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Iscoff. “Men,Iswear.”

“Youcan’t tell me that’s exactly what you were doin’ withTy.”

Chewingon my lip,Ishake my head.HowamIsupposed to keep all of this from him? “What… what aboutKris?”

Dree’slips thin. “Marriageis a contract.Adeal.”

Myheart sinks lower thanIthought possible. “Andshe married the devil,”Iwhisper in horror.

Afamiliar feeling churns deep in my stomach, festering until a sour tempest forms.

I’vegivenKrissuch a hard time and hated her for so long over something that wasn’t even her fault.

Istare up at the darkened ceiling as the fan twirls above us.

Thiscan’t be real.

Itake a deep breath. “I’mgonna wake up in the morning and all of this is gonna be a bad dream.I’llwake up in my apartment inAtlanta.I’mgonna go by my favorite coffee shop across the street fromDirtyPeach, and thenI’llget to work on some tracks from this guy who thinks he’s a badass rapper, but he’s not that good.”Ichuckle softly. “Butthere’s this cool deathcore band coming in late afternoon thatI’mso stoked to work with, and we’re gonna hang out later and trade war stories.Probablyhit upWaffleHouselater withTy.”

Iinhale so deeply thatIfill every centimeter of my lungs with air that burns.

“Inever came back home.Inever saw you guys fight on stage, andIdidn’t let you get me back on stage to play in front of everyone.Ididn’t apologize,”Iwhisper, voice threatening to break. “Wedidn’t go out on a date.Zaknever killed me.”Iswallow hard. “AndInever made a deal with the devil soIcould live.”

Iclose my eyes.Mychest rises and falls, staggering asIfight to breathe evenly.Aftera long, silent moment, and whenIopen my eyes to see thatIam, in fact, in my old room back home inSanAntonio, everything hits me all at once.

Thisisn’t a bad dream.

It’smy real-life fucking nightmare.

Adrianlies beside me.Hisarm presses against mine, warm and soft. “Doyou wanna go back?” he asks quietly.

Atiny tear escapes the corner of my eye. “Iwant to be somewhere that won’t be the death of me,”Iwhisper.

Heturns his head on the pillow that we share, and his hand wraps around mine. “I’lldo everythingIcan to protect you, princesa.”

Gazinginto my personal abyss,Itell him, “Youcouldn’t protect me tonight.Youcouldn’t protect me whenKrisattacked me.”Iturn to face the ceiling. “It’sjust me against the world,Dree.”

Hesqueezes my hand and murmurs, “You’renot alone.We’rein this together.”

Huffingsoftly,Irespond, “Justdon’t let your siblings murder me.Again.”

Hebrings the back of my hand to his lips. “Nota chance in hell, princesa.”

Iturn on the bed to face him.Myfingertips trace his nose, his lips, his jawline as he rests a hand on my hip.

Slowly, our mouths meet so tenderly that it reignites the spark in my core.

“You’regonna be so annoyed with me for watching you like a hawk to make sure nobody hurts you ever again,” he whispers over my lips.

Ichuckle. “Ibelieve it.”

Ourmouths remain locked.Iscoot closer to him, relishing the heat emanating between us when the world was so cold hours ago.

Hours.

WheredidIgo?

Myfingers curl at the nape of his neck asIroll on top of him.Histongue sweeps over mine and hands cup my cheeks until my mouth ventures lower.Myhips grind into his, attempting to tease him into hardness asIpepper soft kisses up and down his throat.