Page 61 of Tenebrous

“I wish things were different,” I whisper, kneeling down beside him. “I wish…”

Well, it doesn't matter what I wish. He was made for darkness, built to survive harsh winters underground, and I'm human. There's no way we'd work. Not when it's clear that he'd live far longer than me, and my human needs only put him at risk the more he has to venture from this cave. Just because the residents of Deadfall think I'm dead doesn't mean they’ll stop trying to kill him—especially the sheriff.

Carefully, I brush a few strands of dark hair away from his forehead, and the touch earns nothing more than a contented hum. It nearly breaks me.

“You saved my life,” I say, my voice cracking. “More than once. And for what it's worth... I don't think you're a monster anymore.”

Just my monster.

Those words echo around the quiet den. He'll never hear them. Maybe it's easier that way.

“You deserve better than me, Orion.” With a sad smile, I lean forward before I can talk myself out of it and press a kiss to his warm cheek. “Goodbye.”

He sighs in his sleep, turning his face ever so slightly toward mine.

For one dangerous heartbeat, I almost change my mind. But then I stand, wipe at my eyes with the back of my hand, and force myself toward the tunnel before I stay and doom us both.

Four lives have already been lost because of me: Mom, Dad, Manny, and Uncle Gale.

I’ll be damned if I let Orion lose his life, too.

Chapter

Twenty-Two

Benji

Stealing clothes off dead people has got to be the rock bottom of my life. I wouldn't say it's my worst idea, not after I nearly drowned myself on Orion’s cum only hours ago, but⁠—

The thought of my monster sends a visceral ache through my being, but I shove it down deep as I work Dennis's security jacket off his corpse and wrap it around myself. The smell isn't pleasant, but at least I'll stay warm, and the jeans I pulled off some other sorry sucker are mostly intact. I even found some boots, too.

Casting one last glance at the bonepit, I grab a handful of glow moss on my way out to help light my way. Not that it helps much. Or at all, really. The tunnel ahead is still pitch black, and I probably look like a beacon more than anything else to whatever lurks down here, but at least it makes me feel less… alone.

The last time I tried to escape, I went left at the fork. This time, I go right, and a chilly breeze immediately fills my lungs. Orion's sleeping form flashes in my mind again before I can get too far. My feet freeze in place at the memory of his soft purrs and smiling lips, as if they refuse to move any further, and I squeeze my eyes shut.

Don't. Don't think about him. If I do, I'll turn around. Just follow the fresh air.

I force myself onward, one step at a time. The tunnel gradually slopes up, cold breeze growing stronger against my face, carrying the scent of rain. Of freedom.

It should be a relief. Instead, a spike of pure agony pierces deep inside my chest.

Falling against the rock wall, I press a hand over my sternum and inhale sharply. “... What the fuck?”

The pain is nearly crushing, like strong fists wrapped around my heart, but I grit my teeth and keep walking—twenty more steps, maybe thirty. The pressure worsens with each footfall.

My breathing grows shallow, each inhale like glass scraping my throat. “No…”

I brace myself against the tunnel wall as cold stone bites into my palm. The ache spreads beyond my chest, sinking into my stomach, my ribs, my fucking throat until it feels like every part of me is ripping apart.

“You are mine. And I am yours.”

My legs nearly buckle, and a sob catches in my throat. A sudden phantom tug yanks at my middle, and I swear it feels like a tether. As if something inside me is begging, pleading for me to turn around and go back to him.

But I can't.

So I shove off the wall and stagger forward anyway, the breeze warmer now. Daylight has to be close; I can almost see it up ahead. The smallest speck of light shines through.

Just...