Page 140 of Coveted

To say I’m on edge is an understatement.

“Are you going to the party in the mountains?” asks Damon.

Tomorrow, I have to go to New York with Dad for a meeting. Who knows what time I’ll return?

“Doubt it.” I pause. “Why? Are you going?”

He shrugs. “I might.”

“To a Darkbloom party? I thought Royce had its own?”

“Sure. But I enjoy mixing with my lessers once in a while. Are you done with exams?”

“Yeah. You?”

“Yeah.” He pauses. “And Sadie?”

“What about her?”

“Are you done with her too?” Damon’s dark eyes are unreadable. “Because everyone’s saying you’ve been flying solo this past week.”

I grunt. “Pay attention to gossip, do you?”

“I was just curious.”

“Any man who goes near her will be castrated. You can spread that around if you like.” I slam my palm down on his shoulder. “Enjoy your movie.”

He shrugs me off. “Need me to show you Parker’s room?”

“I know the way.”

“Shout out if you need anything.”

I’ll never get used to seeing him and Adelle in this house instead of my cousins. It feels wrong, like I’ve slipped into an upside-down, alternate reality. And maybe I have, because in this reality, Sadie wants space while I only want closeness.

Climbing the creaky stairs, I’m alone once more with the dread swirling around me.

She’s unprotected. She’s walking around out there, all perfect and soft and sweet, with nobody to watch her every move.

Though she’s strong and has spark, she’s still vulnerable. The killer’s been lying low since the gala, but I don’t believe for a second that asshole is gone.

A potent combination of stress and longing has been eating away at me. This afternoon, I had to get out of my apartment. Wherever I look, I see her. Feel her. Smell her. It’s fucking torture.

I still compulsively check my phone for updates on her, though there’s nothing much to see anymore. When she wore the pendant, I could confirm the blessed thump of her heart whenever I liked, as proof she’s alive.

Sadie posts nothing on her social media. During exams, a handful of photos of her appear on gossip accounts, walking between the library and her dorm, but her downcast face reveals little.

My feelings for her are beyond anyone’s control. When I think about her or when I was with her, a radiance coming from my chest almost shatters my surroundings with sheer force.

How can I function without her now that I know what it means to be with her?

She was right about something. I did want her to see what those computer monitors contained. I wanted her to see me.

A tiny, ugly voice deep inside of me kept insisting she would reject who I really am. I wanted to test the theory. I needed to.

As it turns out, sometimes tiny, ugly voices are absolutely fucking correct.

Dragging myself into Parker’s bedroom, I look around, feeling like I’m intruding.