Page 61 of Burn With Me

“You need to tell me everything, Vi,” I said softly and slowly drew her into my body, holding her tight.

“Don’t make me say it.”

“You need to, for yourself and for us to have any kind of a future,” I said softly and rubbed her back as her arms slid around my waist.

“I should have died with them. They died thinking I hated them and wasn’t there to help.”

“Who, your parents?”

Vi nodded as the tidal wave of emotion burst through the final door, and her knees gave out. Scooping her up into my arms, I walked back to the bed and sat down, holding her to me as she cried. My heart seized in my chest. What I’d learned from Vi so far was that she didn’t let people in, and she guarded her heart with all she had. This gut-wrenching display meant so much to me that she trusted me enough to share her agony.

“Vi…you are a smart woman. Do you think your parents would have wished you’d died with them?”

“You don’t understand,” she choked out. “I snuck out of my house and went to some stupid party. We’d been fighting over my grades, my attitude, and the stupid pair of sneakers that my mom bought because I hated them. I told them I hated the stupid shoes, and I’d be better off if they were dead.”

She sucked in a shuddering breath, and I laid my lips on her forehead.

“I came home, and the entire place was engulfed in flames. I tried to get in, but the fire was so hot. I tried to throw stuff at the windows, but nothing worked. My dad said he loved me. How could he love me after what I’d said? I was horrible to them, I was a terrible daughter, and they died thinking I hated them.”

I leaned back so I could look her in the eyes.

“I’ve never shared that with anyone other than my best friend. I…I deserved to die with them, Asher. Please punish me. Please.”

She was beating herself up with guilt that she didn’t deserve to hold in her heart. Standing, I scooped her up and held her close as I walked to the bathroom.

“Where are you taking me,” she asked as I cuddled her to my chest.

“To clean you up,” I said, letting her feet drop to the shower floor.

I didn’t say anything else as I got the water to a warm temperature and put Vi under the spray. I cleaned every inch of her body and spent time messaging her shoulders and neck until her breathing returned to normal.

I quickly cleaned myself off, grabbed a massive fluffy towel to wrap her up, and guided her back out to the bedroom. She stood there silent while I changed the sheets. As soon as the bed was clean, I picked her up in my arms and cuddled her in my lap on the bed. I rocked her gently, trying to soothe her.

“You didn’t and don’t deserve to die, Vi, and your parents wouldn’t have wanted it either. We will never know if you could’ve saved them if you were home, but my gut tells me it wouldn’t have mattered. I think you know that too. As for what you said, I know you think they thought you hated them, but they were teens once. Do you think they never argued with their parents? You don’t think they regretted the shit they said and never meant?”

“I don’t know why, but you telling me that makes me feel a little better.”

“I wouldn’t say this to you, Vi, if I didn’t believe it to be true. You need to let the pain go. Even if you want to continue to investigate their death, you need to let the pain that has sunk its fangs into your soul go.”

She nodded, and I gave the top of her head a kiss as she began to fall asleep.

“Thank you,” Vi whispered.

“Rest now. I’ve got you,” I said as she finally drifted off.

This woman was changing my normal. She was making me want something I’d never wanted. More than that, the thought of her leaving and ever seeing another man sat like rocks in the pit of my stomach. I looked down at her peaceful sleeping form, her beautiful face, and knew there was no way I was letting that happen.

Violet Clarke was mine.

Derek

I loved it when the clouds were so thick that they hid the moon. More importantly, it hid me. With another hard jerk, the lock I’d managed to jimmy gave way, and the window smoothly lifted. I gently stuck my fingers through two slats and slowly spread them apart. Nothing moved. The sound of people down at the far end of the alley helped to muffle any noise, so I lifted the bottom of the metal blinds, slipping through before letting them ease back into place. I hated those things. No matter how hard you tried, they were never as quiet as you wanted them to be.

Just like the apartments across the way, the window led right into the kitchen. I spent a moment looking around to become well acquainted with my surroundings. A soft jingle had me freezing in place. A black cat wandered into the doorway. As soon as our eyes met, it hissed, and its back arched. Those yellow eyes practically glowed in the dark.

“Oh yeah? Right back at ya.” I hissed back at it, and the cat took off and disappeared into the apartment.

Pulling the little blue booties out of my pocket, I slipped them on before continuing my hunt. I knew the blonde woman who lived here hadn’t come home yet. I’d followed her and her friend into the mall. They went into a massive department store and disappeared, but I now knew what her vehicle looked like, and it wasn’t in the parking lot.