Page 13

POLARIS

“ I didn't know what you might want to eat, so I got us a bit of everything,” Bryony explains, worry knitting her brows together as Minnie ushers me inside. I smile in appreciation, the enticing aroma filling Bryony’s room as I catch a glimpse of an assortment of pizzas, pastas, burgers, and fries precariously spread across her bed.

The scent alone is enough to cheer me up, but recognizing that my friends did this for me is even more meaningful. “Thanks, Bryony. You really didn't have to.”

Her eyebrows rise comically, nearly reaching her hairline as she places her hand on my arm.

“Are you joking? You were hurt; it’s the least I could do.

” Her smile falters slightly, but her spirit remains intact.

“It seems I’m not privy to the how or why, but I’m glad you’re alright,” she adds, and I catch a glimpse of Minnie out of the corner of my eye.

We agreed to keep much of the information to ourselves for now, especially regarding our initial whereabouts concerning The Crow.

The less I think about him at this moment, the better.

However, the thought of Bryony possibly being put in harm’s way because she knows more than she should is an even greater fear than confronting the man himself.

Thankfully, the awkward silence eases as we quietly shuffle over to the bed where the food is waiting. I settle at the foot of her bed, which is pushed against the far wall, then grab a slice of pepperoni pizza and take a bite while glancing around her room.

I can feel them tracking my every move while I observe the photos scattered across her walls. Some look hand-drawn, while others are images of Bryony with different people, perhaps family? It feels cozy in here, that’s for sure. The floral print sheets beneath me only add to that.

They let me demolish my first slice of pizza before one of them clears their throat, a question lingering in the air for a moment before Minnie speaks. “So, do you have a scar?”

I reach for a handful of fries, shaking my head as I stuff a few into my mouth. Then, I unzip Blaze’s jacket just enough to reveal where I believe the arrow had been, but not a single trace remains.

Both of their eyes widen in surprise, but it’s Bryony who inches closer, running her thumb over the exposed skin. “How is that possible? Even with witch magic and healing abilities, there should still be markings at this stage.”

I shrug, confused as her hand falls away and I zip up Blaze’s jacket, making a mental note to take it off soon. However, the thought is interrupted by Minnie’s giggles.

“It seems a bit… vampy to me.”

I narrow my eyes at her, popping the rest of my fries into my mouth, but she doesn’t waver as Bryony glances between us.

“Vampy?” she queries, confusion crinkling her nose as I roll my eyes at Minnie’s blatant attempt to change the subject to a topic I'd rather not discuss.

Sighing, I grab another slice of pizza before glancing at Bryony. “She’s talking about Blaze,” I say, taking a huge bite of my pizza and groaning at the deliciousness on my tongue as Bryony’s brows furrow even deeper in confusion.

“Blaze… wait… what? Someone catch me the hell up,” she insists, and Minnie snickers even more.

Another sigh escapes my lips. “That would require me to know where to begin,” I admit before taking another cheesy bite of my food.

“We've got all night,” Minnie insists, stretching out the word ‘all,’ eager to extract the details from me, and I roll my eyes.

“I know, but I'm trying to pretend that this isn’t my life right now,” I admit, looking around the room while taking another bite.

Bryony clears her throat, but I don’t meet her gaze. “Running from it isn't going to make it disappear, Polaris,” she says, and I exhale slowly.

“A girl can dream, though, right?”

I finally look up to see understanding, soft smiles on both of their faces, and we all thankfully let the conversation fade away as we delve into our food.

Time slips by as we demolish everything Bryony brought, and once I’m done, I shift on the bed, leaning back against the wall and letting my feet hang off the edge.

“I feel as though I was saved just to come here and die from overeating,” I groan, and they both chuckle at me as the pinging of a cell phone fills the room.

Minnie is the one to pull out her device. The ping is followed by another, and then another, until she is muffling a scream at her screen and tossing her cell phone onto the mattress beside her.

“Everything okay?” I ask, concern growing in my chest when she sighs.

“These boys need to learn to give you space,” she says, her eyes fixed on me, and I snicker.

“They are.”

It’s her turn to roll her eyes, flipping her cell phone over as it pings again. “Well, they need to give me space because of you too,” she insists, and I cringe, finally understanding what she means.

“Sorry about that. Is everything okay?”

She shakes her head vigorously as Bryony tidies up the remnants of our food before either of us can spring into action to help.

“Don't be sorry. Everyone is worried. If anything, I’m secretly shocked they actually let me leave with you,” she states. I can't hide the smile that creeps across my face.

“Honestly, I’m shocked they waited.”

“Shocked? I’m surprised they even left your room. But there really wasn’t a choice in the matter. Not unless you wanted them to burn the place down and face Whitmore too,” she says as Bryony takes a seat on the bed, leaving me reeling from her words.

I knew a lot must have happened while I was out of it; waking up to Blaze at my side was just as shocking to me as it was to them. The realization that they chose to keep the distress to a minimum leaves a strange sensation in my heart.

Bryony clears her throat, cocking her brow at me, and I sense the question lingering on the tip of her tongue before she even speaks. “So… Blaze…”

“No,” I groan, hiding my face in my hands, but all it does is bring the cuffs of the vampire’s jacket to my nose, and I take a deep inhale of his musky scent.

Dammit.

“I thought I was going to live in denial a little longer,” I say with a chuckle, and she smiles in amusement.

“No, we were just letting you eat,” Minnie adds, and I get the feeling they won’t drop the whole thing until I offer them something.

But what? I don’t know how to process any of it myself; expressing it to someone, or more someones, who aren’t remotely involved enough to understand the emotions swarming in my gut feels impossible.

Letting my mind drift, I reflect on every interaction I’ve had with the vampire in question, and I find myself drowning in my thoughts.

If I believed anyone else was so hot and cold, I was truly mistaken.

To the world, when I’m near, he’s openly an ass, without hesitation.

Behind closed doors, where even I’m not allowed to remember, he’s… softer, kinder, nicer?

It’s perplexing how parallel the two versions of him are. It raises questions to the point of truly wondering if it’s the same person at all. Yet, that fire in his eyes exists in only one place. You couldn’t replicate that kind of burn twice.

None of it makes sense. He calls me Amica Mea, but I don’t even know what it means.

He isolates me from my friends, my… wolves, under the pretense of insisting I heal, but the moment I resist, he gives in, offering a video call with Minnie.

He raises a fuss, creating as much distance between the wolves and me as he can, but the second another issue arises, he willingly leaves me in their care. Why?

Damn if I know.

The idea of him even agreeing to offer an explanation is laughable, not plausible.

“Polaris?” Bryony murmurs, tearing me from my thoughts, and I sigh.

“He’s… a lot.”

It’s all I can manage.

Explaining means starting from the beginning, and I still haven’t fully gone through the memories he restored to understand exactly where that is.

I want to be mad at him—and deep down I am—but then I think of B and what he’s doing for him because of me.

Even worse, there’s a part of me that worries about what forced him to leave.

I didn’t want him to stay.

I don’t want to be near him, but… there’s a sense of safety there I hadn’t realized before.

Fuck.

Shaking my head, I try to focus on my friends, only to find them grinning at me.

“What?”

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to be into anyone else as unhinged as my brother,” Minnie states, and Bryony snickers.

“It seems she has a type,” she adds, and I roll my eyes, but there’s a curl to my lips too.

“Thanks, girls,” I say with a sigh, and Minnie waves her hand.

“But for real, at least they all have good intentions and want to keep you safe.”

My brows gather in confusion. “Yeah, that part's weird,” I admit, and Bryony stares at me in confusion too.

“Which part?”

Minnie hums, tapping her chin knowingly. “She’s been a lone wolf for so long that she doesn’t know what it’s like to be part of something,” she states, leaving me gaping at her; she simply smiles at me smugly.

That’s… an accurate assessment.

“I see your little wolf reference there,” Bryony teases, nudging Minnie’s shoulder, and the pair of them giggle.

There’s definitely something going on between them. It feels easy and carefree, and I can’t help but envy it. Nothing I feel or experience resembles those emotions. It hasn’t since I arrived here. Everything is drenched in pain, anger, or comes with revelations I struggle to come to terms with.

Even now, as they accurately dissect my struggle with the adjustment required to accept that people care, they’re in a bubble of fun while I’m wrestling with the knowledge that this is my reality.

I can handle the fact that the world contains witches, wolves, and vampires, but understanding people actually care for me…

that’s far harder to swallow. It doesn't feel real, like I don't deserve it.

I can sense both of them staring at me, eager for more gossip, but it feels raw and far too real for it to be fun anymore.

Instead of offering them any further information, I fake a yawn, stretching my arms above my head, inhaling another strong whiff of Blaze’s scent from his jacket before I turn to them with heavy eyes.

“Maybe we can dig deeper into it soon, but right now I'm really tired,” I admit, shuffling off the edge of the bed.

“Of course,” Minnie insists as the pair of them follow me. “I just wanted to make sure you had space and weren’t overwhelmed by everyone,” she explains, and I smile. “Do you want someone to stay with you tonight? Or?—”

I shake my head, my smile growing appreciatively at her thought process. “I’m good. Thank you, honestly. Just make sure you get one of the guys to come over here and walk you back, okay?” I say, and she rolls her eyes.

“You say that like they're not waiting outside the building right now.”

I gape at her in disbelief, guilt swarming my gut, but I squash it down the best I can. The people pleasing part of me wants to head downstairs and explain myself, but if I can’t explain anything to my girls, there’s no chance of me explaining it to them.

Instead, I wave my goodbye and step out into the hallway, heading to the bathroom to complete my nightly routine and fix my hair before I clamber up the stairs to my room.

As I make my way upstairs, a sense of calmness finally washes over me.

I don't feel any pain. I'm not overwhelmed by anyone's proximity.

It's just me and my thoughts, which is strange, because that's usually what keeps me up at night, but right now, it offers me a sense of comfort.

Opening my bedroom door, I sigh with relief, letting it close behind me as I switch the light on. I frown when a shadow remains in the room, and my heart lurches.

Panic floods my veins as I follow the tip of the shadow to the owner when one single word fills the room.

“Midnight.”