Page 119 of Haven

My head shook violently. “Please, just let me out.”

“If I do, will you stay with me forever? I can save us from him and we can go away. You can be my princess forever.”

“I’ll be your princess. Just get me out of here. Please. I don’t…” He pushed me back, covering my body with his. “What are you⁠—”

“Shh. It’s okay, princess.”

I lurched forward, my breath stuck in my throat as I tried to calm down. My heart was thumping erratically against my ribcage, almost like it was trying to escape to flee from the emotions and trauma. I needed it to take my brain while it was at it. My skin tingled, a cold sweat gripping me in its icy tendrils. What the fuck was that?

My mind slipped back to that room with the boy. He was a child when I met him. I was fourteen, and he was no more than fifteen. His calloused fingers dug into my skin tearing into my flesh.

Kace…

Kace…

Kace…

His lips felt like a thousand razor blades as he kissed me, going lower and lower until…

“Rory!” Vesper’s voice snapped me from my panicked mind and I leaped into her arms. I needed something else besides him. “What’s wrong, baby?”

“I had a flashback. I need a shower. I need to get clean.”

Vesper took me to her bathroom and I immediately jumped in the shower, not caring if the water felt like icy water with my nightshirt still on. I didn’t care. I needed to get clean.

Kace. His name was Kace.

The boy from my nightmares who was a part of my reality was named Kace.

“Just relax, baby. Let me take care of you. Let me take your shirt off?” I nodded, lifting my arms up as she peeled the constricting, wet fabric from my body.

Her hands were soft against my skin, gently scrubbing with my body wash and cleaning me. She didn’t ask questions. She just helped me. God, I loved this woman more than I could express.

When my skin wasn’t on fire anymore, Vesper dried me off and pulled one of my T-shirts over my head. She helped me into bed and kissed my forehead before changing into boxers and a sports bra and slipping in next to me. Her arms were home, and she made me feel safe. Vesper pulled me into her chest, and I silently cried. I needed it. This was where I could break without judgement.

I couldn’t focus on the issue at hand. I knew his name and I should tell Vesper his name, but I couldn’t focus on anything. His name was an anchor that would weigh me down, and I needed to process this. I needed to see Izzy and tell her this. Vesper and Hades would hold me while I cried and comfort me, but I needed something more. I needed my therapist instead of the women who cared for me.

I woke up confused. Vesper wasn’t in her bed, which was understandable since it was the middle of the afternoon. She took care of me last night after my nightmare, and then brought me back to bed and held me. Vesper didn’t ask questions as I sobbed into her chest before finally falling back asleep.

I felt like I went eight rounds with the best MMA fighters—and lost. I didn’t expect a nightmare to be this exhausting, but it wasn’t just a nightmare. It was reality. The boy’s name was Kace. My stalker’s name was Kace.

Yesterday was a fever dream. Sex with Vesper, confronting Widow and yelling at her, the flashback, but that wasn’t it. I heard them talking through the door. I had to use the bathroom before playing poker, and I heard them talking. It was my own fault for eavesdropping, but I had a feeling they weren’t telling me the truth.

HADES

Good morning, baby

Vesper said you had a nightmare. Do you need anything?

ME

Hey, I just woke up. I’m as okay as I can be. I want to come back to Crestview soon.

I was upset that she was hiding things from me, too, but maybe there was a reason. I was mad, but I had to find the proof first. When Widow left, I would sneak into her office and see if I could find these files. I wasn’t a child or a fragile princess, and I needed them to realize that before it pissed me off more.

When I walked into the kitchen, Vesper was talking to Mal and Parker about the bar. Without Cinder, none of the Vipers have been as cheery or eager to party. My sister was our lifeline, and she didn’t realize it.

Vesper lifted a black mug filled with coffee as she continued to talk to them. I didn’t want to disrupt them, so I grabbed the cup and walked towards the den. The mood felt off today, and I think it was because of me remembering.