And even if authorities did track it back to me, I was only defending myself. Tav was holding me against my will. I would take that statement to my grave, even if I wasn’t entirely sure it was true.
I reached the stairwell, descending it quickly and feeling like I’d finally entered the gates of Hell.
Tav had kept me sheltered, with every step forward I knew I’d never let anyone steal my power so easily again. Tav had underestimated me,again.I’d survived that mountain, survived the unknown and the other end of his gun barrel, but I wasn't foolish enough to wish it ended with him.
My descent into Hell had only just begun.
Thirty-Nine
I hovered like a creep at a park across the street from the motel waiting for her.
She'd been quiet for hours. If I knew her at all, she would need a cup of coffee soon.
Night or day, Freya liked her coffee.
I would give her time alone if she needed it, but not without first ensuring her safety.
I shook my head, exasperated, feeling the shame of my own deceit weighing me down. Even after everything we’d been through. Maybe it was time to explain all of that to her. Tell her what I couldn't before—that she’d almost lost her life—consumed in her own world like she was.
My eyes darted up to the corner room she occupied. I couldn't imagine how she was feeling right now, but if I knew her at all, betrayal would probably be the first reaction on her mind.
She needed to come to her senses, and fast. I hadn't betrayed her, not for a second. I'd kept secrets close to my chest out of necessity, for her own safety and mine, but betraying her was something I would never do.
She was everything.
She was the only human that had ever loved me without condition or malice. I'd throw my own body in front of a tank before anyone would hurt a hair on her head, even if that person was me.
A light flickered on then, bringing me back to the present and catching my attention as, just like I'd predicted, her soft silhouette came into the small kitchenette.
She was captivating.
I thought of the first time I’d ever seen her, braids in her hair and tiny cherries on her dress.
She'd seen me that first time, she just didn't know it. Her head had turned quickly, her dainty profile lit in bright Sunday sunlight. Her eyes darted up to the sky, before eyelashes fanned her cheeks as she seemed to soak up the light. Her chin wavered, and then her warm eyes flickered open, gaze landing directly on me at the edge of the church yard.
Time ceased, the world vanished, and I fell into dark depths I'd never find myself free of. Like being caught in a vortex, I was rooted, stunned with something I'd never felt before and hadn't been able to place then.
From day one I'd loved her.
Forty
SENATOR’S SON DIED OF OVERDOSE
I scanned the article as I stood in line at the local coffee shop. The barista set a hot dark roast coffee on the counter and nodded. “Shelly?”
I nodded, taking the drink I’d ordered. The name I’d decided to use to stay under the radar felt foreign.
“Welcome to Portland.” The young barista grinned at my Harvard hat. I’d picked it up at a secondhand store to help disguise myself as I decided what to do next.
I smiled politely and replied, “Thanks.”
“Been to Maine before?”
“This trip was my first time. I’m thinking of buying something here.”
“Can’t beat the Nor’east. Wild weather and even wilder people.”
“I’ve noticed.”
