Page 134 of Trapped With You

“We need to get out of here.” I helped Shaun to his feet with an arm around his torso. He swayed. “And we need to get you to a hospital. Pronto.”

“Before I forget, Darla has your phones.” Shaun winced again, taking a step with my aid. “Everyone collected theirs on the way out. You’ll have to get them from her.”

“Great,” Ella said absentmindedly.

“I don’t get it,” Shaun grumbled. “You were like sisters, Ella. What happened between you two?”

Her jaw clenched. “We had a falling-out. Darla stopped talking to me. The end.”

“Darla wouldn’t do that,” Shaun defended. “There’s got to be more to the story. You should talk to her.”

I agreed with him. If there’s one thing I learned tonight, it was that most issues stemmed from miscommunication. And they could also be resolved by simply talking to the other person as well.

“I’ll think about it.” Ella’s tone made it clear that she was done speaking on this subject. “Shaun, if the crowns are still here, does that mean nobody won?”

“Nobody.” Shaun’s eyes narrowed on the crowns. “Though I’ll have you know, the crowns, along with the other prizes, were locked upstairs in the janitor’s closet by the foyer. Unless Sister Victoria or some other ghost magically summoned them to the crypt, I’m not sure how they got here.”

Huh. Weirder things had happened in the ancient motherhouse, but the thought of these crowns showing up here unceremoniously creeped me out in ways I couldn’t explain.

“I guess it’s fate.” Ella smiled at me. “This means we won,querido.”

I smiled back. “And you created history, sweetheart.”

Shaun’s gaze bounced between us. “Wait a minute. You’re both using pet names again and I’m not sensing any hostility. Are you back together?”

Neither of us confirmed or denied.

It hurt me a little because I wanted to say ‘we’re backtogether for good,’ but I didn’t know where we stood anymore. Ella never outright said she wanted to rekindle our relationship, despite everything that transpired in the nurse’s office. And I didn’t want to make any assumptions.

We took a lot of steps in the right direction tonight by speaking about the past and our feelings. But maybe she needed more time to think about our future before letting me know her final decision.

Whatever the case, I just hoped her answer wasyes.

Shaun and I watched Ella march over to Sister Victoria’s coffin.

She picked up her crown and set it down on her head, relishing the celebratory moment with an insightful inhale.

When she turned around to face us, she looked every bit my goddess of revenge and retribution. The bandaged hand, the faint traces of mascara tears, and the fatigued but determined expression that didn’t take away from her beauty.

Ella swiped the other crown and headed my way. Gently, she deposited it on my head with a flourish. “We did it, Cade. King and Queen of Initiation Night.”

The universe worked in mysterious ways. Three years ago, I wanted nothing more than to get paired up with Ella and win this competition. Now that I had the accomplishment, it paled in comparison to what I already won.

Freedom from my demons and the possibility of being with this girl again.

Ella

Ilit the way with my torch as Cade helped Shaun up the stairs of the crypt. Regret and shame gnawed at me whenever I glanced at the latter. He was in pain but doing a great job at hiding it with jokes and easy smiles. I couldn’t believe I actually whacked him with the bat. I was terrified when the confessional’s curtain ripped open that I stopped thinking and reacted first.

I knew Shaun forgave me, but I’d still send a fruit basket to his place as an apology. Maybe playing Cupid for him and Hera, one of my really good friends, would help make amends too. Shaun had liked her for years and sucked at making it abundantly clear.

My posture sagged the closer we got to the main foyer. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off, I slowly registered the dull throb in my ankle, the cut in my palm, and the prickling in my heart.

I couldn’t remember the last time I felt this exhausted.

I realized both guys were notably quiet too, staring out the windows lining the hallway. The storm was still going strong and tumultuous as ever.

“I’m guessing you and Darla didn’t have a chance to clean up?” I asked Shaun, considering how everyone basically escaped to avoid getting caught by the cops.