Page 66 of Like a Hurricane

I was living each day with anxiety weighing down my shoulders but here, I didn’t feel an ounce of that as I walked, my feet crunching over frozen grass towards Rett who helps chop wood with Torin outside the waterside house.

Despite the chill, both were just in t-shirts, muscles flexing and rolling with each swing of the axe. Sweat soaks Rett’s chest and rolls down his temples but there is a deep frown marring his face, an anger twisting his mouth and when he slams that axe down on the wood, it’s with purpose and rage.

Something has pissed him off and that poor piece of wood stood no chance against it.

His eyes are instantly on me when my foot snaps a twig.

The lines of anger smooth, his whole body softening towards me.

“Hi,” I smile.

He takes three strides towards me, one more to secure our bodies together with a strong arm around my waist and then his lips are on mine in a possessive, all-consuming kiss. He melts me, my body relaxing into his, the taste of salt hitting my tongue as he deepens the kiss.

His fist curls into my hair, pinning me to him.

I manage to break the kiss, breaths heavy and puffing out of us in white clouds that form in front of my mouth. “What’s wrong?”

“Your hit was released today,” He kisses the corner of my mouth, sadness drooping his shoulders, “I claimed it.”

“It’s okay,” I stroke the back of his head.

“No, princess, it’s not!” He snaps, stepping back from me. “It’s not fucking okay!”

“Everett,” I step towards him.

“I fucking hate this!” he growls loud enough to draw Torin’s attention. “I hate that my name is currently headlining your death warrant. I fucking hate that I have to be the one to do it, despite how fake it is. I hate that I’m going to pose you as dead, cover you in blood and force you to lay there like you’re not breathing. It plays on my mind because there’s this damn line that makes this fiction a reality. If something goes wrong, I lose you. And I cannot lose you little storm.”

“Rett,” I close the gap between us before he can step away from me and let his thoughts and fears consume him. My hands cup his face, eyes meeting his, there is so much strength in him, so much loyalty but woven into those threads is fear. Fear for me. “You’re not going to lose me. You’re not.”

“Arryn,” His forehead presses onto mine, his breath whooshing from his lungs as if in defeat, “Princess.”

“This is just the start, Rett,” I tell him, “This is just the start to making it go back to normal. To making it go away. We can’t live in the woods for the rest of our lives. That is no life. We would be looking over our shoulders forever, running when our secret slips. We can’t have a future if we’re trapped in the past.”

“You want a future?”

“With you? Yes. But not like this.”

“Not like this,” he repeats, “I will protect you, Arryn, you have my word.”

“I know, Rett.” I kiss him, “I know.”

Chapter Thirty-two

Everett was tortured.

It didn’t matter what I said, how much I told him it was okay, that it wasn’t real, it ate at him. He’d barely spoken a word since I returned earlier, not to me, to Torin or Maya. Even little Harper couldn’t get him out of his head.

This is hurting him.

Before, I knew Everett cared for me, liked me even, but now I’m wondering how deep his feelings for me go.

It didn’t matter how fictional my death was going to be, even just implying it, was enough to send him over the edge.

And I got it, I did, but this was the means to an end. This was the right thing for us to do.

I take the mug of coffee over to where Rett sits in front of the fire, the day now turned to night, a clear moonless sky which allows all the brilliant twinkling stars to shine against the velvety black night. The ocean is calm, gently lapping at the shore and though it is cold, there are no storms or snow.

I didn’t much believe in omens but the fact that we had a calm night ahead of us seemed like a good thing.

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