Page 3 of Tainted Hearts

Removing my hands, I let them fall to my side. They don’t open their eyes, seeming to just enjoy the lingering feel of my touch.

My eyes fall to the broken boy between them. “You are haunted, so damaged that it turned you into this muddied version of yourself. I really hope everything changes from here on out. Because if not, I don’t know if I’ll ever truly be able to forgive you.”

Leaning forward, I brush my lips across his forehead in the softest touch. But the bond... it’s like a kick to the gut, roaring to life.

Tears fall, one landing on his cheek. In his sleep, he lets out this haunted sound that I feel deep in my soul.

Seconds later, I’m sucked out of the room and tossed into darkness. There I stay in a dreamless sleep until I awake in the morning.

I thank the silent void of my mind for the rest. Because I know it’s not something I’m going to have very much of.

What has my life come to?

Chapter 2

Noah

I’ve been up for anhour now, just watching my mates sleep. Luke’s head rests on Isaac’s chest, while I’m on Isaac’s other side, playing with his silky black strands.

“Mhhm,” Isaac hums sleepily. “That feels nice.”

His eyes blink open slowly. “Morning.”

He gives me a soft smile, but I watch it fade as his mind catches up. “Hey.”

“How did you sleep?” He looks like he aged ten years overnight.

“I wanna say like shit, but it’s hard to not have a good night's sleep when it’s spent between the two of you.”

My lips curve up into a soft smile. My heart hurts for him. Last night was gut-wrenching to watch. Finding out what he did for us makes me love him more, but at the same time I want to kick his ass for making decisions for us.

After a long talk last night with Luke, we’ve decided to make things work with Isaac, but there are some conditions.

“We need to talk.”

He sighs, but nods. “Yeah, we do.”

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