Page 77 of Sinful Kingdom

“Sitting in that chair isn’t good enough, Vixen. We’ve been apart too long for that shit.” She stares at me hesitantly. “What?”

Her entire expression softens. “I’m so sorry, Alex. All that stuff I said in the cabin. I didn’t mean any of it. I was angry and… that’s never going to be a good enough excuse. I’m so ashamed of what—”

“It’s okay, baby. I get it. Everything about our stay there was intense. The situation was… bizarre. Things were always going to blow up eventually, especially when I was keeping things hidden that you should have known.”

“You were trying to protect me. I get that, Alex. And I appreciate everything you did more than you could know.”

I don’t respond. I don’t have words worthy of a reply to that comment. Instead, I put all my energy into shifting to the side to give her a little more space to lie down with me.

The pain is unbelievable, and as I wiggle about, achieving very little, I refuse to let it get the better of me.

Zay doesn’t so much as twitch as I move.

“Alex, you don’t need—”

“Please,” I beg like a pussy.

Unable to argue with me, she gently lies down beside me, careful not to touch me any more than she needs to.

Resting her hand over my heart, I turn my head to the side to study her. What I really want to do is roll on my side and give her all of me, but I can’t, and it fucking kills me.

“I’m right here,” she whispers.

With the warmth of her palm warming me from the outside in, I allow my eyes to fall closed once more.

I’m tired. Exhausted. More so than I think I’ve ever been in my life. I want to defy the odds and stay in the present with my girl, but the darkness is trying to drag me back under already.

Now I know she’s here, that she’s okay, as much as she can be, I can relax fully.

I’m safe at Dad’s. No one can hurt any of us here.

Dad and Daemon will fight until death to protect us, I already know that. And something tells me that the others aren’t too far away either.

Just before I drift off again, a thought slams into me.

“You rescued us, didn’t you, Vixen?”

She doesn’t respond for a beat, and I start to think she’s not going to. But then, her whispered words float around as I finally fall under.

“Just doing what I needed to do for those I love. And I’d do it again.”

* * *

When I wake again, the first thing I do is reach for her, and my heart drops into my feet when I discover she’s not there.

“Evie,” I croak.

“Hey, I’m right here,” she says, softly, laying her hand on my chest once more.

Turning to the other side, I find her there, lying on her side watching me, protecting me.

“Where’s Zay?” I ask, a bolt of unnecessary panic shooting through me at his absence.

“He’s okay. He’s downstairs with Blake eating. He woke up starving.”

At her mention of food, my stomach growls obnoxiously, making her laugh.

“Looks like he’s not the only one.”

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