Page 124 of Vows of Ruin

I’m surrounded. Held. Anchored. But nothing stops the truth from hitting me over and over like waves. Liam is gone. He left. He walked out into danger alone. He said goodbye, and the pieces of me he left behind, are shattering in my hands.

Torque keeps grounding me with his voice, slow, steady, pressing through the fog. Max is behind me, arms wrapped tight around my ribs, matching my breaths to his. Hugo leans against my leg, vibrating with worry.

Everything still feels wrong. Tilted. Hollow. My breaths come out jagged, but they’re happening. My hands shake, but they’re loosening. My vision is blurry, but the edges are starting to return.

I’m not okay. But I’m not drowning anymore. Then new footsteps, light and small, rush across the yard.

“Wrenley?’ Daisy’s voice. I barely lift my head before Wrecker is there, sweeping in fast, positioning himself between her and the sight of me crumpled in Max’s arms.

“Daisy, no,” Wrecker murmurs, soft but firm. “Come on, kiddo. Let’s go inside.”

“But she—”

“She’s okay,” he promises, guiding her away. “They’ve got her.”

Her voice breaks. “Wren—”

“Come on. Look at me. Not at her. Let’s go.”

The sound of them leaving claws at my chest. I suck in a breath, sharper than the last. My vision clears a bit. My fingers twitch. Max notices instantly.

“There you go,” he murmurs into my hair. “That’s it. You’re coming back.”

Torque exhales like he’s been holding his breath for minutes. “Good. That’s real good. Wren.”

Another breath. Then another. My lungs finally expand more fully, the ice around my ribs easing. I swallow hard and lift my head an inch.

“Max…” I whisper.

“Yeah, Sparrow. I’m right here.” His hand slides to my cheek, thumb tracing my skin.

“I—” The word breaks. I try again. “I’m…okay.”

“You will be,” he says. “Just keep breathing with me.”

I nod, swallowing hard, forcing the air into my lungs to match his until the sharp edge in my chest dulls. Until it doesn’t hurt as much. The world steadies. Not completely, but enough. Somewhere behind him, I hear Torque shift. A step, then another. He gives us space without a word, his feet soft on the ground before the sound fades.

I focus on Max. On the rhythm. In. Out. In. Out. It works, or it almost does.

“I just need a minute,” I murmur. “I’m fine. I just—need a second alone, if that’s okay.”

Max hesitates. I feel it in the way his hand stills against my face, the way his eyes search mine like he’s trying to decide if I’m lying to him or myself.

“I think I’ve got it,” I add quietly.

Something in me must convince him. Maybe he just knows I need to believe it. He nods once, taking a couple of steps back. Not far. Never far.

I draw in another breath. It doesn’t catch this time. Good. I nod again, and push myself to stand. For a second, it works. But suddenly the world sways. Not from panic. From something deeper. Heavier. Like a light going out inside my skull. Max feels it before I do.

“Sparrow?”

I blink once. The oak tree spins. The sky tilts. Torque’s voice sounds far away. “Max—her knees—”

Everything drops out beneath me. Darkness begins to crash without warning. No warning breath. No warning thought. Just gone. Every movement is going in slow motion, voices filter in like I’m underneath rushing water.

“Sparrow!” Max lunges forward, arms wrapping around me before I hit the ground. He gathers me against his chest, lifting me with a frantic strength that makes Hugo bark once in alarm.

Torque curses. “Fuck! Get her inside!”