Chapter 20

Twenty

Alaska returned to my chest, hugging me close as she calmed her tears. I nestled my face into her hair, deeply inhaling her scent, my heart fluttering as we sat in that peaceful moment. All I wanted was to keep her safe and protect her. She was mine, and I would do anything to keep it that way.

"You're wrong, you know." Alaska muffled her words into my shirt. "I'm not his." She lifted her head, a soft smile now stretched along her reddened face. "I'm yours, Lazarus." The statement excited me as I leaned in and kissed her fiercely. "Damn straight, darling," I spoke into her mouth, the end of mine curling into a smirk.

Distant voices interrupted the passionate moment, causing Alaska to immediately pull away from me as Alastair, who had been laying at our feet, perked up. I could see her usual guilt return as she fidgeted with her hands, her eyes shying away.

"Hey," she glanced up at me, "this is our secret, and I'll keep it that way as long as you wish. But just know that when you're with me, I'm going to make sure you forget he even exists. You"re mine, and I intend to remind you of that in every way possible." She bit her lower lip, her fingertips faintly brightening. That's my girl.

Bright light hit our faces as the voices we heard came close enough to decipher, belonging to Ruby and Jinx. "Oh." Ruby raised a brow as Alaska stepped back, increasing the distance between us. "Hope we didn't interrupt anything. Everything okay over here?" she asked, crossing her arms with a raised brow.

"Peachy." I grinned as Alaska's cheeks burned.

Jinx made a face, bouncing on her toes as Ruby eyed the two of us. "Mhm."

Alastair huffed, catching everyone's attention when Cain silently stepped from behind a large statue nearby, a dirty, well-used shovel in his hand. Alaska's face dropped at the unexpected sight of him. My own smile faded, my jaw tightening as I watched him shuffle over to the rest of the group. I couldn't help but wonder if he'd seen us or heard what we said. It made me nervous, uneasy as I eyed him, his face beaming with a strange delight. His eyes met mine, those dead irises glistening, as if hearing my thoughts. Knowing he'd laid hands on Alaska, that he'd hurt her, made my blood boil. My fists tightened, pulsating with rage, fighting against every ounce of my being screamed for me to beat the shit out of him, but I remained silent, respecting Alaska's wishes. You lucky bastard.

Cain leaned against a tombstone, crossing his legs as he toyed with the shovel. "I don't know about you guys," he raised the shovel, examining the muddy dirt covered spade, "but I found something pretty interesting." We all stared at him, unsure how to respond.

"Unless it"s a ride back to the cabin, I don't think we care to see it, Cain," Ruby groaned.

He rested the shovel over his shoulder, grinning. "Trust me, you're going to want to see this."