Page 80 of Fighting the Darkness

“Ugh, I need to move out. I’m so sick of living with my parents again. I’m sick of my dad moping around, hoping I’ll forgive him. For months, he was nowhere to be found, but now it’s like he wants to be up my ass. I hate it.” I start to open the door, smiling when I see my mom left the porch light on. I love her. She’s the best. I love my bed too. I’d like to be there now.

Quinn snickers. “I’m glad you love your mom and bed, but in order to go to bed, you have to go inside first. We’ll wait here until you get inside. Gotta make sure you make it home safe and sound, or Griff will have my head.”

I try to mock salute her but just end up shoving my hand into my eye. “Ouch. That was a bad idea. Thanks for tonight. I needed this. As good as it was to get dicked down tonight, sometimes it’s good to hang out with dickless ones. I mean female friends.”

“Go home, you’re drunk.” Quinn keeps laughing at me, making me pout.

“I’m only a little drunk, but I am going home so I can dream about three fabulous cocks. Love you both!” I blow them kisses before stumbling out of the car. I almost faceplant but manage to catch myself. Quinn might be right. I think I’m drunk.

I stagger up the stairs and onto the porch, tilting my head when I realize there’s something there.

“Awww, how sweet. Someone sent me roses.” Then I frown, realizing they don’t look right and neither does the red stain on the ground beneath them. Or the words painted on our white door in red... That’s blood.

And with that realization, I start screaming.

Chapter Thirty-five

Freya

Iwakeuptomy phone ringing, and I consider throwing it against the wall. Instead, I pick it up without even checking the screen. “‘lo?”

“Oh, thank goodness.”

“Hmmm??? Who ‘dis?” My head is pounding. The light is too bright. Everything sounds too loud, and I just want to go back to sleep.

“Sunshine, are you okay?”

Blinking, I roll over to glance at the clock, growling when I see it’s just after nine. “Soren, why are you calling me so early? I didn’t get to sleep until like six.”

“Right, and why didn’t you get to sleep until then?”

I shoot up in my bed, memories of the night before rushing through me. What my drunk mind had a hard time processing is that there were bloody roses sitting on the porch last night right beneath the note that could have only come from my stalker.

I’ll take care of that bitch for you.

I had screamed so loudly that I woke up my parents while Quinn and Vicki had stumbled up the stairs after me. My dad called the cops, and it was after three by the time they made it. Another hour of questioning from the cops, then another hour of trying to calm the guys down since Quinn had called Griffin to let him know what happened. They wanted to drive over right that minute to pick me up. It had taken them a lot of convincing on my part to let me stay home.

I wish I could’ve taken them up on the offer, but my mom needed me here. She slept in the bed with me last night, holding me until I fell asleep. She’s probably already up since the other side of my bed is cold now.

“Fuck, right. My head is killing me.”

Soren chuckles, but he keeps his voice quiet as he speaks. “Which is why we’re sitting outside your house waiting to take you for a greasy breakfast.”

“You’re outside the house?” I yelp, jumping out of the bed and running over to my window. Sure enough, Griffin’s truck is sitting in the driveway. Soren waves at me from the passenger’s seat, and I shake my head. “A little warning would’ve been nice. I need a shower.”

“No, you don’t. You took one after the fight. Get your ass down here. I’m hungry, and all three of us need to see you’re okay with our own eyes.”

I growl, letting the curtain fall back over the window. “I hate you.”

“No, you don’t. See you in five.”

“Ten,” I spit out. “Minimum, ten minutes.”

“Sure thing, cutie.”

I throw my phone on the bed and rush to the bathroom. I take care of all the necessary business before splashing water on my face. When I stand up, I’m aghast at just how bad I look. Dark circles accent my red-rimmed eyes. My skin has an unhealthy pallor to it. I really just want to crawl back into bed.

But the guys are waiting for me. Maybe after breakfast I can talk them into taking a nap. Now, that sounds like a plan.

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