Tyra
My heart is covered in stone.
"Why are you sitting alone in an empty park?" Jett asked.
"Because it's empty," I responded tersely, folding the papers into a single square and tossing it at him.
He caught it without a glance, was a blur of shadow as he went over to the parked car and came back within the time it took me to take in a single breath. Without the papers.
His speed was definitely impressive, nothing I'd ever seen before. Perhaps impressive enough to kill Light before the nightmare set Jett against himself? The thought evoked an unpleasant shiver that had nothing to do with the chill of the approaching dawn.
But it wasn't my place to worry about him. We hardly knew each other and he certainly wouldn't have any interest in getting to know me when this conversation was over.
My heart is covered in stone.
"Why were you running from us?" Jett asked softly, expression guarded but not scowling. "We've been following you around for hours."
"We?" I asked, definitely not stalling.
Jett tilted his head towards the car. "Kane and I."
The man you were just thinking it wouldn't be so bad if he died had spent hours driving around looking for you.
My less than stellar personality was exactly why Jett didn't deserve me. No more stalling. No more hesitation.
"I was making sure Light's cronies weren't following me so they could eavesdrop on our conversation."
Jett's posture tensed. "Light?"
My fingers clenched on the edge of the bench but I kept my voice steady, my tone nonchalant. Like my heart was covered in stone. "Light hijacked my home and kicked my parents out. Then I told him everything about you guys- including the seaweed."
I waited for the explosion. The anger, the shout of betrayal. Unsurprisingly, there was none of that. Yet. I went on. "I wrote about a possible way of stopping Light. It may be the best shot you guys have, and it's detailed so there's no point in keeping me around. Goodbye."
"You know it's pointless," he replied calmly.
My heart froze on a beat.
I quirked a brow. "Getting you to forgive me? I'm not seeking forgiveness, I did what I did to protect my parents."
"I'm not talking about an apology. I mean you can't get rid of me so easily- unless being truly and utterly alone is what you want the most in the world?"
I stared up at him.
He took a step back, gaze growing expectant. "Well? Is that what you want?"
What I wanted?
The thing about building a wall of stone around your heart is that you get so reassured about its presence that you forget nothing in this world is impenetrable. Apart from my foster parents, no one has truly stayed by my side for me and only me. I've been afraid even their loyalty was more out of habit than true desire, but here was someone I've caused nothing but trouble. Who was still willing to stay with me if that's what I wanted.
Crack.
The walls came crumbling down, leaving me a shattered mess sitting on a park bench.
"I'm sorry," I sobbed.
The tears came fast, hot and ugly, the burn of them only a hint of the pain in my chest.
YOU ARE READING
Alpha Ember (ALPHA KANE BOOK 2)
Lobisomem"Why is he so angry?" Arius asked as he ran, his face a calm mask, breathing surprisingly even. The only thing that betrayed the supernatural speed in which he was running at was his curly log hair, which whipped wildly behind him, displaying all th...
