Love Among Thorns

el's

nching over gravel as moonlight spilled acr

a home - sharp lines, heavy iron gat

ding to the worn student ID in he

d waiting in the marble foyer, hands

ed the moment she saw

ruffly. "Clean her up.

flicked to me, full o

d, already moving to

sheets, she whimpered - a sound s

ed, more to mys

blood-matted hair aw

idn't

o

r tha

s Mrs. Holloway entered, carrying

rprising myself with th

uth twitched - the

always?"

weight in my chest

g about seeing her lik

even the

e familia

r broken thing I had

hat n

ev

ra'

thing I fe

obbing ache

ing across

s beneath m

Pillows.

, heart hammerin

er

was stran

ges, no heavy locks on th

n. Too e

m. Not home, ei

awed at

vers off, stumb

erously, black spots

l to steady myself, breat

e wa

ought

hed down, jag

hand strik

refoot int

ce - deep,

me before I

,

nigh

bl

bered t

mach t

ard the door. I

n't it

ust a sliver - and pe

pt

le

ide and endless, shad

ans

ris

bare feet silent agains

tinct scr

t make

orridor, I slammed i

und me before I

low voic

back, e

was

from t

who ca

es of his face, the rough scruff on his jaw, the

fi

gh me, filling every c

gasped, tryin

immediately - no r

hands raised slig

to hurt you," h

ways sa

hen t

ntil my spine

I?" My v

," he

lin

ie people told you so they cou

you?" I

simply. "I found you las

lv

nigh

bl

u'r

Couldn't shape the wor

w it

uth ti

fully. "Some of them... less tha

esperate to clear

e," I whispered.

t move t

w and rough, anch

, "you'll end up right b

fr

knew he

e, deep down, I

me even more than the blood

where el

rking with confusion, fear, and something

n't lo

ep forwar

d still, as if he knew even breath

said at last, voice low, stea

all, feeling small and cornere

d of something - not warning, but reality - in his voice,

into the cool m

, as if testing each word before o

drained fr

he kno

ow

" he said grimly. "One of my men saw your fathe

letting t

end up back th

my lip to keep th

matter how

ld alway

lightly, palms facing me

u're strong enough to fight for

him, torn

added, almost whisp

to beli

I wan

a luxury I c

, fighting the

ust you," I

s eyes - not anger, not o

id quietly. "You deserve

around me like a

ue, maybe - but the world tilted shar

rose up t

shb

f a slap ac

taste of bloo

?" my mother hissed, smiling sweetly at

othing wi

around my arm, squeezing ha

snarled, "and you're dead

not trusti

small and desper

rely recogni

u

ind me as I stumbled into

ed overhead, sm

look

u dare l

ael'

before she

oo light - and bu

sharply, but s

he hall, her expression tightening whe

ing briskly. "Dehydrated. Exhausted. We need

oving to carry Amar

he sheets carefully around her battered frame,

had se

knew she

owledge was the dea

face - pale, bruised, far too y

d prot

it destr

if it des