Page 153 of Desecrated Saints


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He grips my chin, exposing my lips to his. “I don’t mind washing up. I’ll take the forfeit. It’s worth it, so I can do this.”

Mouth slanting against mine, I melt into the kiss. Kade doesn’t fight to consume me like the others; his battle for my soul has long since ended. I belong to him in every single fucking way a person can be owned. Breaking the kiss, his hazel eyes bore into mine.

“Come back to us, love. I have far too many plans for you to let this sickness win.”

I stroke his cheek with my thumb. “I promise, I’ll come back to you. I lost my entire family to the darkness buried inside of us. You have too, in your own way. That ends right now.”

“I don’t care how long it takes, Brooke. Let me worry about tracking my piece-of-shit father down. By the time you come back, I’ll have his head mounted on a spike.”

“Be careful, Kade. He’s dangerous.”

“So am I. Enough about him. This is our last night together.”

Our foreheads meet as our souls collide. I rest my hand over his thudding heartbeat, and Kade does the same. The organ in his chest is thumping steadily, with the certainty he’s always exuded.

Kade can’t be my safe place anymore.

I have to find that within myself now.

“Take care of them,” I murmur. “Keep my family safe.”

“Until my dying breath. We’ll be here waiting when you’re ready.”

Our fingers entwined, we slip and slide down the sandbank. The other morons are already naked and in the sea, whining about cold water. I let Kade run in first, sticking to the shallow water to avoid getting his plaster-cast arm wet. He barely dodges Hudson’s attempt to dunk his head underwater.

On the shoreline, I look up at the night’s sky. The sun has given way to clear stars and sparkling constellations, unburdened by pollution or clouds. My heart thuds in my chest. Once, twice, three times. Reminding me once and for all that I stayed alive for a reason.

“Watch over them, Logan. Lord knows, they need it.”

I don’t need his ghost to respond to me. My brother has always been there, even when I can’t see him. He’ll protect my guys until Brooklyn West can return, alone in her body.

CHAPTER 33

HUDSON’S LETTER

Hey, blackbird.

Bear with me. I’m new to this letter-writing shit, but you made us all promise to do it. I want you to have something to hold on to outside of visitation and phone calls. I’m writing this from the cottage. You’ve been gone for approximately twelve hours. I tried to hold out for longer, but I need to feel close to you.

I know why you had to do this.

It fucking hurts, but I want you to be happy and healthy.

This is the only way to do that.

When I met you, my life was spiralling out of control. I was so fucking lonely, Brooke. The world is big and empty when you’re sixteen, homeless and abandoned by those who are supposed to love you unconditionally. You were exactly the same as me.

But you gave my life back to me.

I hurt you, baby. I hurt you so fucking much.

Yet, you stayed until the very last second, until not even our love could hold the remains of our relationship together. I had to leave, Brooke. It killed us both, but now, I’m glad. I finally understand why it happened. You said it yourself. We had to break apart to fall together.

I wanted a second chance.

Blackwood gave that to us.

The world looks different now. Hope isn’t something I’m familiar with. We’ve been sitting around since you left, talking about what happens next. I don’t know if we have the answer to that question yet. Kade’s father is still out there. The world will be chewing over our stories for a very long time. You’re gone.