Chapter 30
THIRTY
LILITH
My head hurts a lot. And I feel like I’m still tired.
Jolting, I reach for whatever is close to me and come into contact with a hard body.
“Caterpillar,” he whispers through the darkness as his hand slides along my stomach. Blinking a few times, I realize I’m not in my bed.
A tiny sliver of light shines from a doorway as soft snores escape Reon who talks in his sleep next to me.
The warmth and comfort I feel in his presence shouldn’t be happening after what I just went through.
Managing to slip from his hold, I sit at the side of the bed and hold my breath.
My arm and my leg hurt. Releasing the air in my lungs, I manage not to cry out from the pain radiating throughout my body.
Though I’m incredibly sore, I feel like I got a good night’s sleep, but exhaustion still plagues me.
Standing, I ease my way to what I presume to be the door to the hallway and push it open. I quickly shut it once I’m on the other side so I don’t wake him. I lean back against the wood and try to remember where I am.
“Do you want some clothes?” I jump at the sound of a female voice—it’s familiar yet foreign at the same time. “I have some in the living room for you. I threw that dress in the trash.”
“That was an expensive dress,” I say, and turn around, finding a woman dressed in blue silk pajamas.
“I’m sure my brother will be more than happy to buy you another,” she states as she turns and waves for me to follow.
I look down at myself and notice I’m wearing one of his shirts. It’s long and covers the areas that are needed. Dammit! I need new underwear. Shrugging, I don’t even care what I look like. From what I can remember, this woman helped wash me last night in the shower.
“Do you know where my knife is?” I ask as I reach the kitchen. She points to the couch where some clothes are piled.
“Feel free to take anything you want. I’m Abigail, by the way,” she offers.
Slowly limping to the clothes on my sore legs, I find a loose shirt and cargo pants. Slipping them on, I look at Abigail baking at the kitchen counter.
“How are you feeling? Any better?” she asks.
“Better than last night, sure. I don’t think that’s hard to beat,” I reply.
“It’s three in the afternoon. You’ve slept most of the day, and my brother only just went down a few hours ago once he knew you were safe.” She comes over to me and reaches for my arm. I let her, and she inspects it. “Wound looks good. Make sure you change the dressings regularly.”
She waits for me to speak again.
“Okay.”
Nodding, she walks back to the kitchen counter and starts rolling some sort of dough. “Sit. I’ll pour us a glass of wine, and you can tell me why my brother loves you.”
My eyes bulge at her words.
“He doesn’t love me. We barely know each other.”
She raises a perfectly manicured brow at my high-pitched tone. “Reon is an all-in type of guy, and he isn’t all-in with many people. But he went against the Society for you.” She continues rolling the dough. “If you don’t want to call it love, that’s fine.” She shrugs.
“What are you making?” I ask, trying to change the subject; the last thing I want to talk about right now is that.
“Pizza. You must be hungry, right?” As she says this, my stomach growls, pulling a smirk from her.
“Sorry, what is your name?”
“Abigail.” She wipes her hands on a cloth and then offers me one to shake. I lean forward and take her hand with mine. “And you’re Lilith. You met my other half, Hannah, I hear.”
Oh. That feels like a lifetime ago now.
“Yes, she didn’t like me very much.”
“That’s Hannah. She doesn’t like many people.
” She starts adding cheese and meat to the pizza while I sit there.
An awkward silence fills the room, and I look around.
“I put your cell on the charger. It’s over there.
” She points to a table in the living room and returns to making her pizzas.
I get up and grab my phone, finding it fully charged.
“I also called Arlo to come over to speak with you.” I freeze at that. “Lilith?”
“I should go. I don’t need to talk to anyone.”
“Are you afraid of Arlo?” she asks, and I remember in the forest how he was so surprised to see me there.
Maybe he wasn’t in on it, but that did not stop me from doing what I had to do to survive, though.
“I wouldn’t be. I have a gun under the counter right now and am not afraid to use it.
” She winks as the doorbell rings. “Now, do you want to get it, or should I?”
“Does Reon know you called Arlo?”
“No. I figured Arlo is a therapist, so he is the best person for you to talk to. Was I wrong?”
I take a deep breath and walk to the door.
My feet are bare, and I feel as though I’m walking on glass.
They are so cut up and damaged. The pain shoots through me with every step, a relentless reminder of what I faced last night.
Every step strengthens my resolve, propelling me forward with determination.
I push aside the anguish with each faltering step and concentrate on the now.
“Caterpillar.” I stop at the sound of my name, and turn to see Reon emerge from his room. He’s scrubbing his hand through his hair, his shirtless chest on full display. “What are you doing? Come back to bed.”
I shake my head as the doorbell rings again.
“Reon, I called Arlo,” Abigail tells him.
Reon steps closer to me as I turn my hand on the doorknob.
When I pull it open, Arlo is standing there, looking like he always does when I visit him—in a suit with his hair brushed neatly back—like nothing happened last night and I didn’t stab him in the arm.
He offers me a small smile before his gaze shifts to Reon standing behind me.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Reon barks.
“I came to see my patient.”
“Oh, you mean the one you tried to kill last night?” Reon seethes. “You must have gotten hit in the head pretty fucking hard.” He easily pulls me behind him, and I move, too confused to fight him.
“Lilith, we need to talk,” Arlo says.
I shake my head, and he turns as Reon speaks. “You do not need to talk to her, and I highly suggest you never talk to her again. Because if you do, you will wish you weren’t fucking breathing.”
Arlo nods, then looks back at me and says, “Your father knows what happened. You need to go and see him.”
I gasp. “You told him?”
“Of course I did,” he says, as if I should have expected those words, then turns and leaves.
Reon slams the door shut, and both his hands go to his head, tugging his hair.
His back is to me with his ink on full display.
However, I notice a tattoo that wasn’t there the last time I saw him naked.
Moving closer, I touch his back and tilt my head to get a better look.
On his hip, I discover a caterpillar with a single butterfly above it.
“Why did you add this?” I ask, my fingers lazily caressing over the beautiful statement.
He stays still until I drop my hand, then turns around to face me. He rests his fingers on my cheek and then brushes them down my face. “You know why.”
“When did you add it?”
His other hand comes around my waist and pulls me in closer. “The night after Nashville.”
“Why?” I ask, confused.
“Because my caterpillar has the perfect dark streak. Plus, she is a survivor.” He leans down to kiss me, but I turn my head so his lips land on my cheek. He lingers for a second before he pulls away.
“Pizza is almost ready,” Abigail calls out.
I pull out of his hold and walk back to the kitchen.
Abigail removes a pizza from the oven and places it in front of me.
Then Reon starts cutting it into slices and passes me a plate before he slides on a piece for me.
He moves around, reaches for me, and places me on his lap.
He picks up the pizza and starts feeding it to me.
At first, I’m confused, but I lean forward and take a bite anyway. I’m starving.
“Did you even sleep? Or did you bake all day?” Reon asks Abigail as his hand touches the small of my back and starts moving his thumb over my skin.
Behind her, on the counter, I see a tray of cupcakes I didn’t notice before.
They are beautifully decorated with intricate swirls of frosting, each one a miniature work of art.
Despite the harsh reality, I find myself drawn in.
For a fleeting moment, I allow them to lure me into a false sense of security, a silent reminder that there is sweet temptation in this cruel world. And I am going to devour them.
“I did both. I slept for maybe three hours, then woke and started to cook. I figured you both might need it,” she replies.
“Thank you,” I say while eyeing the luscious temptation on the counter.
When I finish the first slice of pizza, Reon stands and sits me back down before he places another piece on my plate. He then grabs a cupcake and places it in front of me, before he turns to the refrigerator to grab a soda.
Abigail watches everything he does with warm eyes.
“You should eat too,” I tell him, and Abigail plates him a piece, but I know his eyes are on me.
“Sit, eat.” He listens and comes around the counter to sit next to me.
I remain quiet after that, unsure of what to say.
My cell beeps, and I check it to see it’s my aunt asking me to call her as soon as possible.
I reply, telling her I’ll come by later, and she sends a thumbs-up emoji.
“Who was that?” Reon asks.
“My Aunt.”
“The one who raised you?” he asks, and I turn to him and nod. “Why didn’t your father raise you?”
“He’s in prison,” I say, then take a drink of my soda.
“Were you close with him?”
“No, not back then, but I’m trying now. I see him more, which is nice.”
“Our mother died when we were young. Reon tells me your mother passed when you were young, too?” Abigail says.
“Yes,” I reply.
“I’m sorry. And your father in prison… that must have been hard for you.”
“I survived.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t have to simply survive,” she says as Reon goes still next to me.
“I need to go. Look, thanks for looking after me and for the delicious food, but I need to see my Aunt.”
“Let me drive you,” Reon says, and I shake my head. “You don’t have a car, Caterpillar.”
Oh shit, that’s right.
“I can take an Uber.”
“You don’t have any money on you either,” he reminds me.
Abigail reaches into her purse and hands me a hundred-dollar bill, and a confused expression spreads across my face.
“Pay me back when I see you next,” she says.
“I can’t take your money.”
“It’s his anyway, so take it.” She pushes it toward me. I pick it up and put it into the pocket of my borrowed pants.
“I’ll wash these and return them,” I tell her, indicating the clothes.
“Keep them. Reon can buy me more.”
“I’m not your ATM,” Reon growls.
“No, you aren’t. You are my brother. So shut up and say goodbye to Lilith so she can leave.” She waves at me before she walks off in the direction of the bathroom.
“Let me get changed and walk you down, at least.” He stands, and I place my hand on his chest.
“Please don’t.”
“I want you to stay.” He lifts his hand and covers mine where it rests on his bare chest, giving it a slight squeeze. “Stay,” he says, a hint of desperation in his voice.
“No, I have to go. I need…” I shake my head. “I have to go.”
Reon nods and drops my hand—“I’ll have security watching your place,”—grabbing my hips and pulling me to him. “Come back. Please, say you’ll come back,” he whispers.
“Is that new for you?” I ask.
“What?”
“Saying please. Do you say that often?”
He leans down, his lips touching my ear. “Please, Caterpillar.” Shivers race all over my body before I pull back.
“You have my number. Don’t come over. Call like a normal person,” I tell him, and he nods. Still in pain, I push away from him, grab two cupcakes, and head to the door.
And I feel his stare as I hobble out.