Silas shakes the blanket through his wet hair and drops it to the ground with a thud. He wraps a fresh one around my cold body before taking off his damp shirt, socks, and shoes. He leans in and kisses me before pulling back. His green eyes lock onto mine, and the information I carry feels like a burden worse than death.
“Need help removing anything?” he asks cheekily, as he stares at me.
I don’t smile—I can’t. I close my eyes as tightly as they will allow and wrap the blankets around me tighter. Silas notices my recoil and hardens his brow.
“Tell me what happened.”
Tears begin to well in my eyes as he grabs my hand, pulling me toward the small sitting area near the front door, but I wince in his hold.
“Don’t push me away,” he whispers, his words filled with hurt. “What happened?”
The crackling fire fills the small room, and each sound sends a wave of anxiety through me. Before we can sit down, a high-pitched scream echoes from downstairs, causing both of us to jolt and move deeper into the house as quickly as we can.
We stop at the bottom of the stairs to see the others gathered around the table. Instead of screaming, the room is filled with laughter. Fenmore, Rose, and Larkin chuckle while huddled next to Hux and Warrick. Maines sits on Oak’s lap. Various coins lay scattered across the table, and I quickly realize they were playing a game.
“Who the fuck screamed?” I snap.
“Oak,” Maines says, as she points. “Couldn’t you tell from the girlish shriek?”
“It was not,” he snaps back, poking her side.
They laugh together, and it only makes my pounding heart race more. I glance at Rose, and she quickly stands, hurrying over to the bottom stair.
“Fenmore screamed because she had just lost the entire pot,” Rose adds. “To me.”
“It’s such bullshit.” Fen rolls her eyes and says, “I’m going to kick everyone’s ass if I don’t win the next round.”
Rose wraps her arms around me, and I return the embrace. The feeling of her closeness calms me for just a moment before the harsh reality of what I know crashes back into my mind.
“We just started playing a moment ago, my shadow. Once Hux let us know you had returned, we all relaxed.” She squeezes my shoulders, seeing my worry. “I promise this wasn’t the case while you were gone. That boy over there almost lost his mind.” Rose smoothes my hair, nudging her head toward Silas.
I flinch at Hux’s name.
“It’s okay,” I reply. “I’m glad you are here.”
“Go change and come back to sit with us,” Maines calls from the table. “We want to know everything,”
I shake my head. “I really need to speak with Silas for a moment.”
Hux stands abruptly. “First, I need to speak with him regarding a few things in the coming days.”
I offer them a smile that doesn’t reach my eyes.
I glance at Silas, who nods reassuringly. “Go change, Briar. I will be in the room shortly. You will have my full attention then.”
He leans in and kisses my forehead before stepping off the bottom stairs to join Hux, Larkin, and Warrick on the balcony. They turn the corner and disappear from our view.
Panic washes over me at the distance between Silas and me. I have to tell him, no matter what that means for my own heart. I didn’t have time to warn him. He’s not safe with Hux, and I didn’t stop him from leaving. Disappointment sinks into my core, and I feel the color drain from my face.
I made a mistake.
“Are you alright? You look like you are going to be sick.” Maines gets up and rushes over to me.
“I… I need to go to my room.” I wobble, the pressure of everything being too much to handle.
“Come on, let’s go.” Maines grabs my hand to keep me steady as we walk down the hallway.
“Let me know if you need anything,” Rose calls from the main room, and the others watch cautiously.
