Page 144 of Nyx

I unlock the SUV as we approach, opening the door for her and offering my hand as she steps inside.

The tremble transfers through every inch of her body. I fill the space in the open door, wanting to promise her she's going to be okay, but even those words feel like lost, precious time when I can prove to her that she's safe rather than just making promises.

I back out, closing the door, nodding at Spade as he steps in to cover her door while I climb inside.

The SUV is blistering hot when I crank it, but I don't waste a second worrying about the heat.

With the vehicle in reverse, I leave the parking spot and fall into line with the other vehicles leaving.

"We're going back to the clubhouse," I tell her rather than ask if she's okay with it.

I don't know if the lack of argument means she agrees that's the best place to be or if she's too distracted to even pay attention to my words.

I know the line of black SUVs has to look like a funeral procession, and when I glance back at the park, waiting for my turn to turn onto the street, I can see that the mass exodus has drawn quite a bit of attention from others in the park.

Thankfully, they don't look concerned, just more curious.

The drive back to safety feels like a million miles, but the gates are open for us, the flow of vehicles seeming endless.

Several members are outside, checking vehicles when we get back.

We didn't have time to do this in the parking lot, but we knew they'd have to be searched once we arrived.

I wait while others pile out of the SUVs and go into the clubhouse.

Looking over at Juliet breaks my fucking heart and makes me want to get her in the hands of someone safe and go right back to the park and end her suffering for good.

"Hey," I tell her, shifting my body so I can face her better.

Her head is bent forward, tears flowing endlessly from her eyes.

"Hey," I say again, reaching out and resting my palm on her cheek.

Her eyes are red-rimmed and already beginning to swell, and this sight of her, of her pain and an inability to ease it, breaks me apart inside.

"You're safe," I assure her.

She dips her head as if she hears me, but I can tell by the terrified look in her eyes that she doesn't believe me.

Chapter 36

Juliet

I feel like time is jumping, and I'm missing parts of the day. It's as if my brain can't function at full capacity, and it has to skip every other second just to keep up.

We're at the clubhouse, but then I'm walking on the gravel. The front door of the clubhouse seems a million miles away, but then I'm walking through the entrance.

Certain people are nearby, but then they're gone, replaced by someone else.

It's like brain zaps, very similar to the way I felt when I had the flu a few years ago. Only this time, I'm not sick. I'm scared to death.

I've been fearful in the last twelve years, but it was nothing like how I feel right now. The terror racing through my body feels almost as bad as it was the day he stabbed me.

Nyx is beside me, my arms tangled with his as if he's the only thing holding me up, and I squeeze tighter when he tries to pull away.

I'm standing, but then I'm sitting in the same spot I sat for my interview.

"You're safe," he says, an echo of words he has said several times since I spotted Graham at the park.