Page 36 of Obsession

* * *

Sleep doesn’t comeeasy for him, and when it does, nightmares plague him.

Memories of the military camp haunt him, and he can still smell the scent of blood and rot in his dreams.

They made him kill the Alphas who rebelled. Again and again until it became second nature to him.

But their ghosts come to him at night, despite how deeply he tries to bury the memories.

He intended to rest for only an hour after leaving Audrey’s, but when he wakes up again in her neighbor’s home, he checks his phone and curses.

Leaving her was stupid. He thought breaking into the house next door would be enough, but apparently, he should have kept her tied to the damn couch.

Just as he suspected, when he lets himself in, she’s missing, along with the cat.

Her phone is registered over two hundred miles away, and he’s hotwiring a car down the block before he can overthink it.

She willnotleave him.

* * *

Apparently,she wasn’t trying to hide herself very well.

He can scent her once he makes his way toward the beach in the small town, her unique vanilla aroma leading him directly to her. She doesn’t even look his way as he walks through the sand, approaching her figure as she lets the waves lap at her feet. Her jeans are rolled up, exposing pale skin, and her hair blows wildly in the wind.

The sun is setting as he stands next to her, following her gaze to watch the waves.

She doesn’t speak, but he can smell the salt of her tears mixed with her aroma. It’s not as potent as before, but he knows her Heat is imminent.

He’s the one to break the silence.

“I haven’t seen the ocean in years,” he admits. “It’s a pleasant surprise that you tried to hide here.”

That gets her attention. She turns to him with an exhausted look, dark circles under her eyes, and he suddenly regrets his teasing.

She should never look like that. Anger, hatred, and even fear look lovely on her, but the tired resignation that crosses her delicate features makes him feel ill.

You did that to her.

A better man would leave. A better man would walk away and grant her peace.

He can’t do that, though.

He’s not a good man.

“I’m not trying to hide,” she says, and in the natural light, he can see golden flecks in her dark brown irises. “I came here to think, Julian.”

He quirks his lip. “Too much thinking will make you go crazy, sweetheart. I don’t recommend it.”

She scoffs and sighs. “Don’t I know it.”

Her scent has soured, the notes still lovely but slightly off. He can sense her mood even without the mating bite, and he wants nothing more than to make her pain go away.

There is something he could do. Something he’s never done before, but he’s read enough about it that he’s confident it would work.

He takes a step closer as her gaze falls back on the water. “Let me try something,” he murmurs, and she remains still.

“Are you asking for permission?” she mutters, her voice monotone.

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