Page 35 of Hunt Me (The Skulls #1)

‘ Of course it is my fucking business, ’ Ruaridh roars. His body tense as he steps towards Isla, leaving me behind.

Nausea assaults me as his words sink in.

Why else would they both be so pissed off right now.

It ’ s Ru, Ruaridh is Isla ’ s baby daddy.

How could I be so stupid to think this could be something real, something special?

I did not want to give in to the idea that I was just another woman to Ruaridh, someone he could use until the next one came along.

‘ I ’ m so stupid, ’ I whisper to myself. Tears fill my eyes so quickly that I feel them run down my cheeks. ‘ I ’ m sorry, Isla. I didn ’ t know it was him, ’ I admit around the lump in my throat.

‘ What? ’ Isla asks, but I don ’ t give her a second glance. I bolt from the room, not strong enough to face either of them.

Ruaridh shouts my name just as I hear Isla berate him. ‘ Great, look what you ’ ve done. ’

Sobs wrack my chest as I run down the hallway.

Voices come from behind me, more than just Ruaridh and Isla. Commotion is coming from the main room, where the girls are, but I just can ’ t go there. I can ’ t put on a brave face and deal with whatever is happening with them right now.

I don ’ t bother to make my steps light as I sprint up the staircase. My toe catches, and I stumble, catching myself with my arms outstretched.

I keep scrambling up, not stopping. Tears drench my face and my nose starts to run, my palm wet against the railing as I haul myself upwards to the top floor.

I burst through the rooftop exit into the night sky.

Unable to scream in case someone nearby hears me, I bite down on my lip, not letting my scream leave my throat. A metallic tang coats my taste buds as I sink my teeth deeper, focusing on the pain rather than the messed up situation I have gotten myself into.

The full moon stands proud above me, shining her courage down upon me like many times before.

‘ I don ’ t know what to do, ’ I confess.

She doesn ’ t answer; of course she doesn ’ t.

We are alone in this world now, with no one to guide us but ourselves.

The earth turned on us with the virus, teaching us a lesson that needed to be learned.

She left us to live with the apocalypse and all the spirits of the dead that haunt me.

They walk amongst us, some cheering us on and others getting in our way.

The door clicks open behind me, but I don ’ t turn around.

‘ Fauna, it ’ s me. ’ Isla says cautiously, her clothes rustling in the light breeze as she approaches.

She follows my gaze up, looking at the full moon with me. We stand in silence watching the nights sky.

‘ Are you okay? ’ She finally asks her gaze now fully focused on me.

I breathe deeply, but the lump in my throat is still strong.

‘ I would never have —‘ I can ’ t say it. I can ’ t let it become a sentence.

‘ Never have what? ’ Her brows furrow as I look her way, and she cocks her head.

‘ Yeh, I was shocked, I ’ ll admit. It ’ s not exactly the family reunion I was expecting, and maybe I could have been a bit better about it, but Ru has always wound me up.

And of course, the first time I see the prick, he ’ s just got to be fucking my best friend. ’

What family reunion? What the hell is she talking about?

Isla must see that the penny drops the second it does.

‘ He ’ s not the father? ’ I ask.

Disgust twists her features. ‘ Eww, what the fuck. ’ She shakes her head, then body as if expelling a bad thought. ‘ Ru is my brother! As in the one I haven ’ t seen since the fire. ’

Oh.

My bad.

I laugh, laugh hysterically as relief washes my anxiety away. Isla looks at me like I ’ m having some sort of nervous breakdown. With how puffy my entire face feels mixed with the wetness from all my tears and snot, it ’ s probably a fair assumption that I ’ m not doing all that well.

‘ He ’ s your brother, ’ I clarify sucking in a heavy breath.

‘ Yes, ’ she answers, drawing it out. ‘ That ’ s what that was? You seriously thought he was, ’ she frantically motions to her stomach. ‘ Ew fuck no. Just Ergh. ’

Isla shudders, disgusted by the thought, but I can ’ t do anything but smile. Smile so fucking brightly because thank fucking fuck that was not a thing.

I sigh, smiling up at the moon. Maybe she hasn ’ t abandoned me completely.

‘ So how the hell did that happen? You and him? And not to mention a big fat I told you so. ’ Isla alters her voice, a pitch higher to try and mimic our earlier conversation.

‘ No, nothing ’ s wrong. I just found a nice warm shower.

Oh, actually, silly me, I forgot to mention that I found a Skull, who happens to be your brother. ’

I wince. The emphasis on the brother now sinking in.

‘ I didn ’ t know he was your brother—’

She waves me off. ‘ Don ’ t worry. Yeh, I would have preferred not to have seen you two…’ Isla shudders again, and I wince, ‘ you know. But don ’ t worry about that. ’

‘ I owe you one. ’

‘ We always owe each other, ’ she snorts, approaching the entrance. ‘ Let ’ s go. I practically had to restrain him. He ’ s put on some weight since I last saw him. Used to be a skinny bam but the big idiot was going ballistic when I left him to come up. The poor guys whipped alr—’

A thump cuts Isla off, and I whip around, finding a dark figure running towards me. I see it too late. They are too quick. All I catch is an object glinting in the moonlight and heading directly towards my line of sight.