Page 33 of Buried in Blood

Reese sits on a couch in the living room. My attention shifts to Brooke.

She stands in the center of the room, posture stiff, lip trembling. She’s scared—but not nearly enough.

“Sit.”

She obeys without question.

I take my time crossing to her, letting the silence stretch, letting the weight of what she’s done settle into the floorboards.

“Why did you run?” I ask. Calm. Controlled.

Her throat bobs as she swallows.

“I just… I just wanted to explore.”

My jaw tightens. Wrong answer.

“Don’t lie to me.”

Her eyes widen.

“I’m not.”

“You disappeared. For over twenty-four hours. You broke the fucking rules. Now I’m giving you one chance to make it worth my time not to end you right now.”

She hesitates.

Then she leans forward. Her voice drops.

“I know something you don’t.”

“Oh, do you now?”

I raise a brow.

She reaches out, lets her fingertips trace a line up my arm—slow and deliberate. And for just a moment—just one stupid fucking heartbeat—I feel something. A buzz. A flicker. A memory of how it felt when Harmony used to touch me like that. But this isn’t her. This isn’t my queen. This is a whore pretending to act as such royalty.

“You’re not going to like it,” she whispers, “but you need to know.”

I stare at her, unmoving. She leans in close, like a snake about to strike.

“It’s Reese,” she breathes. “And Harmony.”

My blood goes cold. But my brain doesn’t flinch.

“They’re together,” she adds. “I saw them. In the pantry. It seemed like a secret meeting. You weren’t home.”

I watch her carefully. Too carefully.

“And earlier, in the tunnel… He was looking at her like he wanted her. I think they kissed.”

A muscle in my jaw twitches. But something isn’t sitting right. Brooke is too smooth. Too desperate. Her hands shake—but only after she speaks. She’s not telling me to help me. She’s telling me to save herself.

“You’re lying,” I murmur, more to myself than to her.

Her eyes widen. She shakes her head.

“I’m not. I swear. I saw them. You know I wouldn’t lie to you, Damien. Not about this.”