The Hunt

8. Rhett

8

Rhett

It was a good night for hunting. Dark and quiet; the kind of night where shadows swallowed everything whole. The kind of night where monsters thrived.

Too bad I didn’t need to hunt my prey down. That part of the game was already over, thanks to the eyes and ears the Wilders had all over campus. I knew exactly where Ev was right now—curled up in her new bed, blissfully unaware, in dorm 304. Waiting. Vulnerable. Completely at my mercy.

It was a pity, really. I always liked the chase. Still, I couldn’t wait to get in there, catch her off guard, and see her big blue eyes flash with fear.

Usually, nothing turned me on more than seeing that fear slowly bleed into desire. However, in poor little Everly’s case, her desire wasn’t welcome. I only wanted her fear.

I stepped up to the new security guard posted at the front door of Ashcroft Hall. It would be laughably easy to get past him. The Hollingsworth administration was fucking stupid for thinking that his presence would make any difference. The Wilders had always had a bought-and-paid-for connection with the college security team, granting us the ability to go wherever we wanted on campus without any issue.

That included any dorm, regardless of the fancy electronic locks the administration had dropped fifteen million dollars on a few years ago. I had a master keycard in my pocket right now, courtesy of the security team’s manager. It was programmed to override any lock.

I flashed an easy smile at the guard. “Hey.”

“Name and dorm number?” he said stiffly. “I’ll need to see some ID too.”

I showed him the silver skull ring on my right ring finger. That was all the fucking ID I needed around here. “I’m here to see my girlfriend.”

The guard’s eyes widened slightly, and he nodded, posture instantly straightening. “Of course, sir,” he said, stepping aside. “Have a good night.”

I pushed the glass door open and headed straight for the elevator. My black backpack was slung over one shoulder, and a black-and-white skull-print cloth face mask hung loose around my neck. As soon as I reached the third floor, I yanked my jacket hood over my head, pulled the skull mask up to cover my mouth and nose, and strode toward 304.

Ev needed to learn her lesson. Fast. She had to realize that it didn’t matter if she moved. Didn’t matter how much she whined to the college officials. Didn’t matter how much security they added to protect her. She wasn’t welcome here, and the sooner she figured that out and got the fuck off campus, the better.

A smile curved up my lips as I slid the master keycard into Ev’s door. The lock clicked open, and a sound instantly hit me—a whimper, followed by three choked-up words.

“No, please… stop!”

What in the hell?

My pulse spiked as I pushed the door all the way open. The dim light from the hall cast shadows across the room, making it difficult to see much. Still, I could make out the dark silhouette of a man looming over Ev’s bed, pinning her down.

“Motherfucker!”

I dropped my bag without a second thought and launched myself at the guy, tackling him off the bed with a force that rattled through my shoulders. He hit the floor hard, but it didn’t slow him much. He thrashed beneath me, twisting like a wild animal, trying to buck me off as I tightened my grip on him, forcing his shoulders to the floor.

His black clothes and balaclava made him almost indistinguishable from the darkness. All I could make out was the occasional glint of his eyes, cold and calculating, as he struck out at me.

I slammed my knee into his side, trying to keep him down, but he was relentless, clawing at my arms and attempting to wrench himself free. A fist came flying toward the center of my face, but I managed to twist my head in time to avoid a broken nose. Pain shot through my cheek as his knuckles skimmed me, but I didn’t let go. I threw a punch of my own, hitting the guy’s ribs with enough force to make him grunt. He clawed at me then, his hands scrambling for purchase as we rolled across the floor.

I tried to pin his arms, but he was quick. Too quick. Like he’d been trained. His knee came up, slamming into my side, and I cursed under my breath as the impact stole my breath for a second. He used the opening to shove me off balance, and we crashed into the side of the desk.

This guy might’ve been trained to fight, but I was trained better. I managed to get on top of him again, slamming the back of his head into the floorboards. He grunted in pain but didn’t relent, free hand going for my throat.

“Fuck you,” I hissed. My vision narrowed, pure adrenaline driving me as I batted the asshole’s hand away and landed another blow to his temple. His head snapped to the side, and he faltered. Finally, I had the upper hand.

But then I heard it.

Ev’s moan, strained and desperate, cut through the chaos like a blade. My head whipped toward her, and what I saw made my stomach drop. She was crumpled on the bed, one hand holding her phone to cast faint light across the room, presumably in an attempt to see what the hell was going on. Her other hand was clutching her face, blood pouring through her fingers.

Jesus . This fucking bastard had really hurt her.

My chest tightened at the thought, and for just a second, my focus slipped. That second was all it took.

The guy beneath me surged upward, smashing his shoulder into my chest. I slammed my knee into his side, trying to keep him down, but he was relentless, and he managed to roll out from under me before I could hit him again. With that, he sprang to his feet and sprinted through the open door.

Shit.

I got up and charged toward the door. “You’re fucking dead, asshole!” I roared.

“Wait! Please!” Ev’s broken voice floated after me. “Don’t leave me alone. Not like this.”

She sounded so small, so terrified, and it hit me like a fucking gut punch. I froze in my tracks, my heart twisting. Every instinct screamed at me to chase after her attacker, to drag him back and make him pay. But I couldn’t leave Ev, not like this. Not when she was begging so plaintively.

The guy was getting away now—I could hear his footsteps pounding down the hall—but I stayed where I was, pulse pounding. I just had to hope the security guy at the front would do his job and stop the asshole in his tracks.

“Please,” Ev whimpered again.

“It’s okay. I’m staying with you,” I muttered.

Gritting my teeth, I yanked my phone out of my pocket and called 911 to report the incident. Then I pulled my mask off and flicked the dorm light on, trying to quiet the war raging in my chest.

“Here,” I said, stepping over to Ev. I handed the cloth mask to her. “Use this to stop the bleeding for now. I’ll go grab some towels from the bathroom.”

“Oh. It… it’s you,” she said, eyes widening in disbelief as she stared up at me. Her faltering voice was broken, but not angry. Just confused and scared. There was no anger in her gaze either. Only raw vulnerability.

I stepped into the bathroom to grab a couple of hand towels. I wet one in the sink and left the other dry. When I returned to the room and gave them to Ev, she flinched as my hand briefly brushed against hers.

“It’s okay,” I said gruffly. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Th-thank you,” she said in a ragged voice.

“You don’t need to thank me for not hurting you.”

“I know. I just meant…” She swallowed audibly and looked away. “I know you hate me. But you saved me anyway. So… thank you. For that.”

I sank onto the bed next to her. “Tell me what happened.”

“I was asleep. Then I woke up and there was a guy on top of me.” She paused, swallowing hard. “He was trying to… to…”

She trailed off, pressing the cloth face mask against her mouth as more blood trickled out.

“I tried to fight him off,” she finally went on. “I bit him on the arm. Really hard. That’s when he hit me.”

“Shit, I only called the cops,” I muttered, pulling out my phone. “I should call an ambulance too.”

Ev shook her head. “It’s okay.”

“It’s not fucking okay. Your face is pissing out blood.”

“No, really. It’s fine. My lip went right into my teeth when he hit me,” she said. She opened her mouth briefly to show me the cut inside her swollen bottom lip. “That’s why it’s bleeding so much. But nothing feels broken. My teeth and nose are fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. It just hurts like a bitch.”

As she spoke, she looked down at the blood-smeared face mask. Her brows suddenly dipped in a frown, and she unfolded it to display the skull pattern on the front. She blinked slowly, twice, and then looked back up at me.

“Wait… why were you in my room tonight?” she asked. “How did you even get in here?”

Ah, shit. Here we fucking go.

“That’s not important right now,” I said brusquely.

“Yes, it is.” Her nostrils flared, and she sat up straight. “It was you in my other dorm earlier, wasn’t it? You smashed my stuff and wrote that message on the mirror. And now you’ve come back for more?”

There was a wild expression in her eyes now, like she was about to jump up and scream. I clenched my jaw and clamped a hand over her mouth. “That’s not up for discussion right now, Ev,” I said, eyes narrowing on hers.

She moaned in protest, head vehemently shaking.

“Some guy just broke into your room and tried to rape you,” I went on. “We need to focus on that now. Get the sick fuck caught. Okay?”

Ev’s eyes flashed with defiance, but then her shoulders slumped, and she slowly nodded.

I pulled my blood-smeared hand away. “Do you have any idea who it was?”

She looked down, head shaking slightly. “It was too dark to see, even when you opened the door. Plus he was wearing that balaclava,” she said. “He didn’t say anything, either. But…”

She trailed off again, and I frowned. “But what?”

“I could smell his breath through the balaclava when he leaned in close.”

“Bad?”

“No. Not bad. Familiar .” She swallowed thickly. “It was someone I’ve spent a lot of time with in the past. Someone I’ve breathed the same air as a thou—”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake. Not this shit again.” I jumped up, cutting her off. “It wasn’t Jake, so don’t even try to blame him.”

“It had to be him,” she said, voice rising an octave. “Who else would it be?”

“Jake isn’t at Hollingsworth right now,” I said, eyes narrowing. “In fact, he’s not even in the fucking state. ”

“Yes, he is. I saw you with him earlier!”

“That was hours ago,” I replied, crossing my arms over my chest. “He caught a plane down to New York at ten, and he’s still there.”

Ev blinked. “That’s not possible.”

“It is , because it’s the fucking truth,” I snapped. “He got a last-minute interview for tomorrow morning at a law firm he wants to intern at later in the year, so I called my father and got him to arrange a flight on our private plane. I dropped him off at the airfield myself at nine-thirty.”

Ev’s head was slowly shaking now. “That’s not possible,” she said, voice dropping to a low murmur. “He must’ve just pretended to go. But really, he stayed right here.”

I gritted my teeth and unlocked my phone. “So you think he faked these skyline pics from his hotel window?” I asked, briefly turning my screen to show her the Instagram story that Jake had posted a couple of hours ago, showing the glittering lights of Manhattan at midnight. “Or somehow faked his SnapMaps location, which clearly shows him at that exact hotel right now? Just so he could sneak in here, attack you, and make you look crazy?”

“I don’t know how he did it,” she murmured, head still shaking. “But it was him. It had to be.”

I lifted a hand. “Listen, Ev,” I said in a low voice. “I’ll wait with you until the cops get here, because I know you can’t be alone right now. But we’re done talking. Got it?”

She nodded listlessly. “Okay,” she murmured, picking up one of the towels. “And for what it’s worth… I really am grateful.”

“For what?” I snapped.

“For you helping me, even though you don’t believe a word I say,” she said shakily, lifting the towel to her face. With that, she finally broke, sobs spilling out over the terrycloth in ragged gasps.

My chest tightened at the sound of her cries. As much as I hated the girl, I couldn’t stand the pain in her voice or the mix of sadness and fear in her eyes.

“For fuck’s sake,” I muttered.

I moved closer and sat down again, my hand hovering for a moment before I slid a tentative arm around Ev. She collapsed against me, burying her face in my shoulder as the sobs wracked her body.

“It’s okay,” I muttered, rubbing her back in slow circles. “The cops will find the guy.”

She didn’t say anything. Just cried harder. Fuck.

“I’ll deal with him myself as soon as I know who he is,” I added. “He’s not going to get away with this shit. I promise.”

Ev finally lifted her head. “Why would you—”

She was cut off by a flurry of motion as a mix of Havenport PD officers and campus security guards arrived, their boots thudding against the floor as they filed into the room.

One of the cops, a tall man with graying hair, immediately moved toward Ev, eyes narrowing on her swollen mouth. He asked for her permission to inspect the cut, and when she acquiesced, he leaned in and gently tilted her chin.

“Ouch,” he said with a sympathetic wince. “It looks like it might need a couple of stitches, just in case. For now, keep applying pressure to it with that towel.”

“She can get it stitched at the campus medical center,” one of the campus security officers said. “I already called the emergency night nurse just in case.”

“We’ll go there soon. But first, I need to ask a few questions,” the cop said, his tone calm but firm as he kept his gaze on Ev.

She nodded, eyes wide and fearful. He asked her several questions, piecing together what had happened from the time she fell asleep to the moment she woke up to the guy pinning her down. Meanwhile, the other officers spread out, scanning the dorm for evidence with sharp eyes.

The gray-haired cop finally looked at me. “You’re the one who called it in?”

I nodded and rose to my feet. “Yeah. Rhett Sinclair.”

“Can you tell me what happened on your end?”

“I heard Ev crying from the hall, so I ran in here and saw a guy on top of her,” I said. “I managed to fight him off her, but he got away. I figured the guard at the door would probably get him.”

“Unfortunately, it seems he went out through an emergency exit at the back of the building,” the cop said. “That exit is always locked from the outside, so there was no guard stationed there, and the guard at the front saw nothing.”

“So he’s still out there somewhere.”

“For now, yes.” He paused, eyes narrowing slightly. “How did you get in here tonight?”

Fuck.

“I—”

Ev cut me off. “He’s my boyfriend,” she said hurriedly. “I invited him here and left his name with the guard to make sure he’d be allowed into the building. I know we’re not supposed to do that, but I just… I really didn’t want to be alone tonight. Not after what happened earlier.”

I stared at her, surprised that she hadn’t thrown me under the bus. I could only guess that she felt some sort of twisted loyalty to me now that I’d saved her from the other guy.

“Yeah, that’s right,” I said. “She invited me over.”

The cop looked back at Ev, frowning. “Didn’t you say you were sleeping when the attack happened?”

“Yes,” she said. A slight tremor had entered her voice. “I mean… I tried my best to stay awake until Rhett got here, but I was really tired, so I must’ve drifted off at some point. I don’t even remember doing it. But… that’s why I was asleep when he arrived.”

“Ah. I see.” The cop’s brows rose as he looked back at me. “So how did you get in if she wasn’t awake to let you in? To this room, I mean. Not the building.”

“The door was slightly ajar when I got here. The other guy must’ve left it like that after he broke in,” I said, rubbing my jaw. “Obviously, I’d usually knock and wait for Ev to let me in, but when I heard the weird noises and realized the door was already open, I went in and… well, you know the rest.”

“I see,” he repeated, dipping his chin in a curt nod. He turned his attention back to Ev, face softening slightly. “Are you sure there’s nothing you can tell us about the attacker that might help us to identify him? Anything you saw or heard, no matter how minor it seems, could be useful.”

She looked down, hands fidgeting on her lap. I knew she was considering her crazy theory that it was Jake who attacked her tonight, but the question had been specifically phrased to include things she’d seen or heard, and she hadn’t seen or heard a single thing that could be used to positively identify Jake, let alone anyone else.

“There’s nothing,” she finally said, meekly shaking her head. “It was too dark, and he didn’t say a word to me.”

Something suddenly occurred to me. “Wait, there is something that might help you find him,” I said to the cop. “She bit him. That could’ve left a mark, right?”

Ev sat up straight, eyes widening. “Oh! Yes! I totally forgot to mention that,” she said, nodding fervently. “I bit him really hard. Hard enough to draw blood.”

“Where?” the cop asked, forehead wrinkling.

She tapped on her left forearm, just below the wrist. “It was around here. I could tell because his hand was so close.”

“That’s helpful,” the cop said, nodding slowly. “We’ve already got several officers and half the security guards on campus searching for any lone men in the area. So, if and when they find anyone, we’ll have them check their arms for bite marks.”

“Okay,” Ev murmured, lowering her eyes again.

“For now, I’ll get someone to escort you to the medical center so you can get that lip looked at,” he said, eyeing her bloodied mouth again. “But I’d like you to come into the station tomorrow afternoon to give us a formal statement. By then, you might’ve remembered something else that could help us.”

“Okay,” Ev repeated. She sounded numb.

“After the nurse is done, we’ll need to sort out some emergency accommodation for you,” the head of campus security interjected. “We can—”

I cut him off. “No fucking way.”

“Excuse me?” he said, bristling.

“This dorm was supposed to be the emergency accommodation for Ev after what happened to her earlier, and look how that turned out,” I said in an acid tone. “You’ve obviously got a major problem somewhere. So until you can sort your shit out and get proper security around this campus, she’s coming to stay with me.”

Ev’s eyes widened, and her mouth dropped open. I knew exactly what she was going to say—that she didn’t want to stay at the Wilder house, given her chances of running into Jake after he returned from New York.

“At a hotel,” I hastily added. “There’s a good one near campus with top-notch security. I’ll book it now.”

The security head’s eyes narrowed slightly. It was clear from his sour expression that he wasn’t pleased with my interference, but he’d spotted my ring when he came in earlier, so he knew better than to argue.

“I suppose that’s an option, but we’ll still need to ensure someone checks in regularly,” he finally said. He looked at Ev. “Does that sound all right to you, Ms. Marlowe?”

Her gaze flickered between the officers and me, her hesitation palpable. I could see the conflict in her shadowed expression—she didn’t want to be around me, but she also didn’t want to be left alone in a place that felt unsafe, and campus security measures had already failed her twice today.

She finally nodded. “Yes, it’s okay,” she said, voice barely above a whisper. “I’ll go to the hotel.”

She grabbed her suitcase and hastily packed some clothes and essentials. I took the case from her when she was done, grabbed my own bag off the floor, and headed out into the hall with her trailing behind me. A few cops were still in the hall, either making notes or chatting amongst themselves.

I turned to look at Ev. “Walk next to me and hold my hand,” I muttered, extending my free hand to her.

She shook her head, eyes flashing with disbelief. “No way.”

“We need to look like we’re actually a couple, or they might get suspicious,” I said. “Now hold my fucking hand.”

She sighed, stepped closer, and slid her hand into mine. It felt small and fragile, her fingers trembling slightly as they curled around mine. A wave of protectiveness surged through me, stronger than I expected, and I gave her hand a gentle squeeze as we headed down the hall.

Once we were finally done at the campus medical center, I led Ev to my black Porsche and opened the passenger door for her. “Nice car,” she murmured.

“Yeah. A lot nicer than that shitbox you drive,” I said, lips curving in a smirk.

She frowned. “You know what I drive?”

“I’ve noticed a lot of things about you, Ev,” I said gruffly.

When we arrived at the hotel, the concierge greeted us like we were royalty, and within minutes, we were escorted to a suite on the top floor. The doors opened to reveal floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Havenport, soft golden lighting casting a warm glow over the elegant furnishings, plush carpets, and a massive bed with crisp white linens.

Ev stepped inside cautiously, her wide eyes taking in every detail. “This is... wow,” she whispered, like she was worried that speaking too loudly would ruin it.

She turned to me, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I stayed at some nice places when I was younger. Like, vacation spots my parents picked. But never anything like this. Not five-star.”

I set her suitcase down near the seating area. “You’ll be very safe here.”

Her gaze softened as she looked around again, her hand trailing along the back of a velvet chair. “Safe,” she murmured, like she was testing the word. Then, she let out a breath and sank onto the couch, her earlier tension easing just a little.

I cast my gaze over her, taking in the way the golden light from the overhead chandelier illuminated her features. Her hair framed her face, mussed from the night’s chaos, and her eyes, still wide with a mix of fear and wonder, seemed to reflect every emotion she was trying to suppress.

She was beautiful, and I hated myself for thinking it. This wasn’t the time, wasn’t the place, but the thought clung to me all the same, no matter how hard I tried to push it away.

My eyes dropped to her thin arms, and I frowned and stepped closer. “You can order room service if you want. It’s open twenty-four hours, and the burgers are amazing.”

“Oh, no, it’s really late,” she said softly, averting her eyes. “It’s so expensive, too.”

“It’s on my dime, so go crazy,” I said, shrugging. “Comfort food is a good idea right about now.”

“No, it’s okay. You’ve already done so much for me, and… you don’t even like me.”

I smirked. “You can’t stand me either. So why not take that loathing out on my wallet? Order the whole fucking menu.”

“I’m not hungry. Really,” she said. Right on cue, her stomach loudly grumbled.

I snorted and stepped over to the room’s landline. “Any dietary needs I should know about before I order?” I asked, brows rising.

Ev nodded. “I’m a vegetarian.”

“Of course you fucking are.”

She bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing bad. Just that we couldn’t possibly be any more different.”

“You got that right,” she said, lips thinning.

I ordered two burgers—one with double meat for myself, one with fried halloumi for Ev—along with beer-battered fries and soda. After I hung up the phone, I gestured toward the bathroom. “I’ll wait for the food while you get cleaned up.”

By the time the burgers arrived, Ev had taken a quick shower and changed into a white terrycloth gown. Her hair, still damp, hung loosely around her shoulders, and her skin was bare. Even with the soft glow of exhaustion in her eyes and her partially swollen bottom lip, she looked... stunning. Annoyingly so.

“You were right,” she said after she’d chewed and swallowed her first few bites of the halloumi burger. “This is amazing. Like, I barely even register how much my mouth hurts whenever I take a bite. It’s that good.”

“Glad you like it,” I replied stiffly. I was trying to focus on my own food, but the sight of Ev sitting there—so naturally beautiful, so effortless—made it hard to focus on anything else.

She took another bite and slowly chewed. Then she glanced at me again. “So, um… what’s the deal here?”

“What?” I said, brows furrowing.

“How long can I stay here? And how can I pay you back?”

“It’s booked for a week. No need to pay me back.” I nodded to the left nightstand. “Keycard is over there, and you can order whatever food or drinks you need as long as you’re staying here. My credit card is on the room.”

“Thank you,” she murmured. “That’s really generous of you.”

“It’s nothing for me. Don’t worry about it,” I said, waving a hand. “I think a week should be long enough for Hollingsworth to sort out a safe dorm for you.”

“Safe from everyone?” she asked in a timid tone, forehead creasing.

“I won’t sneak into your dorm and break your shit again, if that’s what you’re asking. I think you’ve been punished enough.”

“Thanks, I guess,” she murmured, staring at a fry.

“Anyway, if it takes longer than a week for Hollingsworth to get their shit together, you can call the front desk and extend your stay in this room for another week. Like I said, my card is attached, so no payment from you is necessary. Oh, and there’s also a bus that goes from here to campus. That might be quicker and easier for you than driving.”

Ev was silent for a moment. “Why are you doing this, Rhett?” she finally asked. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’m beyond grateful. You’ve been a total lifesaver tonight. But… you hate my guts. So why help me like this?”

It was my turn to go silent.

Why was I helping Ev? I couldn’t stand her. Was it purely because she was hot, and I was just that much of a shallow asshole? Or was it because I couldn’t stand to see any woman look so broken, so vulnerable?

I didn’t have an answer. At least not one that made sense.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of silence, I spoke. “I don’t know,” I said, my voice low. “Just seems like the right thing to do, I guess.”

“Right,” Ev murmured. I could see it in her eyes—she’d been expecting to hear something more. Maybe even hoping. She took a deep breath and scratched the back of her head. “Do you think I could ask you for one more favor?”

I raised a brow. “What?”

“I’m really tired, but I don’t know if I can actually get to sleep because of everything that’s happened tonight,” she said, lowering her eyes to her plate. Her cheeks were rapidly flushing pink. “But maybe… if you stayed a while longer, that might help me sleep. Just knowing someone is there can make things better, you know? But it’s okay if you can’t. I totally und—”

I cut her off. “I can stay.”

She raised her chin again, eyes wide as they searched mine. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah. It’s fine. I’ll stay.”

She gave me a small, grateful smile. “Thanks,” she said. A softness had entered her voice; one that I’d never heard from her before now.

“You can try my technique if you want,” I said, nodding toward the TV.

“Technique?”

I smiled thinly. “When I was a kid, I used to have horrible fucking nightmares. I was scared to go to sleep because of it. But eventually, I found one thing that worked.” I gestured to the TV again. “For some reason, having the French news channel on helped me get to sleep.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Fuck knows why. Maybe me not being able to understand a single word made me sleepy because it exhausted my brain,” I said, shrugging. “But hey, whatever it was… it worked. So maybe it’ll work for you too.”

She looked skeptical but gave me a small nod. “It’s worth a shot, I guess.”

After she’d finished her food, she turned the TV on and clicked the remote a few times. A minute later, the faint hum of the French news channel filled the room.

With that, Ev climbed into bed and pulled the blankets over herself. I went and sat next to her on the other side of the bed, maintaining a careful distance.

After a few minutes, I could see her eyelids fluttering, the tension in her body starting to loosen. “Wow,” she murmured. “You’re right. This actually works. I’m already half asleep.”

I let out a soft chuckle. “Told you.”

There was a brief pause before she spoke again, her voice even quieter now. “What were the nightmares about?”

I cocked my head. “Hm?”

“You said you had nightmares as a kid,” she said. Her eyes were barely open now. “I did too. For me, it was house fires. I was always scared of being stuck in one, so I had a ton of bad dreams about it. What was it for you?”

I looked away and gritted my teeth, feeling the old, familiar weight of those memories pressing against my chest. They were always there, lurking just below the surface, waiting to come back when I least expected it.

“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” I finally muttered, face hardening.

I half-expected Ev to press me on the issue, but the room was silent except for the soft chatter from the TV news anchors. I glanced down at her again. Her breathing was slow and steady now, and her eyelids had shut all the way. She’d probably fallen asleep before I answered.

I knew I should get up and leave, but instead, I stayed and watched her rest, her face softening in the peace that had eluded her earlier.

Eventually, exhaustion caught up with me too. The long day, the adrenaline, the worry—it all just piled on. I let myself drift off, Ev’s steady breathing in sync with my own, and the demons in my head quieted for the first time in what felt like forever.

I absolutely fucking hated to admit it… but I could get used to this.