34. (DANE POV)

Without a word, I lifted Jo into my arms, her slender form shaking violently against me as I carried her back to the pink room. Her sobs broke the silence, each one echoing against the walls of my heart, resonating with a pain I felt keenly.

Holding her close in bed after pulling on loose clothing to cover the injuries and bite marks until they healed, I felt her tears dampen my shirt. She cried until the gentle rise and fall of her chest evened out, her sobs giving way to the quiet breathing of sleep.

I decided that was the last time she would cry herself to sleep in my arms.

I would not fail her like this again.

The moonlight brought a new night, but the shadow of the previous day lingered. Everything was packed and ready for our departure. The return journey in the limo was silence. I was lost, my thoughts a vortex around the events that had unfolded. I reclined in the seat, Jo nestled against my chest as I stared out the window.

She reached up and undid my collar, jolting me b