Page 4 of After Midnight (Skye Druids #7)

Chapter Three

The moment Sabryn’s eyes locked with Kurt’s , it felt as if the very world had been snatched from under her feet. Her brain refused to acknowledge what she was seeing. At first, she’d believed she had imagined him. After all, she had done it countless times before. But he didn’t vanish this time.

Remaining in the same room with him was impossible, so she turned and walked out. Her legs felt wooden, and her feet weighed down while blood pounded in her ears, drowning out sound.

Kurt was here.

Inside the manor.

Talking to the boys.

How ? When ?

Why ?

Every question made her bristle, roiling rage growing in her chest and shooting through her body like lightning.

She ran up the stairs to her room, shutting and locking the door before rushing into the bathroom and closing and barring that door, too.

She leaned against it, fighting the dismay and shock.

The seething, smoldering indignation.

A scream bubbled up. She clenched her lips and frantically grabbed the hand towel, burying her face in it as a scream of denial burst free.

All the pain, heartache, misery, and despair crashed down on her with the intensity of a tsunami.

She crumpled to the floor, her legs no longer able to support her as the dam broke in a torrent of tears.

Her body was racked with sobs. Harrowing memories barreled back from their incarceration deep within her mind where she had cast them.

They slammed into her, one after the other, in quick succession, ricocheting around in her head on a loop.

There was no rejecting them, no disregarding them.

The memories were there to stay now, compelling her to face the endless silence that had met her when she needed Kurt the most. The boundless confusion regarding what she had done wrong that made him turn away from her without an explanation.

Those recollections forced her to recall each unendurable, gut-wrenching moment of emptiness after he’d left.

And all it had taken to drown in the abyss of misery once more was coming face-to-face with Kurt again.

When the tears eventually dried, she found herself curled in a fetal position on the floor.

She was raw and numb after the emotional hurricane, her nerves frayed.

The carefully constructed walls she had built around her heart were wobbly but still standing.

Now that the worst of the internal storm had passed, she could think rationally.

With that came two more questions: How had Kurt found her? And why was he at Carwood ?

It wasn’t a coincidence. She was positive of that.

He looked like he’d been through something terrible, given the dark bags under his eyes and his drawn face. A part of her wanted to uncover what it was. But the other part, the incensed part that couldn’t forget—or forgive—didn’t care.

She hugged the towel against her and brought her knees to her chest. She might have only glimpsed him for a heartbeat, but she had seen everything. He looked older, wearier. More cynical, perhaps. Like he had seen or done things that had irrevocably changed him.

Yet the bastard had the gall to be as handsome as ever. His sun-kissed brown locks were longer and disheveled, but it looked good on him. He sported an unkempt beard as if he hadn’t had time to shave. Unfortunately , it only enhanced his striking jawline and chin.

His nose had a bump that hadn’t been there before, confirming it had been broken at least once.

The asshole’s lips were just as full and sensual as ever—the kind of mouth no man had the right to possess.

His baby blue eyes were as startlingly pale and hypnotizing as they had been the first time she’d seen him.

Sabryn shut off thoughts of Kurt’s looks.

Not only did they have nothing to do with why he had come to the isle, but thinking about how good he still looked only caused her outrage to grow.

She sighed and pressed her hot cheek against the cool tile.

She couldn’t stay in the bathroom forever.

One of the boys would eventually come looking for her, and she didn’t want anyone to know that Kurt’s arrival had affected her so badly.

No one needed to know the depths of her pain.

Especially not Finn , Carlyle , and Elias .

She’d find out what Kurt wanted and then send him on his way.

All without giving in to the emotions that had crippled her in the privacy of the bathroom.

She had been caught unawares. It wouldn’t happen again.

She had lived through him leaving her. Had even grown stronger.

This momentary lapse was just that. A lapse.

She was made of sterner stuff and wouldn’t allow one man the power to bring her to her knees a second time.

With that, she picked herself up off the floor and purposefully kept her gaze away from the mirror. There was no need to see her swollen eyes or red nose. She washed her face and dabbed it dry, only then daring to look at herself. There were still traces of her meltdown, and that wouldn’t do.

Sabryn stripped out of her pajamas and took a shower.

The hot water soothed her tense muscles and erased any evidence of her tears.

Once she’d dried off, she walked into her bedroom and to the closet, where she had hung up the few items of clothing she owned.

She needed to wear something she felt great in because it would be her armor.

She chose her beloved, long-sleeved black shirt that showed off her curves while also hanging softly against her. Her hand hovered over black jeans, but she opted for stonewashed black instead because they were newer and fit amazing.

Sabryn returned to the bathroom and put some gel in her hair before running her fingers through the chin-length bob to let it dry naturally.

At one time, she’d had an intense makeup routine.

Now , it was just tinted moisturizer with the occasional mascara and lip gloss.

She returned to the bedroom and the small jewelry box with various earrings for her many piercings.

She spent time choosing specific ones to adorn her ears before slipping her feet into her Dr . Martens lace-up boots.

Only then did she inspect herself in the full-length mirror. Her face was no longer pale, nor was her nose red. She shook her head so the ends of her damp hair swayed, then turned from one side to the other to inspect her clothes.

“ I’m not the girl from DC ,” she told her image. “ I’m not the girl he knew. I’m stronger, smarter. I have a new family now. I’m a badass who doesn’t need a man. I don’t need him . He can never hurt me again.”

Sabryn took a deep breath and walked to the door. The moment she opened it, she found Bronwyn , her shoulder-length brunette hair gathered in a low ponytail. She held a cup of coffee as she leaned against the wall.

She held out the mug to Sabryn . “ Are you okay?”

The petite owner of the manor was also Elias’s lover, which made Bronwyn part of the Knights ’ family. “ Thanks ,” Sabryn said, taking the steaming cup and bringing it to her lips.

“ I saw you on the stairs earlier,” Bronwyn continued, her hazel eyes watching Sabryn closely.

She inwardly winced. “ Ah .”

“ I’ve never seen you wear such a look.”

“ I’m …” Sabryn was going to say fine , but it would be a lie. She looked into the dark liquid in the mug and shrugged. “ I’ll be okay.”

Bronwyn leaned back against the wall and bit the side of her lip. “ I’m here if you need anything.”

“ Thank you.”

“ Elias , Finn , and Carlyle have all been up here—separately, mind you—to see you.”

Sabryn sipped the coffee, hoping the caffeine would fortify her for what was to come. “ Did you send them away?”

“ I didn’t need to. They knocked once, and when you didn’t respond, they left.”

She eyed the pretty Scotswoman . “ It seems you’re going out of your way not to say anything. I take it Elias told you who’s here?”

Bronwyn’s chin dipped. “ He did.”

“ Did he, ah, say anything else?” Sabryn hated herself for asking, but she needed details. The problem was, she couldn’t actually find the words to say that.

Bronwyn shook her head. “ He said he needed to talk to you first.”

It must be serious if Elias didn’t tell Bronwyn . Anxiety churned in Sabryn’s stomach.

“ The house will remove him. All you have to do is ask,” Bronwyn stated.

Sabryn’s eyes prickled with tears. Bronwyn knew nothing of Kurt or their past, but she was showing her support, which meant the world to Sabryn . “ I love you.”

“ I love you, too,” Bronwyn replied with a soft smile. “ We have your back. I hope you know that.”

“ I do. But thanks for the reminder.”

Bronwyn adjusted her shirt as she pushed away from the wall. “ They’re waiting for you.”

“ No . They’re waiting for us . We need to get Song . This is family business.”

Bronwyn nodded. “ Then let’s go.”

They silently walked down the hall to the room Song and Carlyle shared.

Song answered the door bleary-eyed but took one look at the two of them and hastily put on some clothes as she gathered her long, luxurious black hair into a messy bun.

Then , the three of them walked down to the main floor.

Sabryn’s knees threatened to give out with each step.

Her apprehension became so great that her hands shook so badly she couldn’t drink her coffee without spilling it.

Bronwyn took it from her and set it on a table in the foyer, then turned to the left where the double doors to the library sat closed.

Whatever Sabryn learned on the other side would change things.