Page 57 of Darkness of Mine

“Do the others know you’re back?”

“I dropped them a message.”

At that, Freya deflates and rests her cheek on my shoulder. “River and I aren’t talking.”

I trace circles with my thumb on her lower back, just beneath her sleep shirt. “Oz mentioned something.”

“He’s tried to talk to me, I guess. I just… haven’t been ready.” Her chest heaves a short, little gasp. “I miss him but I’m so fucking mad at what he did.”

The twist of pain in my heart mirrors the one in my shoulder. “It wasn’t just him. We all agreed to the plan.”

“Well then I’m mad at you too but you’re lying here with a gunshot wound so River’s just going to have to suck it up and take your share of the blame as well.”

I don’t take her words at face value. I made a choice, and it was the wrong one. I hurt her.

I lift my bad arm up, gritting through the pain because it’s the least I deserve, and brush her curls off of her face. “I’m sorry, Angel. We messed up. We didn’t think.”

Freya fiddles with the silver band around her wrist. “I don’t know what to do,” she whispers. “I feel so angry all the time and it’s not just because of what River did. It’s anything and everything. My first instinct is to pull a knife, and I’m terrified I’m going to snap.”

My heart expands and aches all at once. That’s the most Freya’s ever shared about how she’s feeling and the fact she trusted me with all of that has me feeling like her superhero again, but I hate seeing her struggling like this.

“Eli mentioned you started seeing a therapist. Have you talked to him since you’ve been back?”

Freya shakes her head.

“Do you think maybe he could help?”

She worries her bottom lip but nods. “I’ll message him.”

I press a kiss to the top of her head. The strawberry scent of her shampoo goes straight to my still hard cock swaddled inside of her. My constant need to fidget doesn’t seem to be here when I’m like this and I make a mental note to make sleeping with Freya’s pussy warming my cock a regular thing.

Unfortunately, right now, I need to let her go.

“Good. Until then, how about you get out of the house for the day?”

She shakes her head. “I can’t. We need to keep looking for Harley.”

“You’ve been looking for her nonstop for the last three days.”

“It’s not enough.”

I look down at her. “You think I didn’t feel bad stuck in hospital while you guys were chasing down leads?”

“Leads that went nowhere,” Freya huffs.

I tug one of her curls. “Hey. My point is rest is important. Oz is already at the office going through the CCTV footage from the shops near the post office. There’s nothing you can do right now. Leave the house. Get some headspace. Eli’s been wanting to go for a ride, and I’d feel better if you were with him.”

Freya pushes up to look at me. “Eli rides?”

I sigh. “It’s a long story. One I’ll let Eli tell you himself.”

It’s a little bit like torture letting Freya detach from me. The selfish part of me wants to keep her in my room all day but she could do with the break, and if River’s plan is going to work, she can’t be here today.

26

FREYA

Igrind to a halt when I enter the kitchen, still not used to seeing my sister here. She’s sitting on the couch, her legs crossed as she eats a bowl of cereal.