“Whoa, I gotcha,” he says, wrapping his warm arms around me and holding me close. “It’s okay, it’s—we’ll figure this out. I promise.”
I place my face against his broad chest, listening to his heartbeat as he slowly rubs the palm of his hand over the back of my head.
Suddenly, my chin quivers and tears spill over the edges of my eyelids. “What if my dad…”
“Shhhh…” Wade murmurs. “I’m sure he’s fine. We can call the house and if nothing else, go back there in the morning. Things seem worse in there after the sun goes down. Let’s just ride this out and we’ll do what we can in the morning.”
“What about the police? Shouldn’t we call them?” I say, lifting my head and staring deeply into his silver eyes.
Wade’s eyebrows rise and he shrugs. “We can, if you think that’ll help. I don’t know what they’ll be able to do, though. It’s not like they’re ghostbusters. They’re just cops.”
I run my hand over my mouth, backing away from him. He’s right. I know he’s right, but I feel so helpless. There has to be something I can do to help or protect my dad from all the madness. If I go home tomorrow to find out I could have done something, but didn’t…
Before I know it, my shoulders are wracking with the sobs I’d been holding back. “Why is she doing this? Why is she so angry—?” I sputter, managing to get a couple of words between whimpers.
“I don’t know, but we’re not going to solve anything out here. Let’s get inside.” Wade takes my hand, leading me toward his apartment building.
I can barely contain all of the thoughts fighting for a turn in my head. What if I can’t get Abigail to stop? Will she hurt us? Really hurt us? Could she—would she…kill us?
Wade leads me down the hallway to his apartment, but I’m barely able to focus on staying vertical. All I want to do is sleep. I need to sleep…
Swaying on the spot, I hear Wade take out his keys and kick open his door, but the next thing I know, I’m floating. My hair sways in the movement, but I can’t bring myself to open my eyes. Instead, I lean into it, letting it sweep me away.
When my eyes flutter open again, I’m lying beside Wade on his bed. The room is dimly lit by a small table lamp on the other side of the room. He props himself onto his elbow and runs his hand along the side of my face.
“How are you doing?” he whispers, locking his discerning gaze with mine.
“I—” I close my eyes, unable to keep them open for longer than a couple of moments. “I’m not sure. I feel so…”
“It’s okay. You’re in shock. This has been a lot to deal with. Just rest, okay? You’re safe,” Wade says quietly as he continues to stroke the side of my face.
The movement is so natural and so comforting, it’s all I can do not to fall back to sleep. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind, my anxiety blossoms and my eyes pop back open.
“My dad—”
Wade’s eyes soften and his fingertips cease their dance momentarily. “I’ve called Sheriff Gordon. They’re going to go and check in on him. We should be getting a call any time now.”
“But what about...” My voice trails off as the memory of Abigail’s attack comes rushing back to me. The house is wrecked—absolutely destroyed.
“He’s been warned to go in with caution. I gave him as many details as I could about what happened. If your dad’s in there, they’ll find him.”
Relief floods through my body for the first time and I lean back into the pillow. Wade resumes his soft touch along the side of my face. For the longest time, I rest there, just concentrating on the way his hand feels on my skin.
“Thank you,” I whisper, unable to put into words everything I’m really feeling right now. Everything I wish I could say.
Wade snickers softly. “What on earth are you thanking me for?”
I open my eyes, taking in his confused expression. “Everything. Coming back into the house after the last time. Being willing to talk to my dad… Getting me out of the resurrection chamber when Abigail made it nearly impossible. Helping me get out of the house… Letting me stay here…” I say, splaying my hand out and gesturing around the room. “It’s more than I deserve.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Wade says, scrunching his face.
Slowly, I shift myself to a seated position. “No, I mean it. You didn’t have to come back to the house. You don’t owe me anything. Especially after—”
Wade sits up, too, taking my hands in his and holding them in the space between us. “Autumn, I will never abandon you. I don’t know why you haven’t gotten that through your thick head yet.”
“Gee—thanks,” I say, dropping my gaze to the crumpled blanket between us.
“No, I mean it. I know you’re just running scared. I get it. You’ve been through a lot in a short span of time. Finding out about your gifts, not to mention my lineage and all that goes with it. Then Cat and Colton. The Fetch. Besides, my dad can be damn scary… But I’ve given things a lot of thought over the past few weeks. I love you and I’m not going anywhere. I will always be here for you. Even if I have to do it from a distance,” he says, his eyes pleading with me to understand.
Something inside of me softens and I’m consumed with the desire to let go.
I don’t know what’s changed. Maybe it’s the extreme haunting and very real possibility of facing my own mortality… Or the fact that even though I’ve tried to keep him away and keep him safe, Wade is still always
