Page 60 of Beautiful Scars

Dimly, I hear the girl say something like, “Is she okay?” but it’s all just background noise compared to the buzz flooding my ears.

Cillian grabs me in a fierce hug, so tight that what little air I had in my lungs whooshes out. It should be suffocating, terrifying, mortifying…

It’s not. It’s comforting. When I’m wrapped in his strong arms, nothing can hurt me. Just for a moment, I’m untouchable too.

My toes curl into the carpet. The walls retreat. Cillian releases me.

Cole flicks his bag of good feels onto the table and stands, stretching like a lazy cat.

“Strange,” Cole says half to himself as he stalks around the table toward us. “And here I thought you look like a girl who knows all about having a good time.”

I try and step back, but Cillian’s there. So I cringe into him as Cole closes the distance, mentally begging Cillian to wrap his arms around me again and protect me.

But this time he doesn’t.

He lets his twin brother walk right up to me. Cruel fingers pinch my chin and yank my head up, bringing tears to my eyes.

“Guess I was wrong,” Cole says, wrinkling his handsome face in disgust. “You’re just like your cunt mother after all.”