He reached behind him and pulled out a gun. Erik set it down on the coffee table and looked over at Sam and then me.
“And I can keep us all safe,” Erik said.
Sam placed her hand on my knee. “I’ll stay if Mel will.”
“Yeah, at least for the time being,” I said, picking at a fingernail. “We should bring over the water, though.”
“I’m sick of soup, but maybe we should bring over the food too,” Sam said. “Don’t want to give anyone a reason to break in and nose around Mel’s mom’s things.”
Erik steepled his fingers. “We can go tomorrow and gather anything you guys want or need.”
“Thanks,” I said.
“I don’t think either of you should leave without Dorian or me,” Erik said.
Sam groaned, slapping her knife down next to Erik’s gun. “We need the big, strong men to take care of us now?”
“It’s just smarter to stick together,” Erik said.
“Well, Mel and I can take care of ourselves,” Sam said, stiffening her spine.
“That’s why you came right here?” Erik asked, his lip twitching.
I bit my lip to stop a smile.
“We just thought you would both like to know,” Sam said, turning her head to the side.
“I think it’s probably a good idea to stay together,” I said, and Sam groaned, clearly not thrilled I wasn’t aggressively taking her side.
“I was wondering something, though,” Erik said, looking back and forth between Sam and me.
Sam’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that?”
“Why did you go there?” Erik said. “You saw what it was like. People are losing their shit right now, and maybe rightfully so.”
“Why didn’t you tell us how bad things really were?” I asked, my jaw clenching.
“I tried to talk you out of it,” Erik said, scratching his eyebrow. “But you two are very determined. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know shit has really hit the fan, and it sounds like it’s just getting worse.”
I placed my hands in my lap. I pulled in a breath, filling my lungs. We were safe, but still, my body was struggling to calm.
“You didn’t answer,” Erik said. “What were you doing?”
Sam opened her mouth. I held up my palm to stop her before she could make something up.
“I lost my medicine, so I wanted to replace it,” I said, exhaling as I looked down at my hands. “Anxiety medicine. Something I need.”
“I see,” Erik said. “Maybe we can figure something out.”
“If I haven’t heard that a thousand times,” Sam grumbled.
My forehead puckered. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“That’s what you keep saying about getting back to Dott,” Sam said, pushing herself to her feet. “How about some honesty? We’re all screwed.”
Sam stormed off. She grabbed a candle and stomped up the stairs.
Dorian’s eyes were glued to the stairs. He looked bewildered.
“What just happened?” he asked.
“Long story,” I said. I stood and rubbed my hands together. “Sorry about everything. Thank you for everything. I think I just need to go rest for a bit. Today was exhausting.”
“Wouldn’t you like something to eat?” Dorian asked. “It won’t take long.”
A breath leaked out between my lips. “Thanks for that too, but I don’t think I could keep anything down right now. Sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Dorian muttered after me.
I climbed the stairs, making a conscious effort to keep my steps quiet. It wasn’t until after I tossed Mister Cat out of the bedroom and sat down that I realized I hadn’t eaten much all day. My body and mind were too tired to care.
The second my head hit the pillow, I fell asleep. It was completely dark when my rumbling stomach woke me what I assumed was hours later.
The bedroom was dark except for the pale blue light of the moon filtering in through the window. Crickets chirped from outside the window.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed and rubbed my eyes with my knuckle. My spine zipped at the distant sound of what sounded like a woman screaming.
The crickets stopped their noises. I tip-toed to the window and peered out, but there wasn’t anything to see. The trees were still, and it was only a few seconds before the crickets started up their strange song again.
I combed my fingers through the back of my hair as I walked toward the bedroom door. Erik had likely left candles glowing to light the way. Hopefully, I’d be able to find something to eat in the kitchen because if I didn’t feed the grumbling beast, it wasn’t going to let me get back to sleep.
The stairs barely creaked as I slowly descended. There was a candle on the coffee table and one in the dining room, providing me with more than enough light to see my way.
Erik or Dorian had closed all the curtains, which should have eased my mind, but instead, I imagined people creeping around outside the house. My mind liked to play tricks on me. The idea of them out there and me not being able to see them sent a shiver down my spine.
I turned the corner. My chest tightened, and my eyes glazed over.
Someone was there.
19
I sucked in a breath. It felt like I was choking… unable to breathe.
My arms flailed as I reached out to grab onto something. Dorian’s face became clear as he took several steps closer, catching me before falling to the ground.
“Sorry!” Dorian said, holding most of my weight. His eyes were wide with concern. “I didn’t hear you coming. You’re quieter than Mister Cat.”
He helped me over to a chair. I gripped the edges of the table, struggling to take in each
