His words, cold yet laced with compassion for Everlee, stun me. The room falls into a heavy, uncomfortable quiet, the crackle of the fire seemingly distant and insignificant. Both Draven and Grey fix their eyes on me, and it’s clear that Grey has already given him his answer. I swallow liquid fire scorching my throat, the sour taste of fear clinging to my tongue.
“I personally know this psychiatrist,” Draven adds, voice slightly softening, even if the hardened gaze is left in his eyes. “I know you have been through a lot and don’t easily trust, but this is the only requirement. I can get you booked to this psychiatrist in a few weeks’ time. In the meanwhile, stay away from Everlee.”
Draven’s words linger in the air like ice crystals that form during winter, ready to bring destruction over everything. I understand him—I wouldn’t want two unstable people in my home either if I were him. The thick atmosphere stretches on forever, my heart a violent beat inside my chest as I finally nod. All the horrible memories from my past push to the forefront of my mind, knowing what deep memories will be uncovered, poised to cut deeper with every session.
Draven gives me a curt nod. “There’s nothing to worry about,” he simply says, but I feel the weight of his words settling over me.
He might not think so, but my past sits heavily on my shoulders, and I’m not ready for the eruption that will come with dredging it up—or who will haunt my mind even worse. But I have to do it. For Everlee, for Grey, but mostly for myself. I owe it to the little girl I once was—the girl who lost everything.
Chapter 27
Naya
Allowing myself to settleinto an unknown man’s car is something I never thought I would do, yet here I am. The seatbelt feels as if it’s going to suffocate me to death, cutting through skin and bone with its material keeping me in place. My hands tremble as I click to undo the belt, eyes hesitantly taking in the looming building before me.
It’s like any other building that exists in the same street, yet I know what this one entails, and it’s only a matter of time before it will come crumbling down, drowning me under its wreckage.
I’m an emotional mess, licking my lips to stem the dryness, wondering why I let Draven take me here, without Everlee or Grey to keep me company. It took us around forty minutes to drive here.
“Just you,” he’d grumpily said as he grabbed the car keys, demanding I follow him into the car.
I regret it now; the feeling settling deep within and climbing like roots on a decayed façade.
Draven steps out of the vehicle, his winter jacket wrapped tight around his body to protect from this dreaded cold. Winter has befallen the country, with snowflakes drifting outside. Fall is already long gone. My eyes are locked on the building with its brown walls, beautifully shaped windows that arch gracefully at the top, their frames a polished mahogany. The architecture is almost elegant, meant to invite you in and create comfort, but it’s the opposite for me—like a prison and an illusion.
Nails pressing hard into my palms, I fight the urge to wince as I feel a trickle of blood. Draven’s foot taps against the ground inquick, uneven beats, sighing as he waits for me. When he’s had enough, he opens the car door, and the cold breeze washes over me, making me shiver.
“Come on,” he says, voice an unpleasant tone that only makes me more reluctant to step out of the safety of the car.
I never thought I would prefer the cramped space of a car over the outside world.
“We don’t have all day. Doc’s waiting.”
He moves aside, allowing me space to get out. I grab onto the warm dress I borrowed from Everlee, fisting it tightly in my hands. It’s a cozy, knitted black dress that reaches mid-thigh, where I have tights to protect against the unbearable weather. The fabric is wrinkled in my grip, as if it could shield me from whatever horror I’m about to face in there.
Draven mutters something inaudible under his breath before locking the car, walking ahead of me to the building’s door.
Nervosity eats me up alive, ripping through my insides one organ at a time in a torturous, slow-motion unraveling. My legs tremble beneath me, no longer able to support my weight, unsteady as I take a step forward. Draven’s demeanor is unbothered as he buzzes the doorbell, while I struggle to hold myself together.
At this point, my mind is almost convinced that a monster will come forth from the building, ready to drag me to the depths of hell—where the demons in my head tell me I belong.
The door opens with an ominous creak, matching the pounding of my heart as it beats inside my ears with an almost painful rhythm. In the doorway stands a man, his lips curved into a kind smile, a white robe draped over his tall frame. His blue eyes shine in the winter light as he greets Draven, then turns to me.
“Hello. You must be Naya. I’m Dr. Miller,” he says, and there’s something gentle in the way he speaks.
But in my ears, it sounds anything but friendly. All I see is the dark, foreboding aura surrounding him—the same one that clings to all doctors, nurses, and psychiatrists, who are all out to harm you. Never to heal.
My palms grow sweaty, and I wipe them off on the knitted dress, but it feels too tight, constricting around me with a threat to never let go, and fear begins to overtake every rational thought.
It’s too much, too soon. I can’t be exposed to this.
“Come on inside,” he gently coos, as though talking to a wild animal that might bolt at any moment.
Draven steps in first, patiently waiting for me to enter, but with the way he casts me an annoyed look, I know he’s anything but patient.
My step forward feels like an earthquake shattering the ground beneath my feet, and then over the threshold, inside the massive building—trapped with two unknown men. My pulse is a frantic beat, ready to flutter away like a panicked bird in a cage.
“It’s so nice to meet you. Right this way,” Dr. Miller says, leading us down a hallway, a narrow corridor branching off to the side.
