“No,” she says, looking me dead in the eye. “You can’t buy my silence, Wren. I don’t want your money. I want back in. You can threaten me until the sun goes down but I can assure you I’m not leaving.”

“Goddamnit, Frey,” I growl, speaking through my teeth. “I don’t fuckin’ want you here. I don’t want you, period.”

“Why, because I made a stupid mistake when I was sixteen?” she hisses, taking my face in her hands to pull me down to her. “You loved me once, Wren. I know you loved me. You can do it again.”

I glare and shove her ass back because no, I can’t. “Don’t fuckin’ touch me.”

“Or what?” she laughs. “I own you–”

“The fuck you do,” Callie snaps, growling when Damon wraps his arms around her waist to hold her back. “You’re fucking lying.”

“I’m not lying.” Freya throws back, turning to face my family. “I have proof.”

“Alright,” Callie nods, holding her hand out to crook a finger at her. “Let’s see it.”

“You think I’m stupid?” she raises a brow, crossing her arms over her chest. “I don’t have it on me.”