80

Eighty
*Freya*
If Daniel took any offense to Rafe’s warning tone, he didn’t show it. He simply dipped his chin in agreement. “I won’t get in your way. You won’t even know I’m there.”
With that uneasy accord, our odd little group set off into the gathering dusk. My hand remained firmly in Rafe’s as I tried to ignore the sensation of Daniel’s eyes burning into my back. I had a feeling this tentative truce between the two men was a fragile one at best.
I only hoped my already bruised and battered heart could withstand the strain.
Relief swept through me as the stone house came into view, its windows aglow with flickering candlelight. Exhaustion dragged at my limbs and my head throbbed mercilessly, but the sight of that familiar refuge injected fresh strength into my weary body.
As we drew closer, the front door burst open and a small crowd spilled out into the yard, their faces light with joy and anxiety. At their head was Addy, her coppery curls in wild disarray.
“Freya!” She flew across the distance between us and flung her arms around my neck, nearly knocking me off balance. “Oh thank the gods, you’re alright! When I saw that man take you, I feared the worst.”
Hot tears soaked into my filthy shirt as Addy clung to me, her slender frame shaking with emotion. I returned her embrace fiercely, my own vision blurring. “I’m okay, Addy. I promise. Daniel saved me.”
At the mention of his name, Addy pulled back, her green eyes darting to where Daniel stood awkwardly on the fringes of our reunion. “Daniel?” She swiped at her damp cheeks. “But who…”
“He’s a friend,” I assured her quickly, sensing Rafe’s mounting impatience. The way his jaw clenched told me his tolerance for Daniel’s presence was swiftly waning. “He got me out of the square before the worst of the blast hit. I wouldn’t have made it without him.”
Addy’s gaze softened as she looked at Daniel anew. “Then you have my eternal thanks.” She reached out to clasp his hand, her grip fierce. “Truly. Thank you for keeping safe.”
Daniel shifted his weight, clearly uncomfortable with her gratitude. “I only did what anyone would.”
But I knew that wasn’t true. He had risked his own life to save mine. That was a debt I could never fully repay.
Rafe cleared his throat pointedly, the sound cutting through the charged air. “Let’s get Freya inside so the doctor can see to her properly.”
No one argued with that decree. As a unit, we trooped into the house, Rafe’s arm securely around my waist. I tried to focus on putting one foot in front of the other, but my head swam dangerously and little sparks danced at the edges of my vision. Perhaps I wasn’t as fine as I wanted to believe.
The last thing I remembered was the concerned press of Addy’s hand against my face, and the sensation of being lifted into strong, familiar arms. Then the world tilted sideways and I gratefully sank into oblivion.
A cool cloth on my brow roused me sometime later. I blinked groggily, trying to orient myself. Lavender walls, exposed beams, sunlight slanting through dark curtains… Rafe’s bedroom at the safe house. How had I gotten here?
“You’re awake.” Kelly’s voice, tight with an emotion I couldn’t name, brought me fully alert. She sat perched on the edge of the bed, hands twisting in her lap as she studied me. Even disheveled and grimy from the attack, my stepsister was a striking beauty, with her inky hair and calculating green eyes. Eyes that had always viewed me as an obstacle to be removed.
I struggled to sit up, wariness dousing my relief at being safe. “What are you doing here, Kelly?”
“I came to see how you were.” Her smile was as false as her concern. “You had us all quite worried, running off like that. It’s fortunate your… friend was there to save you.”
There was no mistaking the sneer in her voice when she said “friend.” I bristled, hackles rising. She’d made her disdain for my common roots perfectly clear over the years, but I was done cowering in the face of her cruelty.
“Yes, I’m very lucky,” I said coolly, holding her gaze. “Daniel is like a brother to me. He was there for me during some of the hardest times in my life. Times you made nearly unbearable with your pettiness and sabotage.”
Something ugly flickered in her eyes before she shuttered her expression. “I don’t know what you mean. I’ve only ever wanted what was best for you.”
“Like when you tried to kill me?” The words burst out of me in a bitter rush, the memory of that day on the balcony still vivid and horrifying. If Rafe hadn’t been there to catch me… I shuddered. “You nearly succeeded, too.”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” she scoffed, but a tell-tale blush stained her cheeks. “It was an accident. I never meant for you to fall.”
“Liar,” I hissed, anger and betrayal knotting in my chest. “You shoved me deliberately. You wanted me out of the way so you could steal Rafe for yourself. But it didn’t work, did it? He still chose me.”
For a terrifying second, I thought she might lash out at me again. Her hands curled into claws at her sides, her face twisting with naked hatred. But then she took a deep breath, smoothing her expression into one of wounded indignation.
“I can see you’re still not thinking clearly,” she said with exaggerated patience. “You hit your head quite hard, after all. Perhaps it’s best if I give you some space to rest and recover. We can talk again when you’re feeling more… rational.”
She rose to her feet in a whisper of silk, every inch the gracious lady. But I saw through her act. I always had. Watching her walk away, triumph and fury warring within me, I made a silent vow. Never again would I let her make me feel small or worthless. I was done being her victim. Kelly had no idea who she was dealing with. The time for cowering was over.
Before Kelly could slink away with the last word, I abruptly turned my back on her and strode purposefully toward the other part of the room where I knew she wouldn’t follow me. My head throbbed with each step, but I ignored the pain, driven by a powerful need to put distance between myself and my treacherous stepsister.
I had barely crossed the threshold when Rafe entered with a petite woman in a white coat at his heels. The female doctor, I presumed. Relief flooded through me at the sight of him, solid and reassuring. Safe. He was here and I was here and for now, that was enough.
****