Atticus will have my ass if he finds out I was here.
But then Ro makes this little sound—a soft, contended sigh—burrowing closer, and I physically cannot make myself leave her.
I trace the shapes of her face in sleep and brush a strand of dark hair from her temple.
“I love you, Ro.”
The words fall out before I can stop them, quiet enough that only the dark can hear me. “I’m so fucking in love with you it terrifies me.”
Her nose scrunches in her sleep and my heart does something stupid in my chest.
I can’t bring myself to go until the glow of dawn starts to brighten the sky and I’ve finished memorizing the devastating beauty of her in the half light.
27
99.9%
AURORA
Waking up with the scent of Seven still on my pillow without him here to touch is like a punishment. I don't remember the end of his story, but it makes sense now, why he cherishes that old jacket and why he'll never get rid of it, no matter how badly it could incriminate him with all the DNA decorating it.
It's the same reason I don't like to take my mother's necklace off. It's the one thing I have from her. The only meaningful thing she ever gave me.
Julian may not have been Seven's father by blood, but he was—he is—in all the ways that matter more than biology.
I curl into my blankets, sighing when my alarm rings and I have to roll over to silence it. Pushing the heels of my palms into my eyes, I glare at the morning light creeping over the ceiling.
Ellie nudges her way into my bedroom, right on schedule. I need to walk her before taking the bus to campus to meet Maisie at the library.
Those essays are due before class on Monday, so my weekend will be spent figuring out how to properly draft my reference list and format the citing throughout the document.Joy.
I should probably also reply to the university wellness advisor. She keeps reaching out to see if I want to schedule a session with her after what happened to my car. She's worried I might be feeling 'unsafe' on campus.
It's laughable. I'll have to let her down easy.
I throw the covers off and flinch. It's got to be cold as balls outside. I can feel it seeping through the walls. Definitely time to turn the heat on.
Ugh. Why did I have to destroy the car? Why the hell did I think that was a good idea?
My eyes burn as Ellie jumps up onto the bed even though she knows better. She sniffs all over the blankets and pillows and I know the little whine in the back of her throat is because she's also missing the owner of the scent she's found there.
"We'll see him again soon," I mutter sleepily, stroking her fur. Too tired to tell her to get down.
And then I remember. Today is the day. And I amwideawake.
Fuck.
I sit up and grab my phone from the nightstand, checking for any missed calls. When I find none, I'm off the bed, digging past the vibrator to the other phone hidden there between the mattress and box spring. But there are no messages waiting for me there either.
Has Atticus's guy at the DNA testing place sent Ambrose the results yet?
My stomach sours, and Ellie whines, sensing my anxiety.
That walk sounds good now. I need some air.
In a rush, I don't bother to do my usual hair and makeup routine, instead throwing the whole mess of my dark hair up into a messy bun and settling for a quick face wash, some moisturizer, and a flick of mascara. If we hurry, I can walk her toStarbies and get a massive coffee to bring with me to the library. Something tells me I'm going to need it.
"Come on, let's go, Ellie girl."
