Page 70 of Love Sick

I loosen my hold on Daddy’s throat and roll off him as he gasps for breath. I stand, pleading Luna forgives me for being weak. She’s not angry, but we both know we will pay dearly for our rebellion.

The ruse is up.

Once Daddy is able to breathe without sounding like a winded hyena, he comes to a shaky stand and I know what’s coming and embrace the first punch with a smile on my face. He punches my stomach, my ribs, back to my face.

All the while, I laugh with blood trickling from my mouth and nose. It only angers him further, and when he is about to kick my knee, Alanna screams.

“Enough! He needs to be able to play. You said it, we need them both.”

I’m half standing, wavering on the spot and seeing double as I clutch my bruised ribs, but I refuse to drop. Instead, I laugh like a raving lunatic.

“You’re both fucking dead.”

Alanna shoves Luna toward me, and I lunge forward to catch her. But she’s the one who ends up supporting me as I almost fall onto my ass. She clutches onto me, coaxing me to rest my weight on her.

It’s apparent this little family gathering is over, so she walks me toward the bedroom as Alanna and Daddy know we’re not going anywhere.

“You stubborn man,” Luna says under her breath as we hobble down the hallway. “You could have ended it all.”

“Without you, there’s no life to live.” My words are slurred and my vision is spotted, but I need her to know that she is my world.

I don’t know where we go from here, but we’re together and that’s all I care about for now.

She helps me to the bed, where I slump onto it, attempting to sit upright. I then realize I almost killed a man wearing a fucking towel. I burst into laughter once again.

“I think you’re concussed,” Luna says with concern as she examines my injuries. “Let me find something to clean you up.”

I don’t argue and pass out the moment she leaves the room.

I wake sometime later, unsure how long I’ve been out. But that’s the least of my concerns because of who I wake up to.

Luna.

She’s asleep in my arms, her hair damp and smelling like strawberries from the shower she must have taken. Her skin is warm and her breath tickles my chest as she’s snuggled in close. We’re both naked underneath the blanket.

Why aren’t we both tied up? I don’t understand it.

If they didn’t need us, I know we’d both be dead. I guess being “famous” has helped. And they need Luna as she’s the only sane person inside Parkfields. If they were to use any of the other patients, their ruse would surely be up.

That’s the only reason we’re not dead.

Maybe they believe we will cooperate if we’re together because we sure as hell didn’t being apart. Alanna is the reason I’m alive. Daddy couldn’t give a fuck. But she has a small shred of humanity inside of her when it comes to me.

“Stop thinking so loud,” Luna groans, snuggling closer into me.

I can’t help but chuckle.

I trace my fingers up and down her back, which instantly kisses her skin with goose bumps. “Sorry, go back to sleep.”

“I’m awake now.” Her croaky voice hints she needs more sleep.

“Why aren’t we gagged and tied to the bed?”

She sighs and her breasts pressed to me instantly has me wishing I used another phrase. “I think they’ve given up fighting us. They know we won’t give in. But there’s no way out of this fucking place. So we’re trapped. I figure they think if they let us do what we want, we will do what they want and then they let us go? And we all win.”

“I think you’re right. The moment we’re not needed, we become disposable. So we have to keep reminding them how useful we are.”

“She has to die,” Luna says, pulling out of my arms to look into my eyes. “I’m sorry I didn’t stick to the plan. The moment she uncuffed me, I had to hurt her and all rational thought was forgotten.”

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