I smile but it’s anything but kind, “You see what I want you to see.”
“No,” She laughs, matching the venom, “I see what you hide from everyone else.”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about, Red.”
She scoffs, “I always knew you were a skilled liar, I just never thought you’d lie to me.”
Her words land hard and heavy inside my gut.
“But back at the theater was more than justprotectingme. You knew him.”
“Why do you say that?”
“The way you looked at him,” she sighs. “I’m tired, let me sort your hand and then you can leave.”
The breath leaves my lungs as the words settle in. She walks away from me, into the kitchen to get the first aid box and then heads to the couch, waiting for me to take up the spot beside her. Leave? She wants me to leave?
Why am I not surprised?
Why would she want me to stay?
But we are Bast and Willow, it’s us… and she wants me to leave.
Heavy legs carry me to the couch, and I sit slowly, giving her my hand. I don’t need her to do this, I can very well do it on my own, but I don’t want to go.
I don’t want to leave her here and I don’t want to go back to my own cold apartment that doesn’t smell like her, or have her color or her music. I don’t want to be where she isn’t.
She’s gentle as she cleans up my hand, wiping away the blood staining my skin before she starts to focus on the small cuts in my knuckles left behind by the hard punches I delivered to Christian’s face.
She’s so tender and soft with how she handles me,like these hands didn’t just break open a face barely half an hour ago. When the blood is cleaned and the cuts sterilized, she wraps my hand in a bandage and then brings her hands into her lap, folding her fingers in tight against her legs.
“Wills,” I start.
Watery eyes jump to mine, “Go home, Bast.”
“You want me to leave?”
“I need to be alone right now.” She drops my eyes, her voice turning rough. She tries to hide the tears, but I see one drop from her face, landing on the grey material of her pants, blooming a dark spot.
“Red…”
“Good night, Bast.”
She doesn’t allow further discussion, not when she gets up and takes herself to her bedroom, the click of the door closing behind her like the final nail in a coffin.
My hot head got between us.
But he touched her. Sought her out.
He knows who she is.
If I didn’t put him in his place there and then he would think she was fair game, that I wouldn’t put up a fight. Keeping Christian alive is the biggest mistake I’ve made. I should have disobeyed my orders andkilled him and now we’re all fucked. Because if I kill him, I could bring more shit to the doorstep, with him now being involved with a competitor, it makes things fucking messy.
And killing him to keep Willow safe will only endanger everyone else. It could be seen as an attack, a direct threat aimed at Richard Taylor and with the footage he has on me…
Shit.
Knowing my girl and her needs I get up from the couch, my legs carrying me toward her bedroom door. I stand for a few minutes, listening to her move around beyond the door and then the rustle of her bedding as she climbs into bed.
