waking
Chapter 26

Chapter 26

“Fine, Shawn said with a shrug. “Prove it

Naomi blinked and then nodded. Without a word, she snatched the steak knife off the table and cut her wrist. Blood sprouted out immediately.

“Geez, have you lost your mind? Shawn jumped up from his seat. “Carla, get the first aid kit, now!” He grabbed Naomi’s wrist and hauled her Toward the medical room.

With one swift move, Shawn booted the door

anger. “Naomi, what the hell were you thinking?”

de open, shoved Naomu onto the sofa, and grabbed the first aid kit to patch her up, his jaw set in

Naomi froze. When she’d made the cut, she hadn’t felt any fear, she’d been through worse. But now, as Shawn swore and cleaned the cut, the sting of the wound and his rough care mixed with a sense of being wronged.

“I just wanted to show I’m loyal to you, Naomi mumbled, wincing as the alcohol dabbed at her skin.

Shawn was rough but quick in bandaging her

1. up.

“Deal with it. You did this, he growled. “Though, you had to be this crazy to leap off a cliff and fall on me, didn’t you?”

His voice was cold, but Naomi could feel his worry. She’d known so little kindness. Besides her old mentor, Shawn was the first to actually care about her. Tears welled up and dripped onto the back of Shawn’s hand.

His brow furrowed Does it hurt that much?” He sounded slightly less harsh, his touch gentler now.

She shook her head; it wasn’t the pain, but it was the thankfulness that made her cry

Once she was bandaged, Shawn’s bottled–up anger burst out. He booted a nearby table across the room. “Naomi, how many y times do I have to you? As long as you’re with me, you’re mine. Who said you could hurt yourself like that”

She stood silently and then wrapped her arms around his tense body. “I get it now, Mr. Fischer, and I won’t forget, Naomi choked out, her tears running free. After so lule care in her life, even harsh kindness felt like a balm to her soul.

Shawn sighed, the smell of her hair calming him. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Go finish your dinner and then hit the hay.”

“Thank you, Mr. Fischer. For the first time, Naomi felt a true connection and nestled into his chest.

“Get off, Naomi You’re making a mess. Shawn pushed her back, his face twisting like he’d found a bug on his shin.

still wet, Naomi’s rush of feelings chilled.

Her cheeks st

“Go eat,” he said sharply. “And no skipping dinner after nine, or you’ll starve.”

Naomi bit her lip and went back to finish her cold dinner.

After his shower, Shawn tossed his stained clothes in the trash with disgust. He skipped the dining room and headed upstairs. Then the house phone rang. Carla was out, so Naomi picked it up. “Hello?” she said.

“Finish eating and then bring that scar cream up, he demanded and hung up.

Naomi set the receiver down, her dinner forgotten. She grabbed the ointment and jogged upstairs,

“Mr. Fischer, your… cream. The door was open. There was Shawn, only half–dressed, revealing a washboard stomach and arms that his clothes usually hid

He pulled on his shirt and took the cream from her without looking. “Back to your dinner.”

Naomi mumbled, “Yes, Mr. Fischer”

After the meal, Carla brought her a steaming mug of milk. “Here you go, Ms. Edwards, Drink this before bed”

“Thanks, Carla, but really, just Naomi is fine.”

Carla offered a warm smile and left it at that.

Tired from her day of herb picking, salve–making, and the earlier ordeal, Naomi still managed to squeeze out enough energy to take a shower and slip into her 1’s before heading upstairs.

Shawn hadn’t said it outright, but it was clear she was expected to be there for him to hold through the night–as though she were just a luuman teddy bear

That night, both Naomi and Shawn fell into a deep sleep.

At the foot of Frostpeak Mountain, Freddy awakened slowly, swallowed by darkness.

– with patches of moonlight dotting the forest floor. Rosalind was out cold beside him, her face stained with blood.

“Rosalind, Rosalind, Freddy whispered in panic, wincing with each movement. He fished for his phone in his pocket–nothing. Throat parched and lips cracked, he was plagued by more than just physical discomfort as Rosalind’s condition weighed heavily on him.

He tried calling out to Rosalind a couple more times but got no response. Despite the pain, he propped himself up and crawled to check on Rosalind: her breath was faint but steady.

There was

was no phone or wallet in her pockets either. The moonlit woods were silent around them, only highlighting their isolation away from the city, he wasn’t even sure if they were at the base or halfway up the mountain.

“Rosalind, wake up, please, he urged, patting her face. It took a moment, but her eyes fluttered open.

“Where’s Naomi, Freddy? How dare that bitch shove us off the cliff? I’ll make her pay,” she burst out with venom, only to let out a blood–curdling scream. “A snake! Get it off!”

Freddy kicked the snake aside, and then he helped Rosalind to her feet as they bolted away in a mix of adrenaline and fear.

A misstep sent Rosalind tumbling to the ground with a bloody nose, and she passed out again..

Desperate, Freddy heaved her over his shoulder, stumbling around, trying to replace a way out. Dawn was breaking by the time t the forest’s grip, and there, on the road’s edge, his strength gave out.

time they broke

free from

A passing car screeched to a halt. The doors flew open, and a couple emerged. The woman with a soft smile man, without a word, toied Freddy–back into the dark woods they just escaped.

le pulled

Rosalind into the car, while the

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