All Chapters of Promised to the Panthers: Chapter 61 - Chapter 70

Something happened while I was gone. Vanya was doing her best to avoid spending time alone with Obsidian. I planned for Vanya to spend a lot of time with him so she could see for herself that he wasn’t the monster she saw him as. I had hope when she agreed to come back home with me, but it looked like things were only getting worse instead of better. I feared that Vanya was going to leave us just like Ezra. Swallowing, I pushed the newspaper aside and stood. It was all over town, Vanya and Obsidian’s kidnapping, and their escape. They all knew that Reeves had paid a man to kill innocent girls and make it look like we had done it. I had managed to keep Vanya out of the newspaper when she was admitted to the hospital thanks to Betsy. Still, I suspected that it would only be a matter of time before they found out what injuries she had sustained. If the humans find out that Obsidian attacked her…I shook my head, shaking the thoughts away. There was no way anyone would find out the

“Melanie gave these to Vanya when she started having nightmares a few days after her attempted runaway.” She shook her head as she handed me the small medicine bottle. “She said it was the only thing that helped.”“But it can’t be good for her,” I muttered. Betsy sighed. “Vanya will never misuse any pills. That’s what you’re worried about, isn’t it? That she will overdose?”I nodded. She squeezed my shoulder as she walked past me. “I have known Vanya since she was a little girl. If something is troubling her, she will talk to you about it.”A few months ago, I would’ve believed that, but a lot of things had changed. The kind of trauma Vanya went through was not something she would want to talk about.I pushed the bottle into my pants pocket and followed Betsy into the kitchen. “How is Obsidian doing?” she asked.“Better.”“And Vanya?”I hesitated. “I’m not sure,” I answered her honestly. “Some days she seems okay and other days she doesn’t.” She said nothing as she continued to m

We were moving. The more sleep faded, the easier it was to remember what happened. I didn’t want to wake up. I didn’t want to face the reality that awaited me. My father was a murderer. And so was I. Tears burned my eyes and before I knew it, a sob fell from my lips. “Shh, rosebud. You’re okay, I promise.”His words only made me cry harder. What did he think of me now? I had promised never to hurt any of them and I killed one of his pride members. “I-I’m sorry,” I cried. Arms slipped around my body and pulled me against a firm chest. I opened my eyes and blinked up at the face hovering a few inches above mine when a raspy purr filled my ears. Fear hit me hard. “Breathe, sweetness,” Obsidian rasped as he cupped my cheek. “Just breathe.”“Are you going to kill me?” I croaked. “Y-you said you would if I ever harmed your pride. I killed him. I k-killed－”“There’s a difference between deliberately harming them, and doing it to defend yourself,” he interrupted me. “I’m s-sorry.

“Who was that man?”I paused and glanced over my shoulder at Vanya. She sat on the bottom step, knees pulled to her chest with her arms wrapped around her legs, and her chin resting on her knee as she watched me. “Is he your friend?” she asked.“No,” I growled as I turned back to my task.“Oh.”I sighed. “I don’t have friends, I only have family.”“You have brothers and sisters?”“No.” Picking up the dustpan, I walked over to the pile of dirt. “Only the new generations have siblings, except for the brothers. They are the only ones from the facility who are related by blood.”“You guys are from the older generation, right?”“Yes.”I walked over to her, took a seat on the floor, and leaned back against the wall.“Who’s the oldest between the three of you?”I smiled. “Who do you think?”Her eyes darted over my face. As she thought about her answer, I took the opportunity to study her. Vanya looked like shit. Her hair was sticking to her skin which was covered in a thin layer of sweat.

“Rosebud?”My hand shot up to wipe the tears from my cheeks. “Go away,” I croaked.His sigh filled the bathroom.I squeezed my eyes closed and turned my head away when he crouched next to the bathtub. Devrim’s fingertips brushed down my spine to the small of my back and then up again.“Do you need anything?” he asked.I shook my head. What I needed he couldn’t give me. For a moment his movement paused, but it continued a few seconds later. Up and down until he suddenly pulled away.From the corner of my eyes, I watched as he got up and walked away. I hugged my knees tighter and bit my lip as more tears filled my eyes. He would’ve stayed if I asked him to, but I didn’t feel like talking. My eyes snapped open again when I felt the ripples in the water. I blinked up at Obsidian as he climbed into the bath. He took a seat in front of me with his legs on either side of my hips. Gently gripping my calves, he pulled me closer to him. Obsidian pressed his cheek to mine. “I’m trying, sweet