“You know what? Fuck this.” Marshall abruptly shoved up from the couch. “We’re just going to fight if we stay here. Sorry, Palm. I tried. I really did, but I can’t sit here with this”—he motioned to where we were sitting—“trashhere.”
I gulped. “Trash, huh?” I deflated.
Marshall froze. “I-I didn’t mean you, Bla—”
He meant Creighton and Levi, but I was like them. They were mine.
Levi was right. No matter what, I’d get hit in the crossfire.
I jerked a shoulder up, my appetite gone. “It’s fine. It’s not like I haven’t heard it all my life.” I shoved to my feet, too, and beganto leave. I got as far as three steps before a hand tugged on the back of my hoodie, stopping me. I was breathing harshly. The hand was familiar, so I didn’t look back, just waited, and he crowded in. His heat surrounded me, his chest to my back. His voice was low as he asked, “Can I hurt him now?”
I knew Marshall hadn’t meant me. I knew it, but others had. I was trash to them. I was beneath them. My family didn’t want me. I didn’t get to have a mom and a dad. No one adopted me. No one loved me. Kids were cruel, yeah, but most of those statements were spoken by adults and never in front of Creighton.
I drew in a shuddering breath.
He had protected me since he met me, and he was still doing it. I blinked back tears.
I knew not to weaponize him.God.I really did, but he was here.
I wasn’t wanted.
I wasn’t loved.
Except Creighton did. In his way, he did.
He couldn’t love, but he was here. He was always here. At my back.
He was asking for permission to fight for me.
A pinching sensation began to push down in my chest, like someone was pressing a closed fist to my sternum and was continuing to push down, down, down until—Ibroke. A rough whisper escaped me. “Don’t physically hurt him.” After that, I fled.
“Blake!” Palma came after me.
I hurried to my room, but I knew I couldn’t stay here.
You’re overreacting.
What did you just do?
You’re taking this too far.
My breathing was coming in hard, ragged, and I waited, prepared for an onslaught of comments like that, but they had no idea what it was like growing upunwantedfrom day one. Not one clue.
But fuuuuck.
Creighton unleashed Levi. I unleashed Creighton.
I shoved through into my room and began to pace, my hands in fists at my side.
Shit.
What had I done?
I needed to go back. I needed to call Creighton off, but it was too late. I’d already lifted the gate, and Creighton would not go back into the stall. He’d laugh at me if I went down there to try to harness him again.
He was an asshole like that.
The door was opened. Palma was there. She held a hand to her chest.
