Hunting Human - Amanda E. Alvarez [77]
“Don’t punish yourself for what you couldn’t control. You’ve suffered enough.” He caught her wrist and pulled her back. “I’m not them. Neither are you.”
She felt trapped beneath the weight of his stare and the strength of his words.
She jerked her arm away. Incapable of fighting him and her own thoughts any longer, she backed into the bathroom and protected herself the only way she knew how. “But that’s what I see. Every time I look at you, I see them. And I see Rachel.” She choked on the tears and ignored his expression. “I see her sightless eyes and her torn throat. Every time.”
She slammed the door on his stunned expression, terrified he’d see the way the words agonized her. Terrified he’d reach for her again. She turned the shower to scalding and willed the noise to block out the sound of his body slumping against the door.
It was better this way. She was better alone. Even if it squeezed her heart and chilled her soul.
Chapter Seventeen
“Hey.” Lucy walked in with a plate of breakfast and a mug in her hands. She perched on the edge of the bed and helped herself to a croissant. “Hope you don’t mind.” She gestured with the pastry, a grin pulling up the corners of her mouth.
“Sure.” Beth peered into the mug Lucy left on the bedside table.
“Braden said you prefer tea, so I raided Mom’s stash. Hope Earl Grey is okay?”
“It’s great, thanks.” Beth took a long sip and let the warmth of the liquid sooth her throat. “Where’s Braden?” She’d been carefully avoiding him for the last forty-eight hours, leaving his room only when coaxed out for meals by a family member. They were nothing if not persistent.
“Oh, he left about an hour ago. Said he had to go into Portland for a few hours.” Lucy polished off the croissant and reached for some bacon. “He said he’d be back tonight. In the meantime—” Lucy’s eyes sparkled in delight. “—We’re taking a girl’s day.”
“A what?” Beth asked, snagging the remaining croissant.
“A girl’s day!” Lucy rolled her eyes. “Manicures, pedicures, the works! Shopping, too. And Mom’s going to meet us for a late lunch.”
“But why?”
“You’ve got to be going stir-crazy up here. You’ve barely left this room in the last couple of days.” Lucy jumped from the bed, brushing crumbs off her lap and onto the floor. “It’ll be fun. And you could really use some of your own things. Anyway, freshen up. Chase is playing escort this morning. He gets cranky if we keep him waiting too long.”
“We wouldn’t want the man with the Taser to get cranky.” Beth couldn’t help it. No matter how kind the Edwardses were, or how long ago it seemed, some things were harder to forgive.
“Don’t say that.” Lucy morphed from excited to upset in a heartbeat. “He’d never hurt you. Not now.”
Guilt-ridden, Beth tried to backpedal. “Sorry. I know,” she acknowledged, surprised to find it was true. “I’m never awake until I finish my first cup of tea.” She smiled weakly, hoping Lucy didn’t take it personally. She was obviously close to her family. Of all of them, Lucy had been the most welcoming—bringing Beth books, luring her out to watch TV, providing a steady buffer against the insanity that gripped Beth when she was left to her own devices too long. She didn’t want to upset her, intentionally or otherwise.
“Where are we going? Not into Portland?”
“No. And Braden swore I didn’t have to babysit. I don’t have to worry about you ditching me, right?”
“I promise. I’m not going anywhere.”
For now.
“Cool. Anyway, there’s not a lot out here, either. Small town,” she explained. “But there is this gorgeous hotel along the coast and it has a full service spa. It’s amazing! I can’t wait.” Lucy bounced out the door. “Downstairs? Twenty minutes?”
Twenty minutes later, Beth stepped off the bottom stair. Lucy stood with her brother by the door, speaking in a harsh whisper.
Well, she probably thinks she’s whispering.
“She’s still afraid of you, Chase! So be nice. I mean it.” Lucy had one slender finger pressed to the middle of his chest, and Chase, despite the