Chapter 3

Willow

I held my breath, afraid that she would wake up.

Two months, three days, and-

My gaze flicked to my watch, its silenced edges now rusted by time and demons I’d rather keep buried.

-fourteen minutes.

That’s how long I’d watched from a distance, swearing to Caleb I would stay away from her orbit. A smile tugged at my lips, even as my lungs burned, begging for air.

The big man up there must really love me despite my shortcomings.

Daisy Drewmoore fell right into my lap. Technically, barged into my brother’s house but no one’s counting technicalities.

What mattered was her.

She looked so… peaceful. A hundred times more beautiful up close. I knew I shouldn’t be here. Caleb will flip out if he found me here. But like every single thing I get obsessed with… I couldn’t help myself.

My fingers stretched before I could think about it, brushing off a stray strand.

She ruffled in the sheets, I froze. Then slowly, her lashes fluttered open.

Shit.

I yanked my hand back, shooting up the bed.

She groaned, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her palm.

You have to say something, Wi.

She stilled.

Or don't say anything.

Her eyes narrowed on me, her body tensing instantly.

“Uh-”

Her scream- scratch that, screech cut through the silence like a chainsaw, grating on my eardrums.

I thought she would be relieved to see a face that could rival a god… I was wrong.

“For fuck's sake,” I gritted, then closed the space between us, placing her in a headlock.

She thrashed, shrieking like a banshee.

Christ, she was going to wake everyone up. I pressed my palm over her mouth, muffling the sound.

That made it worse.

She bit down hard on my flesh. Copper tinged the air, pain exploded in my hand. My grip loosened and she wasted no time slipping away.

Great.

But she didn’t run for escape… no. She created distance between us, taking a single pillow over her head.

A battle cry spilled from her lips as she charged toward me with the pillow.

I blinked.

Was she serious?

She got closer, raising the pillow above her head.

She was serious.

Before she could make contact, I grabbed her wrist in a firm grip. She tugged at it but it was no use.

“Who the hell are you?” She gritted.

I’m sure she thought that was intimidating. Cute.

“Will you stop screaming if I tell you?” I asked, desperate for Caleb not to come in here right now.

Her eyes narrowed on me. “Let me go first.”

I chuckled under my breath. Maybe she was feisty after all. That… for some reason, made my skin tighten with excitement.

Slowly, I released her. She yanked herself free, stumbling a few steps back with a shudder.

“Who are you?” She asked again, quieter this time.

I hesitated.

Caleb would kill me if I talked. He’s convinced that this quiet suburban life is real. I loved a good fight, but not with him. That bastard was crazy, even by my standards. But because he wears lenses and is a literal walking library, people assume he’s a dork, a nerd.

He was far from that.

“I-“

In the next second, a set of footsteps came barreling through the door.

We both froze.

Caleb's strides faltered. His brows drew together, eyes bouncing between I and Daisy Drewmoore.

I felt his rage even before he spoke.

“What's going on?” He asked slowly.

But I knew my brother, his calmness equals awaiting chaos. I took a step further away from Daisy, who totally ignored Caleb.

Well, that was a first. Usually, it was the other way around.

“Who are you?” she asked, then her brows furrowed. She turned to Caleb. “Who is he?”

I was ready for Caleb Fraiser to lie, like always. Cook up a story about a distant friend from high-school or his support group captain.

But he didn't.

“He's my brother.” Caleb said.

My head snapped to him, my vision narrowing. He avoided it of course. Something was going on.

Daisy Drewmoore, somehow, wasn't fazed by that. She just nodded tightly.

“And the other one?” She asked. “With the-”

“He's been taken care of.”

Her face went a shade paler. “What does that mean?” She rushed out, panic flaring.”Is he dead?” She paused, eyes widening. “Did you kill him?”

“No.” He said quickly… way too quickly. Almost like he was nervous. “No. He just likes getting into a lot of trouble.”

She wasn't buying it.

“Trouble?”

“What he means,” I cut in smoothly. “…is that our brother is a cage fighter.”

Her brows furrowed.

Caleb gave me a flat stare. Then slowly blew out a long breath, his fingers kneading the knot between his eyebrows.

“Leave.” He said without looking up.

I nodded, my lips thinning to stop myself from saying anything else. My gaze slipped to daisy, one last time, that confusion and fear and still, that fire in her eyes glowed like embers.

They made my chest warm for some reason.

I tore my gaze away when I realized I’d been staring too long and left the room. The door barely shut behind me before Caleb’s voice filtered through the wood.

“I know it sounds far-fetched but my brother wasn’t lying about the whole cage- fighting incident.”

I let the smoke tug at my lips.

Nice to know he hadn’t completely gone transparent. If he did, that would become a problem.

Last person who got too close… let’s just say it didn’t end well.

I sauntered back downstairs, forcing those thoughts aside as I whistled a tune that I couldn’t remember where I heard it from.

“I guess our little lady’s awake.”

I jerked back, pulse pounding as I threw Hunter a glare. “Why do you always have to sneak around like a ghost, brother?”

His smile stretched. “Haven’t you heard the gossip? I’m impossible to kill.”

I grimaced. “Did you practice that line in front of a mirror?” My smile dropped instantly, all humor gone. “No one told you to paint a fucking target on your back.“

Hunter growled lowly.

I brought a finger to my lips. “Shhh… we have a guest. Don’t want to spook her with all the ruckus.”

He could care less about what Daisy thought of him but I was already on her deranged psychopath list. And I didn’t want to go any further down.,

Luckily for me, Caleb stepped in.

“We need to talk.”

He leaned over the railing, looking down at us like we were a nuisance. Couldn’t blame him though. Hunter literally bursted through his door on the verge of death after five years of radio silence.

I was the first to break the silence.

“Shall we?”