That blush crawled up her neck, so lovely and predictable that I wanted to brush my fingertips over it. My hands clenched at my sides.
There was a long pause as my words sunk in.
“And…what are you going to do?” she asked softly.
“I’m staying in Ember Hollow.”
Her spine straightened. “You’re staying?”
“I have a duty to this town.”
She glanced down at her hands. “Shouldn’t you be safe, too?”
Was she worried about me?The thought had my heart fluttering.
“I can take care of myself,” I said, trying to reassure her.
“Can you?” Her mouth thinned, her expression hard. “Because you seem to have a habit of taking the responsibility of the world on your shoulders and not letting anyone else watch out for you.”
I wasn’t sure how to process that. She shifted, uncrossing her legs and setting them on the floor. She stood up, and every nerve in my body pulled taut as she stepped closer. The smell of her shampoo wafted over me, reminding me of the feel of her wet hair in my hands, and the sounds she’d made…
I looked away, needing to clear my head.
“My brothers are coming back,” I said in a rush. “I won’t be alone.”
“They are?”
I nodded, aware of how close she was. “August thinks we should draw the Shadow Stalker out. Bait him. If he’s in town, maybe he won’t be able to resist showing himself if he sees my brothers return.”
She was quiet as that information sunk in.
“But…isn’t that dangerous? What if you—what if someone gets hurt?”
I didn’t have words of comfort for her. I had every confidence in August and the rest of my brothers, but Amos Anderson was a monster.
“I won’t let anyone get hurt,” I vowed.
She stepped closer without seeming to think about it, so close she had to tilt her head up to look me in the eye. “Again,” she said so softly it was almost a whisper, “if you’re always protecting everyone, who is watching out for you?”
“I trust my brothers.”
“I know you do.” She lifted one of her bandaged hands and pressed it over my heart. “But you need someone watching out for you, andonlyyou.”
A strange tingling buzzed over my skin, and I wasn’t sure whether it was from her touch or her words. As much as I liked that she was worried about me, she didn’t understand how badly I needed her to stay out of harm’s way. The thought of something happening to her—it was almost unbearable.
“What I need,” my voice was rough with the emotion I was failing to control, “is for you and Hailey to be safe. That’s what I need.”
I balled my hands into fists to hide the shaking. Somewhere in my brain, I was aware that this was an overreaction. Even if she did stay, she would likely be fine. But a bigger part of my mind was in utter panic.
Palmer must’ve sensed something was off because her brows pinched. She came even nearer, until the warmth of her seeped into me.
“What happened to you, Roman?” Her voice was soft, but threaded through it was a deep, aching empathy.
I stiffened, caught between wanting to pull away and melting into her. Her hand was still on my chest, and I grabbed her wrist and squeezed, not wanting to touch her wounded hand, but needing to hold onto something.
The truth was on my tongue, but I never talked about it. The thought of that night was seared into me like a brand that had never healed.
But Palmer was waiting, her expression filled with worry and something else—longing, maybe. As if she had been waiting for this truth.
