Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty-One

FERN

My phone lit up, and when I saw Sutton’s name flash on the screen, I snatched it up. I rushed to the bathroom so as not to wake Relic and shut the door. “Sutton?”

The sound of her breathing echoed down the line. She was having another panic attack.

“Breathe, babe, slow and steady. You’re okay. He’s gone. He’s dead. You’re safe now.”

She didn’t reply, just whimpered, then hissed. I felt her fear, followed by her anger, and there was nothing I could do to make it go away. Her breathing finally slowed.

“T-thanks,” she whispered down the line. “Fuck … sorry.”

“I’m here for you, day or night. You don’t need to apologize to me, not ever.” I shook my head and sat on the edge of the bathtub. “If I hadn’t—”

“Don’t,” she said. “Don’t you dare blame yourself. You did nothing wrong, and neither did I. That twisted fucker did this. This is all on him.”

“Yeah,” I whispered back.

It’d been two weeks since I’d killed The Chemist and since Grady had been drained dry and killed by the demon who had turned out to be my father. Recovery for all of us was slow-going. Phoebe had finally started to heal—thank the gods. The welts on her body had been horrific. The healers who came to tend them didn’t know what to do. If it wasn’t for Agatheena and her potions and elixirs, both Phoebe and Sutton wouldn’t have survived. They’d both been left with scars though. Inside and out.

Thankfully, they had a coven to surround and care for them.

The sound of rustling came down the line, and I could tell Sutton had gotten out of bed. A bond had formed between us and had grown in such a short time. We weren’t just friends; we were family now, and I would be here for her whenever she needed me.

“Charming just showed up,” she said, obviously looking out the window.

The hounds had been taking turns watching the house, staying close, not because there was any real danger now, but to make sure everyone felt safe while they healed and regained their strength. Jagger seemed to volunteer a lot.

“Is that okay?”

She blew out a shaky breath. “Yeah. Now that he’s here, I’ll be able to sleep.”

“I’m glad. Has he spoken to you yet?”

“No, not since …” She swallowed audibly. “He just stands out there, scowling, then takes off early.” She blew out another breath, and this one was more even. “Why does he come here if it pisses him off so much?”

Jag had been scowling and stomping around the clubhouse as well.

“I think what pisses him off is what happened to you and Phoebe, not that he has to be there. Hounds really don’t like it when females are mistreated.”

“Right,” she said, sounding unconvinced, then yawned. “I think I’ll try and sleep now.”

“Night, Sutton.”

“Night, Fern.”

I disconnected and looked up when the bathroom door opened. Relic walked in, chest bare, his hair back in a messy braid. He looked so impossibly handsome that I was still struggling to believe this was my life, that he was mine.

“How’s she doing?”

Relic cared not only about me, but about the people I cared about as well. Though, I would say, he was still seriously wary of Agatheena.

“She had another panic attack.”

He nodded. “It’ll take time.”

“Yeah.” I knew that firsthand.

He watched me for a few seconds, then crossed his arms. “Lukan called me earlier to see how you were doing. I told him I’d only give him updates if you were cool with it.”

My father had given me space since that night, but sometimes, I sensed that he was close, and I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. He was a victim of The Chemist like I was, but it’d take time to shake the fear I had of him that was so deeply ingrained.

“It’s fine. You can tell Lukan I’m doing good, better than good.” I stood. “But I’m not ready to talk to him yet.”

Relic closed the space between us and pulled me into his arms. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, baby. Not one fucking thing. I’ll make it clear he doesn’t talk to you, doesn’t approach you, unless you give him the green light. Anyone wants to get near you, they’ll have to go through me.”

I smiled up at him. “I love you—you know that?”

He grinned. “Yeah, sweetness, I know it. At least the Fates knew what they were doing when they sent me into your store.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “Though, even if I hadn’t come in that day, it was only a matter of time before I found you. I only wish it’d been sooner.”

“Now, we have an eternity.”

He dipped his head, pressing his forehead to mine. “Yeah, we fucking do.”

Then, he hauled me off my feet and carried me back to bed.