Dark Shadow (Book 1 in DARKNESS DUOLOGY)

Nine: Force of Nature

“I don’t know about this, Gigi,” Cece trailed off, pulling in her lips as she was helping me brush out my hair. I could see the worry in her face through the mirror hanging on my wall.

My sister had been doing this a lot where she’d be sitting with me on my bed to brush the tangles from my curls. I had to admit it felt really nice and it was an opportunity to spend time with my sister. She was the one who insisted on this bonding moment before bed each night. This was routine ever since that first night of her helping me deal with Ridge being with Molly. I would patiently look to the doorway until Cece would show up, smiling, and holding up her favorite hairbrush.

I stared at my hands in my lap, my fingers fidgeting because of my nerves. My sister was concerned about me going out tonight to meet Ridge. Not that I blamed her at all.

When I had told her and Eden about the long while spent of Ridge sitting at my door and watching me draw, my sister was already reminding me to not fall head over heels for him because I was only going to get hurt.

“I’m already hurt,” I told her, shaking my head. “And I’m not head over heels for him, OK? Sadly, I’m way past that.”

They both stared at me. I think they knew that they wouldn’t be able to convince me to not meet with Ridge. But I knew I had to do this. I think I just needed to see him a few more times. Enough that would satisfy me and my wolf side before letting Ridge go completely.

So now here I was, sitting in front of my sister with my robe on after taking a shower, and Cece was once again hoping to change my mind of going out tonight. My knees were pulled up to my chest and Cece was seated behind me with a leg draped over the edge of the mattress. I could feel the bristles of the brush stroke down my waist-length dark. It had taken me so long to get my hair this long but having curly hair made it more difficult to grow at the pace I wanted it to.

My sister continued to brush my hair while softly saying, “I am scared for you, Gigi.”

I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. “I know. Honestly… I am too, Cece. But I have to go. I have to.”

“Why?”

“You don’t understand how deep this bond is. It’s so easy for him to beckon me and I willingly show up. I want to be strong and fight it, but—but his happiness matters to me.”

Cece stood up, frowning as she sat in front of me and took my chin in her hand. She tucked her hair behind her ear. Her brown eyes staring into mine as she gently cupped my chin in her hand.

“No one’s happiness should be more important than yours, Gigi. When are you going to stop being so selfless and take the chance to let yourself be happy for a change?”

I tugged my chin out of her grasp, shaking my head that it wasn’t so easy as she made it sound. That it was part of my nature to be that way, and doing anything other than that was odd to me.

“Look, I know he’s hurt me in the worst possible way, but I can’t help it! I can’t help that I love him this much and that I want to—need to—see him again!”

I stood up, my bare feet pacing the center of the room as I threw my hands up in the air.

“God! You and Eden keep warning me about him and it’s not like I don’t know! But the bond is too strong for me to not go!”

My sister huffed, shaking her head as she tossed the brush on the bed where I had been sitting. She crossed her arms and frowned, “So… then you don’t plan on accepting the rejection. You won’t because you still have hope that tonight he is going to change his mind and pick you instead.”