Page 51

Flynn

T he mattress springs creaked as I shifted position for the hundredth time. My temporary room at Killigrew Street was as homely as I could make it—with my clothes creating an impromptu textile installation across every available surface—but it was safe to say I was absolutely sick of it.

I’d spent the day wandering between Felix’s lair and the kitchen like a lost puppy, desperate for any scrap of attention.

The others rushed past with tight smiles, too caught up in their work to stop to chat.

Even Freddy had better things to do than entertain me, despite my wandering the corridors with crackers.

This morning, Seb had kept his promise to be there when I awoke—his cool fingers threading through my hair, warm chestnut eyes fixed on mine.

But then, just a brush of lips against my forehead and he was gone, muttering an extremely vague suggestion about seeing me “later” before disappearing in a swirl of coat.

Later. Right.

My thumb hovered over the camera icon. I was already in my pyjamas, ready for bed. Maybe if I sent him a photo… Nothing provocative, just… something to remind him I existed?

God, this was now getting pathetic beyond belief.

He was out there protecting the world from supernatural evil—and trying to save my life—and I was here moping around pining for him because I hadn’t seen him in over twelve hours?

There was something seriously wrong with me .

I scrolled through social media instead, trying to distract myself. Images of some of my friends out on the water made me feel so homesick it hurt. When I saw Tom’s name, I quickly swiped past it.

Then a photo of Katie popped up—she was grinning at the camera, birthday cake in front of her, candles casting a warm glow across her face. Shit . Her birthday. I’d been so wrapped up in all the crazy drama I’d completely forgotten to message her.

The realisation hit like a punch to the gut. What was I doing? Sulking about the affections of a vampire I’d met only weeks ago, while my sister celebrated without me. For all I knew, I could die tomorrow.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I hit the call button. The phone rang once, twice.

“ Flynn ?!” The emotion in that one word.

“Happy birthday,” I said weakly.

“Fuck you.” It was more sarcasm than anger, but it still hurt. “Seriously? Are you going to pretend everything is normal?”

“I miss you,” I all but whispered, hot prickles building behind my eyes. “I miss everyone so much.”

Katie’s tone softened. “Hey. I miss you too. Is everything okay in London? You haven’t been squashed by a bus yet?”

I gripped the phone tighter, throat constricting. “I need to talk to you. In person. But I can’t come home to Ireland.”

She was silent for a moment. “Well, I can’t just leave Mum here all alone, can I?”

“Don’t say it like that.” The words burst out sharper than intended. “You sometimes go a whole week without seeing her!”

The unspoken accusation hung between us—unlike me, who’d tried to visit every other day before… everything. Another wave of homesickness crashed over me.

“I can’t just abandon my shop, Flynn. At least tell me what this is about.”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.

In the background, Connor’s laugh reverberated through the phone, followed by another voice.

My stomach turned at the sound. The last time I’d tried telling Katie about Connor’s behaviour—years ago now—she hadn’t believed me.

He’d slapped my ass in the kitchen, made some crude comment about my jeans.

When I told Katie, she’d laughed it off.

“Is Mum there? Are you all having a party?” Without me?

“Mum just left, actually. She brought my birthday cake round.”

“Was it her chocolate fudge one?” I traced patterns on the duvet with my finger.

“Flynn.” Her tone dropped to deadly serious, and my stomach clenched. “What is going on? Please, this is getting ridiculous. And look, don’t be mad, but Tom spoke to me. Only because he’s so worried he hurt you—”

“Stop.” I closed my eyes, falling back onto the bed. “Yes, that whole thing was awful, and I still need to properly fix it. But this is nothing to do with him.”

A soft knock at the door made me jump. The handle turned slowly, and Seb’s dark curls appeared around the frame. His eyes met mine, questioning. Shall I come back later?

“ No !” The word burst out before I could stop it.

“Flynn?” Katie’s voice crackled through the speaker. “What’s wrong?”

“We need to talk, ASAP. There are things I need to say, and I might not have that much time left to say them.”

Closing the door behind him, Seb gave me a look that said, “Are you sure that’s a sensible thing to say to a family member over the phone?”

And he was right.

Katie exploded.

“ What ?! Are you in serious trouble or something? Do you need money?”

Oops.

“No, no. Nothing like that. Sorry, forget what I just said. Everything’s fine, I promise. I’ll talk to you soon. Enjoy the rest of your birthday.” After all, there was no point ruining her party .

Katie made a noise of pure exasperation down the phone. “Just… be careful, okay?”

“I love you.” The words came out choked.

“I love you too, you absolute idiot.”

The line went dead. The room fell into silence, broken only by the very distant hum of London traffic outside.

Seb crossed the room in that graceful way of his, each movement deliberate and controlled.

His mouth opened, probably to ask if I was alright, but before he could get a word out, I launched myself at him.

My arms wrapped around his middle, face pressed into the soft material of his shirt and silky tie.

His fancy cologne—all dark spices and sexiness—washed over me.

“This is what happens when you lock me up all day.” My voice came out muffled against his chest.

“You can’t trick me into feeling guilty about keeping you safe.” His tone was stern, but his hands came up to rest against my back. “What happened with your phone call? Your sister? Is everything okay?”

“No,” I said honestly. “Not even remotely. She’s dead worried. I told her I need to talk to her in person, but I obviously can’t go back to Ireland right now, and she doesn’t understand why.”

Seb pulled back, gripping my shoulders. “Talk to her in person because… you miss her so much?”

“Well, yes, there’s the whole needing to say goodbye before I die thing”—he grimaced—“but I actually need to tell her the reason I left Braymore.” I stared at a worn spot on the rug. “I should have gone straight to her that night, rather than run away. I’ve made it all so much worse. But…”

Seb captured my face. “Will you explain to me what happened? I promise you’ll receive no judgement.”

I pulled away from his touch, needing space to get the words out. I crossed the room to retrieve the worn photo frame on my bedside table—Mum, Katie, and me at Giant’s Causeway, all windswept smiles .

“It was her husband, Connor.” The name tasted bitter on my tongue. “The night I left… I was on the beach. Crying about Tom. About everything, really.” I swallowed hard. “Connor found me there. He… He kissed me.”

Eyes widening, Seb fell very still.

“Katie and I were so close growing up. After Dad died, she basically helped raise me. But years ago, at a party, Connor… He touched me. Inappropriately. When I told Katie, she laughed it off. Said I was confused.” A hollow laugh escaped me.

“So this time, I couldn’t face her not believing me again.

Or worse—thinking I’d somehow encouraged him.

Or even that I was so heartbroken about Tom, I threw myself at him. ”

“Flynn—”

“She’s my sister. ” The words came out raw. “She deserves to know why I left. But how do I tell her that her husband…” I pressed the heels of my hands against my eyes. “That the reason I abandoned her, abandoned Mum, was because her husband cornered me on a beach when I was at my lowest?”

Silence fell heavily in the room as Seb’s lips pressed together in a firm line.

“Katie’s always been the strong one. After Dad died, she held us all together. Made everything beautiful again, like she does with her flowers. But this? This would destroy her. And I can’t—” I faltered. “I can’t be the one who does that to her.”

Seb’s eyes blazed with a new intensity. “Listen to me very carefully,” he said, low, dangerous. “That man is a predator. What he did was not your fault. And your sister deserves to know exactly what kind of monster she married.”

I blinked rapidly, trying to process the vehemence in his tone.

“I’d like to think she’s going to surprise you, when you get to talk to her.

” He gentled his voice. “Just… wait until we’ve dealt with the immediate threat to your life.

” In three long strides, Seb was in front of me again, his fingers brushing my cheek, feather-light.

“And then… if you wanted… Know that you wouldn’t have to do it alone. ”

The tenderness in that touch undid me completely. I leaned into his hand, letting out a shaky breath.

“ Flynn .” Just my name, but filled with such meaning. “You deserve far better than what life has dealt you so far. And I will do everything in my power to ensure you survive to have that conversation with your sister.”

My throat tightened. I couldn’t think about Katie anymore, not tonight. “How’s the investigation?” I asked.

Seb’s shoulders dropped as he let out a long sigh.

“We’ve been searching Brixton all day. Not a single trace of the vampires.

” His fingers traced patterns absently on my back.

“Kit and Rory are continuing the search through the night, but they forced me back here. They said I’d been at it too long. Apparently, it was affecting my mood.”

I pulled back just enough to look up at him. The shadows under his eyes seemed darker than usual.

“How long?”

“Fourteen hours, give or take.” His mouth twisted.