Melina rushed to his side.
I watched her go off, and for a second, I thought about saying something. But I didn’t. The fight was over. My version of justice was served.
I started walking back toward the club, cleaning the sweat from my brow, trying to shake the mix of anger and adrenaline coursing through me. And then I saw Skye. She was frozen in place, right in front of the club doors. Her body stiff, eyes wide. But it wasn’t me she was looking at. Her gaze was locked on Waylon.
“Skye,” I called softly, my voice cutting through the chaos. But she didn’t move.
Her face…it was terrified.
I jogged the last few steps, keeping my hands loose and visible so I didn’t startle her. “Skye, look at me. It’s okay.”
Her lips parted, but no sound came out. Her hands shook slightly at her sides, and she swallowed hard, eyes still fixed on Waylon. I could feel the tension radiating off her, like she was ready to collapse at any second.
I reached out, took her hands in mine. “Skye. Eyes on me.”
Slowly, her gaze flicked up, meeting mine. I could see everything. The fear, the confusion, the anger all swirling in her like a storm.
I pulled her slightly closer, wrapping my arms around her, letting her lean into me. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
I waited patiently for a response, but still, nothing came out.
What the fuck is going on?
45
SKYE
Ocean’s arms were around me, but they didn’t silence the disgusting voice that had seeped into my head. My chest felt tight, my stomach twisting into knots.
I could hear it again, the same voice I’d heard at that party, low and sickening, replaying in my mind like it had been waiting for this moment to surface.
I froze where I stood, the sound haunting, dragging me back years in an instant, like no time had passed at all.
I could feel everything again. The dim lights. The air thick and suffocating. And the cold, crushing weight of him holding me down.
My head swam as memory and reality blurred together, the past slamming into me like a punch straight to the gut.
“Stop being stubborn…open your legs,” I heard, faint but unmistakable, and my stomach turned so violently I thought I might vomit right there on the pavement.
I tried to blink it away, to shake my head, but the panic surged hotter, faster, like wildfire racing through my veins. My hands went to my head, clawing at my temples, and everything seemed to close in around me.
Then I felt Ocean’s hands on my cheeks.
Instantly, I flinched, recoiling as if he were the source of the storm itself. My body jerked out of his grasp, and without thinking, I ran back into the club. My heels smashed against the floor, my dress moving faster than my brain could process, and I dove into the nearest restroom like it was a lifeline.
Nyx was right behind me.
“Trace, don’t let anyone in here,” she demanded.
He nodded, then stepped back on the other side of the door.
I leaned against the wall, trying to breathe, trying to tell myself I was safe, but the memories wouldn’t stop. My throat tightened so much I could barely speak, my hands shaking uncontrollably.
Nyx crouched in front of me. “Skye…look at me. You’re okay. I’m right here. Tell me what’s wrong.”
I couldn’t respond. My voice had gone missing, stolen by the surge of panic that had consumed me. My body trembled, shoulders convulsing, as tears pricked at the corners of my eyes. I wanted to run, to disappear, to erase all of it.
Finally, after what felt like hours in mere seconds, I managed to mutter, “I...I need to go. I need to go right now.”
