"I’ve got you," he murmurs, voice shaking with barely restrained rage and there’s something else there that I can’t quite place. "I’m here. It’s me, baby. I’ve got you."
He presses his mouth to my temple. Then my forehead. My cheek.
"Shhh, bambi. You’re okay. I won’t let anything happen to you. Not ever. You hear me? You’re safe now. I’ve got you. I’ve always got you."
His chest is solid against mine, his heartbeat pounding against my ear, like he’s ready to take on whoever did this with nothing but his bare hands.
He carries me out of the girls’ locker room, shielding my face with his large palm. "Don’t look. Just breathe, baby. I’m taking you out of here. I’m not letting you go."
The sound of sirens in the distance barely registers. All I hear is his voice.
All I feel is Callum.
CALLUM
I’ve never felt fury like this.
Not when my old man used to beat the shit out of me. Not when I had to stab him to save my own life. I was ten years old, and I still have the scars from that bastard. But this? Finding my girl drenched in someone else’s blood, her hands shaking, her lips quivering, eyes wide and terrified?
This rage is something else. It's in my teeth. My throat. My fucking bones.
Lilac’s scream. The blood. The panic. I’ll never get that out of my mind.
Whoever did this wants us scared. Wants her scared. This was a message. I’m just not sure what the message is, though. It doesn’t matter, because I already know that this sick, brutal warning is just the beginning. I don’t give a fuck who I have to bury along the way, but I’m going to find out every single fucker that is behind this.
My girl is curled against me like I’m the only person who has ever made her feel safe.
Lilac never leans on anyone. Never asks for help. She’s the girl who never flinches, never cries, never lets anyone close enough to see her break.
Except with me now.
With me, she clings.
I get her upstairs and into my bedroom. I breeze right past everyone in the house because I need to get her cleaned up. I know Tristan and Hayden are wondering what I saw, but I’ll have to fill them in later.
I try to lay Lilac down on my bed, fully prepared to just let her rest while I get the shower running for her. I don’t get that far because she tightens her grip on my neck, whispering, "Please don’t go."
My throat burns. I tuck her closer.
"I’ll stay with you forever," I murmur against her temple.
I carry her straight into the bathroom, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other under her knees. I set her on the counter while I turn on the shower, steam rising fast as the water heats.
She’s starting to come down from the panic attack she had, but she’s still shaken. I’m glad to see her breaths are steadier now. Her eyes roam the bathroom like she’s just realizing where she is.
"You’ve never been in here before," I say softly, brushing her hair back.
She shakes her head in the negative, agreeing with me.
I cup her cheek, rubbing my thumb down the side of her neck. "You’re okay, baby. I’ve got the shower running for you, and I’m staying with you all night. I’m not going anywhere."
Her eyes lift to mine. "Who do you think is doing all of this?"
I exhale slowly. "I don’t know yet. But I’m going to find out. And when I do, I’ll end them. No one will ever touch you. Do you hear me? I will never let anyone hurt you."
She leans forward and wraps her arms around my neck, pressing her face there like she belongs to me. Her voice ismuffled when she says, "Thank you. I can’t thank you enough for everything you’re doing for me."
I rub her back gently, kissing the side of her head. "I’d do anything for you, bambi. Anything."
