Lifting the blanket on the empty side of the bed, I gave Emery a silent invitation to join. It didn’t take more than a second before he crawled in, laying his head on the pillow.
“How long have you been awake?”
“Don’t know.” A pause. “Hurts.”
“I’ll get you some Advil.”
Being mindful of his head, I gently got out of bed. I turned my bathroom light on as I passed, letting it guide me around my room.
Minutes later, with a bottle of water and two pills, I came back to find Emery not having moved an inch.
“Can you sit up?”
I got a grunt, which almost made me laugh out loud. At least he felt comfortable enough with me to show his displeasure.
I set the pills in his hand, and then I handed over the water. After a good drink, he gave it back and I placed it on the nightstand.
I laid back down on my side facing him. With the bathroom light still on, I could see the dark shadows under his eyes. Every so often, his thick lashes twitched as he breathed in and out.
Right as I thought that he may have fallen asleep, he spoke, soft and light, yet filled with such sadness. “I miss Enzo.”
“Tell me about him,” I whispered, my voice cracking. One hand reached out for his.
Emery opened his eyes, blinking.
“He’s dead because of me.”
“I highly doubt that, Emery. The person in front of me couldn’t kill a fly.”
His grimace told me otherwise.
“Steven…took me. Then, a few weeks later I was told to find a new plaything to teach.”
The word left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Enzo. He was lost. Homeless. Easy. I wasn’t supposed to fall in love with him, but I did. And it killed us. I couldn’t help it.”
I didn’t know what to say. What I could do was wrap Emery in my arms. He came willingly, letting me pull him against my chest with my arms awkwardly wrapped around his back.
Wet tears coated my chest, but I didn’t care.
“He was younger. But everyone always thought he was older than me. He… knew what to do. How to live with next to nothing. I didn’t know what Steven was planning. I didn’t know. I swear.”
“I believe you,” I soothed, hearing his breath catch.
“I was never meant to fall in love. But he made it so easy. I didn’t have control. Steven was jealous. He’d make me hurt Enzo. Even when I didn’t want to. I never meant to kill him.”
“I know, Ree. I know.”
I ran my hand up and down his back, hoping to calm him. “What did you love about him?”
“Everything.” He sniffed. “He loved to take care of me. Made sure I got food, even giving up his servings. I was to be the strong one. But I can’t live without him anymore. I can’t, Ryker.”
“I bet he’d want you to live. He’d be thrilled that you got out.”
Emery nodded jerkily against my chest.
“We’d talk a lot when Steven was out. We’d try to think of ways to escape, even though that wouldn’t ever be possible. But the dreams of doing so…
