Page 95 of The Hallows Queen

He sprays some liquid on a paper towel and brushes it over my sore skin, then steps away and throws it into a trashcan.

Hayden stands up. “Can I see?”

I nod, using a finger to instruct him to come closer. He walks across the room, and I turn my body so he can see the fresh tattoo of the letterHon my ribs.

“Penelope,” he breathes, wrapping a hand around my waist and squeezing.

“You like it?” I blink up at him, a small smile touching my lips.

He nods. “Now I really fucking own you.”

I chuckle. “You’ve always owned me, H.”

Chapter27

Hayden

Travis and Oliviahave something to do today, so we make plans to meet up with them later at one of their favorite clubs, and Penelope and I start walking downtown to get some fresh air.

“I can’t believe you did that.” I laugh, squeezing Penelope’s hand with my own.

“Well…” She grins. “If you’re going to get my initial, I’m going to get yours.”

“Now, even if you leave me, you’ll always remember that you’re mine.” I smirk. “No one else.”

“Eh.” She waves a hand. “I could always get it covered up.”

I tackle her and squeeze her waist, careful not to bump her ribs. “You wouldn’t dare.”

She laughs, smacking my hands away, then slides her fingers through mine again to keep walking down the sidewalk.

After a few minutes, she pulls me into a little coffee shop and we get lattes, then continue our walk hand-in-hand. Everything feels so natural with Penelope, like she’s filling holes inside of me that I grew so familiar with that I never thought they would be anything but black pits.

I don’t think there’s been another chapter of my life when I’ve smiled as much, laughed as much without the help of uppers, been so peaceful without the help of downers. My demons are quieter when she’s around, like they’re afraid of her, like she’s the one and only threat who could kill them once and for all, send them spiraling back to hell so I can live easier.

The sun has started to set behind the high rises, and the streets are rushing with the evening traffic as people start to head home from work or out to dinner. My stomach growls, as if reminding me that it needs sustenance to keep the blood flowing through my limbs so we can keep walking.

“Wanna get some dinner?” I ask Penelope. “There’s a little Italian place around the corner.”

She nods, pulling my arm over her shoulder and wrapping her own around my waist. Her eyes are sparkling with the reflection of the sunset, and her freckles are a golden shade of brown that make me want to play connect-the-dots on her skin with my fingers. She’s ethereal – a walking goddess.

We walk another few blocks, then head inside a restaurant I’m familiar enough with that I know to slide a fifty across the hostess stand to get seated right away.

After the guy behind the stand pockets my cash, he grabs two menus and leads us into the dark and cozy restaurant to seat us at a table in the back corner.

“Thank you,” I say, tipping my head to the host as Penelope and I both take a seat on either side of the wooden table. He tells us to enjoy our meal, then heads back to his stand.

Penelope looks around the room, admiring the little twinkling lights that hang above the bar and the old wooden furniture that feels homey. I look at her, though. Wondering what I did in this lifetime to know her – I certainly didn’t earn it, I didn’t deserve it, and I still don’t know if I’m going to get to keep her forever. I hope I do. I hope by some miracle I end up being with her forever, because I’m not sure what it would do to me if I lost her after how deep my feelings have grown for her.

The Xanax I took earlier has long worn off, and my back is starting to sting from my fresh tattoo, but it’s a sting I’ve grown to savor, toenjoy.

I only have so much skin, and one day I’m not going to have any more room left. I’m not sure what I’ll do for a painful release then.

“You’ve been here before?” Penelope asks, pulling my attention.

I nod, picking up my menu. “I used to come here with my parents growing up, whenever we were in the city.”

“You came to New York a lot?”

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