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A door closes, and Caden takes me into the bathroom. The light hurts my eyes, and I squeeze them shut. He doesn’t pause but continues walking. Icy water falls over me and soaks me in seconds. It’s so cold I gasp. Caden chuckles as I cling to him. The cold makes me burst back to life.

Solidifying my grasp on my body.

“Caden!” I clutch onto his t-shirt and tug.

He turns the water to warm, and I sag over his shoulder as the water courses over my body, chasing away the chill. Caden slides me down his front and holds me under the water for a second before drawing me out from under the stream to rest on his chest.

I glance down at the soaked scrubs that cling to me. He’s wearing a t-shirt and sleep pants, also soaked.

We’re thoroughly wet, but he doesn’t move to undress me or even wash me. Just holds me with the shower rushing down on us. It reminds me of something, of being cold and wet, but I can’t grab onto the memory before it vanishes.

He holds me tenderly like I’m precious and might break.

“You awake, kitten?” Eli stands in the doorway of the shower with a towel draped over his arm.

I nod, not lifting my head from Caden’s chest.

Eli smirks and leans against the doorway. “Not exactly how we hoped the night would end.”

My brow furrows as I try to remember last night. “I don’t remember.”

“What do you remember, little nympho?” Caden slides his hands over my hips beneath the scrubs, sliding them down my legs until they land on the shower floor with a wet plop.

I release a breath. “Pictures, dinner, dancing.” I pause, trying to remember more.

Caden helps me straighten and pulls my top off, leaving me in only my panties.

“Do you remember the Homecoming court? Being on stage?” Eli asks. His dark eyes watch me carefully. What is he searching for? Did I say something wrong?

I try to push through the fog of my mind and sort out the sudden stream of pictures. Like snapshots that don’t quite go together. Darkness, wetness. Emotions crowd in. Fear. Sadness. Anger. Panic.

“It’s okay, princess. You don’t have to remember.” Luke leans against the vanity, watching me through the glass.

My head aches a little, and my eyes grow heavy.

“She’s falling asleep again.” Eli’s voice sounds far away.

The water turns cold. I let out a little shriek and try to get out of the way, but Caden’s body holds me there. Goosebumps rise on my flesh.

Caden turns my chin up. “No more sleeping, little nympho.”

I pout, but he flips the temperature back to warm. He rubs his hands up and down my arms, and my shaking subsides.

“What happened?” I ask. I’m not sure I want to know. My memories should come back, right? Maybe I’m just repressing them because it was too bad. I swallow. Maybe I don’t want to know.

Luke clears his throat, and I give him my attention. “Zach and his people are in jail. Tanner is in the hospital but under arrest. Everyone else is safe at home. Will is fine in case you remember that part before we can tell you the whole story.”

I cock my head to the side, trying to remember what happened with Will. Penny and Will were dancing at Homecoming. That I remember.

There’s this wound-up anxiety creeping inside me. Why can’t I remember anything? What if...

“Did they—” I stop myself. My gaze collides with Eli’s. His dark eyes soften.

“Come here, kitten.” He holds open the towel.

They haven’t said anything. I ache all over, but would I be able to tell... if the others... I know I need to know, but suddenly I don’t want to. Slipping back into the darkness would be preferable.

Caden presses a kiss to the top of my head before guiding me to Eli’s arms. Eli wraps the towel around me and holds me close to him.