“Let’s get you back, brother,” Jake says, “Come on.”
It’s sometime passed midnight, it’s quiet, dark and I’m alone.
I’ve showered and taken my meds, but the pain remains, a phantom burn that sets my skin on fire whenever I touch it, so laying down is impossible. I reach for the ribbon on the counter, pulling it between my fingers, the silk soft against the roughness of the callouses and scars. I wrap it around my hand, watching itmove, like a satin snake, around and around my fingers it goes. And then I curl it around my wrist and move it up my arms, over the scars and the burns. Except where I’m expecting pain, I’m met with sweet relief. Like the silk is a balm, it soothes the imaginary burn, so I keep going, moving it over every part of my flesh that is mottled and raised and angry.
Sighing, I lean back in the chair, bringing the ribbon toward my face where I inhale, her scent lingering on the material.
There’s an urge to go to her, to appease this desperate need to touch her, and feel her, and hear her moan my name. It’s fucked. I’m fucked.
Tonight was a reminder. I never had a fear of flames until the night her brother killed mine, I didn’t suffer panic attacks or have PTSD. I didn’t have nightmares, but now even my sleep is filled with memories of that night.
And yet she somehow soothes the angry demons vying to get free.
How do I get both?
Blood needs to be spilled and some of it will be hers.
I drop the ribbon and look toward the windows. The decimated barn sits beyond those trees, nothing but ash and coal now. A charred pit full of corruption and pain.
The Winchester’s took everything from me, it’s only right I take something back.
Chapter Nineteen
There’s a single light on in the house, the gardens lit up even though it’s the middle of the night and only Marly’s car is parked in the driveway. She said her parents are away but that doesn’t mean she is alone.
I scale the wall and drop down behind a row of well-tended rose bushes, the blooms a vibrant red and the thorns sharp. I take a moment to find the brightest one and pluck it from the bush, dodging the thorns and then I make my way toward the house, avoiding the light and sticking to the shadows.
The only light on in the house is on the first floor, white sheer curtains conceal much of the room and I can just make out shapes of things inside, but I have to assume it’s her bedroom. The window has been left open and it’s big enough to fit a body through. Trellis works around much of the house, ivy and wisteria growing over it but it’s climbable. Tucking the rose into the back pocket of my jeans, I test my weight on the trellis and while it creaks, it holds my weight, so I begin to climb. It only takes a few minutes to get to the window and once I’m there,I force my hand into the gap and pull it open, sliding my body through.
A scream rips through the bedroom, echoing out into the night and I quickly shove through the curtains and have my hand across her mouth in the next second. Wide blue eyes stare up at me, full of terror that morphs to confusion when she realizes it’s me.
I drop my eyes down her, my hand still covering her face and notice she’s in my Sinclair Motors t-shirt, her bare legs folded beneath her and a book in her lap. Her hair is damp, her skin fresh. Golden light kisses her body, giving her a soft glow.
“Nice t-shirt, princess,” I slowly pull my hand away.
“River!? What are you doing here?”
“I brought you this,” I reach around and pull the rose from my pocket, thankful it’s still in good shape, despite it being shoved there.
She stares at the rose, “Did you pick this off the rose bushes?” A smile widens her mouth, showing her teeth.
“Maybe.” I grin back and fall onto her bed, landing on my back and I’m not ashamed to admit the sigh that leaves me is full of damn pleasure. Fuck, it feels like I just landed on a cloud. Her sweet scent fills the air around me and the sheets are like silk on my skin. I turn my face to her, my hands behind my head.
“Why are you awake?” I ask her.
“Couldn’t sleep,” She cocks her head, studying me, “But the real question here is, what are you doing in my bedroom at–” She pauses and reaches for her cell phone, pressing the button on the side to light up the screen and look at the time, “Two in the morning?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” I mimic her answer.
“Did you climb up the side of my house!?”
“Well, if you have trellis leading right to your window, you’re asking to be broken into,” I tell her, “May as well have given me a ladder and called me right up.”
She stares blankly at me, “You’re right, but there’s also the matter of the ten-foot wall and secured gates.”
I pull my arm out from beneath my head and rest it over my eyes, “Shh, princess, I’m trying to sleep.”
“Here!?” She squeaks.
