I jog around the beach and search everywhere I can think of.
Come on, Em. Where are you?There’s nowhere for her to go, unless she remembers her family.
She did seem off the other night in the bathroom and gym. I don’t think I’d ever seen her blush that much, and the fact that she remembered my chest scar… It’s possible that she’s recalled me hunting her down and striking her with the rock. Is that what she’s running from?Me?An ache shoots through my heart at the thought.
It makes my blood chill—the memory of what I’ve doneandher trying to leave me. It makes my legs move faster. My mind goes in a million different directions with thewhat-ifs. As I’m passing a bench, a few drops of blood catch my eye. I stop and crouch low. A few strands of pink hair are stuck in it.
Ice enters my chest. Someone’s hurt her.
I lift my head and scan the area, noticing a moderate gap between the main building and the secondary one with the training pools. I stand swiftly and start jogging to it. It’s not fast enough, so I begin running, clasping both hands to each of the walls when I reach the alley. I look up and see her at the end, huddled with her arms around her knees, staring at a few large red lumps on the ground in front of her.
At first they look like nothing more than bags of laundry that have been carelessly discarded, but as I draw closer, I realize that the lumps are actually two soldiers. I recognize one as the mouthy asshole who tried to start shit with us days ago.
My eyes don’t move from their forms, cataloging whether they are breathing or not. There’s a concerning amount of blood on the cement walls to either side of them and much more on her hands and arms. I glance over at her with my hands in my pockets. She hasn’t shown any signs of acknowledging my presence.
I don’t care what she’s done. It’s nothing I can’t fix.
Nothing that I don’t have connections for.
I approach her, stepping over the two dead bodies like they’re trash before squatting to her level.
Em’s eyes are distant, much like mine would always be after anepisode. Is that what happened here? No doubt they asked for it, but she seems rattled by the situation nonetheless. I can’t imagine where her mind must be. Did she not expect to kill so ruthlessly? The executioner lives deep in her marrow. A flicker of hope wells inside me.Please remember.
Her pink bangs are mussed, the tips covered in dried blood. Red stains her cheeks too. Still, I find her more entrancing than anyone I’ve ever known. Of course, a monster like me would find solace in another familiar. We’re broken things. Broken, dangerous weapons.
“Are you okay, Emery?” I say softly as I shed my hoodie and give her a sympathetic look. “Here, lift your arms.” She does as I say, still staring blankly at the bodies of those two men.
I’m glad she killed them. If she hadn’t, I would’ve. Though, it does leave us with a pretty big problem, these guys have families. They aren’t labeled dead like we are.
My neck muscles tense. I should’ve been here. Even though I know she can clearly more than handle herself… I wish I were here so she didn’t have to experience what it’s like to lose control. It can make you do things you’ll never forgive yourself for. The scar on the side of her temple is still bright. I force my eyes away from it.
I remove her stained hoodie and let it fall to the ground before pulling mine over her head. Her eyes slowly shift up at me, my hood covering her forehead and making her look so small and delicate. A throb of warmth moves through my chest.
“Come on,” I whisper against her ear as I pull her in close, scooping her up and carrying her back the way I came. She curls into herself in my arms.
My frown only grows. Did she feel this way when she had to fulfill the duty of the executioner? Is that why her victims were always so artistically somber in the way she left them? A murderer longing to be caught and caged. One that dreamed of something more.
This is the trauma I was trying to keep her safe from, but it seems there’s truly no way to outrun your past. One way or another, it will find you. I swallow the thick lump in my throat. I can’t outrun my past either. Sooner or later, she’ll know what I really am. Then all those curious and lewd looks she steals will end.
I deserve this suffering.
I drop my lips down to her forehead and breathe in her floral scent.God, I’ve missed her.I want to be weak right now and take care of her. To give in to the urge to let her in once more, but I don’t trust myself. How could I? The guilt eats away at my heart.
The moment I walk in through the doors, Gage spots us and runs over. He pauses when he gets close enough to see the blood on her arms and face. His eyes balloon and he gives me anoh shitlook.
“I found her in the alley between the buildings,” I murmur, handing her over to him without asking.
He quickly catches on and lifts his arms to hold her. I’m so fucking glad it’s Gage and not Thomas or Kayden. I trust Gage, I know he’s fond of our forgetful girl.
He swallows nervously. “What do I tell Thomas? Did she hurt someone?” He says the latter in a low voice, glancing around to make sure we aren’t drawing attention to ourselves. Luckily, most of the soldiers are busy with their own agendas and are trained to not be nosy in others’ business.
I pat him on the shoulder. “It’s fine. I’m going to take care of it. Just get her downstairs and wash her up. Take her to bed and let her sleep this off. If Thomas asks what happened, tell him I found her and he can talk to me,” I say sternly so he doesn’t think any of this is up for debate.
He hesitates and looks down at her. “Did she kill?—”
“Gage,” I bark at him. He stills and goes pale, meeting my harrowing eyes. “I won’t ask you again.” I level him a death glare. His shoulders tense but he gives me a firm nod.
I would do anything for her.
