Eden

Fucking perfect. Of course Laurel would have something to do with this. I should’ve suspected as much from the start.

“Your face looks a lot better,” he points out.

“Thanks,” I grumble. “I’m going to change, now.”

He nods. “Take your time.”

I shut the door again, needing to be alone. Dropping my clothes on the bathroom’s counter, I open my phone and dial Loni’s number. I need her to know that I’m okay.

She answers after the first ring.

“Mallory!” she cries. “Oh, my God! I’ve been out of my mind. Are you okay? Did those bitches get you?”

I almost smile, but it actually hurts to do so. “They got in a few hits, but they didn’t have any bite behind them. Your dad would be disappointed.”

She doesn’t laugh. “Where are you?”

“Saint’s house. The guys got me out of there, and I’m here with Gabe—”

“Great, Archie-fucking-Andrews,” she grumbles before loudly declaring, “I’m coming over.”

Before I can say a word in response, she hangs up. I sit, blinking at my phone for several long moments before I slowly put it down on the counter and begin to try and keep the pain in my body to a minimum. Tomorrow is going to suck ass, I can already tell. I’m going to be sore and swollen in a few places.

When I finish cleaning myself up, I make my way out of the bathroom. Gabe is waiting just outside for me.

“Feeling better?” he asks.

“A little.” Lie. “Hey, just a heads up, Loni’s coming over. I think she wants to see for herself that I’m okay.”

Both Gabe’s brows shoot up. “Oh? Really?”

There’s something in his voice that makes me frown. “Is that a problem?”

He shakes his head. “Nope. Not at all. She’s more than welcome. Not my house anyway, so why the fuck would I care?”

He’s acting weird, but I decide not to worry about it. I’ve got much bigger problems to deal with, and some odd beef between Gabe and Loni is just not a priority right now. If he’s got an issue with her, that’s his problem, not mine. She gets to come over, period.

“Hungry?” he asks, and in that moment, my stomach rumbles.

I nod. “Clearly.”

Chuckling, he says, “Come on, let’s see what dickhead has in stock.”

We make our way into the kitchen and Gabe digs through the fridge as I slide onto a stool in front of the island.

“Hmmmm, leftover pad tai interest you at all?”

I nod. “Actually, yes.”

He pulls out a few plastic take-out containers and puts them on the counter, then finds plates to dump the food onto before he heats them up. We don’t speak as he prepares our meal, and it’s kind of a relief. I’m happy to just sit in silence and let my mind wander for a few moments, instead of talking about what went down at Ravenwood.

I shiver when I think about the attack, though in the end, the damage wasn’t terrible. At the time, I honestly thought I was going to die. I could sense it in those girls as they beat me. They were out for more than blood, and that savagery is terrifying to think about.

When the food is warm, Gabe slides a plate and fork in front of me. Then, he grabs a beer from the fridge, pops the top, and set it down next to my food.

“A little pick-me-up,” he grins before tucking into his own meal.

I grab the beer and take a healthy swallow before I begin eating. Again, Gabe doesn’t try to talk to me, and I begin to think he’s doing it on purpose. Could he know it’s the last thing I want to do right now? Is he actually being…considerate?

That’s about as mind-blowing of a concept as getting jumped in a library by a gaggle of vapid rich bitches.

I’m just finishing my plate when the doorbell rings.

Before I can move to answer it, Gabe jumps to his feet.

“I got it,” he says, putting up a hand to keep me from moving. I sit back, surprised, but wait for him to go and let who I’m assuming is Loni in.

Sure enough, not too long after he leaves the kitchen, I hear her voice reverberate through the house.

“Where is she, Gabe?” She sounds almost like a concerned mom.

“Kitchen. Calm your tits, Loni. She’s okay.”

Loni’s voice turns into a growl as the two draw near.

“Don’t tell me to calm anything. I’ll fuck you up again.”

“Promise?” I can practically hear him gri

“Fuck off, Prince Harry.”

My eyes are wide as they walk into the kitchen, and Loni immediately runs to me and throws her arms around my shoulders.

“Oh, my God!” she declares, pulling back so she can look me in the eye. “I was so scared. When I couldn’t get ahold of you, I thought…I thought…Jesus, I don’t even know what I thought.”

I smile sheepishly. “Sorry. I should’ve checked my phone. I thought it was just Saint blowing it up, so I ignored it.”

“Bet he’s go

She shoots him a glare. “He doesn’t need to know that, does he? It’s none of his damn business.”

“Agree to disagree,” Gabe smirks. “Where his girl’s at, especially when she’s being threatened by a pack of wild vaginas, is most definitely his business.”

“She’s not his girl!”

“They sure fuck like she is.”

“Hey, Loni, maybe we should go out to the beach?” I say, deciding to shut this line of conversation down immediately. Why do they still sound like they’re flirting while they’re fighting? Why would these two be flirting?

I can’t wrap my mind around it, and I’m not really sure I want to.

Loni looks at me with a furrowed brow and nods. “Of course. Anything you want. Lead the way.”

I hop down from my barstool, thank Gabe for the food, and then make my way out the back of the house with Loni close behind. We make our way out past the back patio onto the beach and come to a stop once we reach the edge of the water. I sit in the sand and Loni settles in next to me.

“So, are you really okay?” she asks.

I sigh, pulling my knees to my chest and resting my chin against them.

“I’m not going to lie, I was terrified. I really thought they might kill me for a moment while it was happening. It was dark, and I couldn’t tell how many of them there were. I-I …”

Loni reaches over and grabs my hand, and it’s only then that I realize my voice is shaking and I sound like I’m on the verge of a breakdown.

“I’m so sorry, Mallory,” she says, shaking her head. “As soon as I found out, I tried to warn you, and when I couldn’t get ahold of you, I went to find Saint. He was already pla

Now she’s the one who sounds on the verge of a breakdown. I wrap my arms around her and hug her tight, and we just hold each other for long moments.

“I think this is all karma catching up to me, Loni,” I finally mumble.

Slowly, she pulls back and frowns at me. “What are you talking about, Mallory?”

I shake my head and look away from her. “I think I might deserve everything bad that’s happened to me, that’s what.”

“Why the hell would you say that?” she demands. “Mallory, you don’t deserve—”

“I do,” I insist. “You don’t know…what I’ve done.”

“I’m here if you need someone.”

Maybe I should tell her. Maybe—just maybe—it’ll help. At the very least, I think I owe her something. After everything she’s gone through because of me, she deserves at least part of the truth.

She should at least know why the universe is punishing me over and over.

“The truth is… that fire in Georgia? It was my fault. I set it, and nothing good has happened to me since.”