Page 139 of Scavenger's Oath

The silence is peaceful, even with the distant moan of wind pressing against the building like a monster trying to find entry.

I drop a tea bag into a mug and pour the boiling water over it. Steam curls against my face, stinging my nose before softening into warmth. The dried leaves smell floral. Chamomile, maybe?

I wrap my hands around the hot mug and breathe in the faint scent. Reminding me of the peaceful mornings spent on my old balcony.

It’s been years since I let myself remember those days. They felt like a lifetime ago, too painful to touch.

Especially when my survival hinged on sadistic men who wanted me to believe they were purifying me whilst beating me like a dog. Safety became foreign, and all I had left were memories.

A quiet shift of movement comes from the doorway behind me. I jolt so hard the tea sloshes against the rim of my mug.

Spinning on my heels, I findZane shirtless, arms casually slung over the doorframe like he’s been watching a while.

His huge frame fills the entire doorway, his scars lending to his intimidating size, his face lit with a crooked grin. “Well, good morning, Sleeping Beauty.”

Heat floods in my cheeks. “Morning.”

He raises an eyebrow, eyes trailing down to the oversized shirt I’m wearing. “Or maybe Belle… since you’ve been taming beasts all night.”

“Oh god,” I groan, hiding behind the rim of my mug.Since when was he an expert on Disney princesses?

Zane laughs—a warm sound that slides under my skin in the gentlest way. “Don’t be shy,” he grins cheekily, not even pretending to be sincere. “You were magnificent.”

I cover my eyes with my hand. “Please stop talking.”

“No way. You’re the best entertainment I’ve had in months,” he chuckles, reaching past me for another mug.

He pours some foul, stale coffee, then gestures toward the front door. “Come outside with me?”

The words stop me for a second. No one’s said that to me in over a month. But thinking about the last time I was out there—the panic, the exhaustion, running until I collapsed—unease swirls in my stomach.

But this is Zane. If I sayno, he won’t push.

Inhaling, I nod. “Okay.”

He leads the way to the front door and opens it for me. The air hits me like a kiss. Fresh, warm and alive.

As I step down the same stairs I was dragged up weeks ago, the sun breaks across my face and something inside me just… opens. Goosebumps skitter over my skin the moment the light touches me.

For two months I’ve been hiding from Bennett, from hismen, waiting for rope around my wrists and chains on my throat.

But standing here in the sun, Zane’s hand brushing mine, I realise… I’m not afraid. Not anymore.

Something bubbles up that feels like who I used to be.

Me. Ivy.

Standing there with my eyes closed, I let the warmth of the sun wash over my face. My bare feet find the cracked concrete sidewalk, warmed from the sun. The wind lifts my hair gently, brushing it back from my skin like even the world itself missed me.

“I forgot what this felt like,” I whisper.

Zane watches me in silence before murmuring, “Yeah… it hits different after weeks inside,” he kicks the steps, adding, “sorry… about that.”

Glancing at him, I smile, still glowing from the warmth and something deeper. “Don’t apologize. It ended up working out pretty well… for all of us,” I wink, seeing a glint in his green eyes.

Laughing under his breath, a grin spreads across his face as he shakes his head and takes my hand in his. “Come, I wanna show you something,”

He guides me around the edge of the steps, to a narrow strip of dirt that clearly used to be a flowerbed. Except now, it looks like it’s just been tilled, the soil turned over, cleared of debris. It’s a little dry, but it’s… nice.