Page 56 of CHASE: Captive to the Dark

More, she moved into me, burying her face into my neck. She didn’t need to answer me, it was the submission she knew I needed.

“You need to eat something. Tell me what you want. You can have whatever you feel like.”

Tickling against my neck from her eyelashes sent my fingers gripping her back and thigh.

“What do you feel I should have?” She pulled back, gazing up at me innocently. My lips parted and I went blank. My stare moved to the soft glow on the mountains surrounding us and I tried to think.

“We’ll get you something good. Something…to ease the nausea.”

Her head lowered back to my neck and I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, staring into the distance. It wasn’t until the door opened and Max held out a mug full of hot chocolate that I realized how much the temperature had dropped.

“For the girl,” he said lowly.

“Thanks. We’re coming in. If you can just carry it to my room, I’d appreciate it.”

The man nodded, disappearing. I took a few seconds before turning around and heading inside. Palo was already coming through the front door, holding to his jacket like a life vest.

“You get it?”

“Yes, at the expense of Cee Cee giving me shit, asking if I was having another. Damn small towns. Now I’m going to have to call Becky and feed her some…bullshit story.”

“You do that,” I said, taking the plastic bag he held out. “Make it good, too.”

I lifted the blanket, setting the test on Kit’s chest as I took off to my room. Still, she felt compelled to just lay against me. I loved it, when I shouldn’t have. If it weren’t for the fear, I probably would have enjoyed it a little too much.

Chapter 19

Kit

You could have heard a pin drop from the amount of silence that surrounded me. Aside from Chase standing there, looking down at the counter, I wasn’t even sure he was breathing. Sweat was beginning to bead on his forehead, and still, he stared down. After a few seconds, he glanced at the instructions. I didn’t move from the side of the tub where he seemed content for me to be. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to, I just knew my place, and that was playing the broken girl he believed me to be.

“Wait...” His head shook and he lowered, squinting. The need to fly up and see what he was witnessing nearly killed me. Instead, I stared ahead, letting the numbness sink back in. I was getting better at it. I was actually starting to enjoy the lack of emotions.

“Oh…shit.” His fingers went to reach for the test. When they came up short, he lowered even more. Back and forth, he went to the instructions. Maybe I already knew. Maybe I didn’t want to allow in the truth. If I didn’t see it, it couldn’t exist.

I stayed still, watching him until he turned my way. There was a paleness to his skin, a haunting look etched into his eyes. It was so obvious, yet I felt like I was watching a scene right out of a movie. Like this wasn’t about me, but someone else.

“Kit…”

“I’m pregnant.” My monotone voice had his brow furrowing. For close to a minute, he didn’t talk.

“I’m pretty sure that’s what it says.” He held the test out, but I turned away, unable to look. The sound of plastic connected with the counter and I felt his presence before I saw him kneel before me.

“I’m sorry. I was the responsible party and I failed us both. I should have went back to the church. I shouldn’t have taken your…”

What felt like a shockwave took my breath away. I didn’t think, couldn’t, as I reared back and slapped him. Once I started, I couldn’t stop. I flung myself right into his chest, pounding my fists against him with everything I had. The last few weeks came barreling into me with a weight I couldn’t begin to process. I was in shock. Somehow, I knew that, but I couldn’t get a grip enough to stop.

“There we go,” he said, grabbing me. “Good girl, keep fighting.” His arms locked around me, pinning us together, giving me view of the test laying on the counter. I gave one more hit into his ribs, becoming still as I stared down at the line. One line. Not two.

“You lied to me,” I said, jerking my head back to look at him. “You…tricked me!”

Chase’s eyebrow rose, but other than that, I couldn’t read him. “I think I like your spirit more than your zombie.”

I thrashed against him, squinting as I continued to take in the window where another line was supposed to be. I had to keep blinking past the fact that I thought I saw something. Something so light, it really did turn my stomach.

“Throw it away.” Anxiety was setting in the longer I tried to decipher what I was seeing. Was it a trick of the light? My imagination?

Chase didn’t bother looking down as he tossed the test in the trash.

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