Page 189 of Bend

I grab the front of his leathers.

He grabs mine.

And suddenly we’re chest to chest, both of us breathing too hard, grief turning into something ugly because neither of us knows where the fuck else to put it.

“STOP!”

Echo’s scream cuts straight through us.

We both freeze.

She’s standing a few feet away, tears pouring down her face, Sayshen somewhere farther behind her like he followed but knew better than to come closer. Her whole body is shaking, one hand pressed against her mouth as she tries and fails to pull in a proper breath.

“Echo—”

“No.”

Her voice breaks.

Then she marches straight at us.

“Fucking stop.”

She wedges herself between us and shoves at my chest first, then Draygon’s, forcing us apart even though she’s half our size.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

Neither of us answers.

Her face crumples.

“He’s dead.”

The words come out as a sob, and fuck me, they hit harder than Draygon ever could.

“He is fucking dead, and you two are back here beating the shit out of each other like that’s going to change anything.”

“Echo, I—”

“No, Thorne.”

She shoves me again, weaker this time because she’s crying too hard.

“Wolfe wouldn’t want this.”

My jaw tightens.

“Don’t tell me what he’d—”

“He wouldn’t!”

She screams it so loudly I shut up.

“He loved you.” Her hand smacks against my chest. “And he loved you.” She turns and does the same to Draygon. “He loved us, and he would fucking hate this. So stop.”

Her next breath caves in.

“Please.”