“How can I not? You saved me.”
“You are pretty capable of saving yourself… if you had wanted to.” His eyebrow rose as he receded deeper into the shadows.
With the immediate fear and danger gone, the memory of what he did, the deep betrayal… I stepped back, anger bristling my neck. “Don’t accuse me of something when all I was trying to do was survive.”
“Survive?” He snorted. “You looked to be doing far more than that. And you were judging the workers at Kitty’s.”
“Fuck you,” I seethed, feeling the anger I put aside as we escaped bubble up. “You betrayed me! You were the reason I was even there.”
His head tipped back, peering down at me, his nose flaring.
“Why did you give me to him to only help me escape?”
His jaw rolled.
“Why?” I shoved at his chest.
“None of your business.” He grunted, waving behind me. “I got you back home, princess.”
“That’s not the point!” Hurt laced around my vocals, fury flushing hotter through my veins. “Tell me why you would do that. You made me think I could trust you.”
“Your first mistake,” he growled, getting into my face. “Trust only yourself.”
“You are a vil—”
“Who’s there?” A spotlight came down, cutting off my words, trying to lock on the source. “We will shoot if you don’t identify yourself.”
“Better tell them who you are.” Warwick’s feral eyes blazed from the dark. “Be really tragic to get all the way home and be shot by your own people.”
“Identify yourself,” a man bellowed.
“Tell them,” Warwick huffed.
I heard boots hitting the cobbled street, guns cocked, ready to fire.
“But I…” I didn’t know exactly what I was going to say, but a sudden panic fluttered in my belly.
“Have the life you wanted, princess. He’s waiting for you.” He stepped back into the shadows.
My mouth parted. As angry as I was, I felt like he was ripping out a part of my soul, which made no sense. He betrayed me. He was the reason I’d become Killian’s prisoner in the first place, but the thought of never seeing him again thumped my heart. The moment he stepped back into my life woke me up, stirring me to action.
“Why?” Noise around me cut out to a dull hum. “Why did you come back for me?”
His emotionless eyes met mine, his jaw rolling.
Our gazes locked, and the sensation of him curling around me tightened my throat. I wanted to ask him so much more, to understand, but nothing came out, words meaningless as the intensity of his stare filled me with emotions I could not explain or define.
“You are home. Safe. Go to him.” Warwick’s voice nipped at the back of my neck, whipping my head to see who was behind me, though I knew no one was.
“Wait.” My legs stepped toward him as if they had already decided which way they were going to go.
The spotlight locked on me, freezing me in place.
“Brexley?” Disbelief and shock rang behind me from the gate.
“I was never here,” Warwick muttered right when my name rang through the night again. The familiarity of my name in a voice I knew so well broke my focus from Warwick.
“Brexley!” The boy I had loved almost all my life dropped his gun, running for me, his beautiful face ignited with utter joy and disbelief.
“Caden!” A surge of love at seeing my best friend again punched through my chest, my feet limping to him. His body collided with mine, a sob tearing from his throat as his arms went around me, pulling me into his chest, engulfing me.
“Oh, gods, Brex.” His voice cracked with heavy emotion, his grip on me so tight, his hands rubbing and touching me everywhere as if he wanted to make sure I was real. I didn’t care that my bones and wounds throbbed in protest. I could take this pain forever if it meant I had made it back to him.
“I thought you were dead…” He cried into my ear, tucking me in even tighter. “I can’t believe you are here. You’re real. I dreamed so many times you came back to me.”
My throat was too heavy with emotion; all I could do was sob, letting the months of agony, the torture and defensive walls, drop away. My shoulders sagged, my face burying into Caden’s chest.
“You’re truly here… I can’t believe it.” He kissed my temple, his body and scent so comfortable and familiar. “I was sure I had lost you forever.” Caden hiccupped, his hands kneading and caressing me.
My head lifted.