I slammed my mouth shut and covered it with my hand before I betrayed myself by admitting to him just how hard I’d fallen for him. I turned and leapt toward this past-version of me but Riah’s big, warm hand gripped my arm.
He pulled me to a stop. “Go out there and you change the future.”
“Oh, is that how I can erase you from my life? I’ll take it.”
He dropped my arm and stepped back like he’d been gutted.
Yet still, I didn’t mean that. Even with all the pain he’d caused I regretted saying that. I turned and ran. I didn’t care where I ended up, I just needed to be away from him. Tegan had told me to stay there but I couldn’t. I couldn’t stand there and not lose whatever was left of my heart. I wouldn’t survive it.
She was tracking me. She’d find me.
I dug my heels into the snow and sprinted.
“Saraphina. PLEASE!”
Every single part of me wanted to turn back to him but I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. I refused.
Then, like a gift from the Goddess, rainbow mist flashed right in front of me.
“Get in! It’s open!” Tegan screamed into my mind. “Hurry, I can’t hold it!”
The tunnel opened within the rainbow mist and I didn’t hesitate. I dove in…and collapsed to my knees. My breaths were ragged. My lungs screamed. I didn’t care that I was a sobbing, weeping mess. I was done. Broken. Beaten and bruised. I couldn’t take any more of the torture.
“Has Zachariah retrieved her yet?” A deep male voice echoed down the tunnel.
I gasped and sat up straight. That voice…that voice was Prince Thorne. My blood turned cold. I cursed and glanced around in a panic…for what, I didn’t know. I had no help here. I was alone. I couldn’t beat Prince Thorne on my best day, and this was by-far my worst day. A cold gust of wind swept over my back. I glanced over my shoulder and found that the tunnel opening Tegan made was still open. Without another thought, I pushed off my feet and dove back out of the tunnel.
Chapter Twelve
Savannah
Ozzy Osborne sang into my room and my phone vibrated across my table. “I am starting with or without you.”
“It matters more how you finish.” Cooper’s deep voice purred through the speakerphone. “Doesn’t it?”
I gasped then choked on my own saliva. I dove for my phone but my foot snagged on the leg of the table and I crashed to my knees and my pewter chest hit the wooden floor with a thud.
“Fainting already?”
The noise that came out of my mouth would haunt me for literally the rest of my damn life. “Nooo,” I whimpered to myself.
“What was that, Savannah?”
“Y-yes?”
He did that laugh, that one that was all low and deep and raspy and might be the death of me one day. “Good girl.”
I groaned and leaned forward – and accidentally slammed my forehead into the dresser. I bit down on my cheek to stop myself from yelling out but now the sound I made was…I hate myself.
“My, my, you were serious about starting.” He chuckled more, just to punish and torture me. “Are you all right, Savannah?”
Oh dear Goddess stop saying my damn name like that. What did I ever do to you, sir?
“Savannah?”
“Mmhhmm. Yeah.”
“Yeah?”
“Yes, sir.”
“That’s not—” he giggled and I imagined what my tombstone might say. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
I cursed under my breath. “I’m fine. Totally normal, this is who I am as a person.”
“I see, I see…” he hummed and my toes curled so I kicked my bed frame to make them stop. “You’re sure about that?”
“Yup. Mmhmm. I am—” gonna crawl in a hole and die now “fine.”
He made that damn humming sound again and it made the hairs on my neck stand tall. “And what about when you’re not fine? I feel like perhaps we need a code word so I know when you’re…not good.”
“Kiwi,” I said before I could stop myself.
I gasped and slammed my hand over my mouth.
“Kiwi?”
OH MY GOD, WHY. “Yeah?”
“Yeah?”
“Yes, sir.” WHY?! I cringed and smacked my own forehead.
“Why do you keep calling me sir, Savannah?” He chuckled again. “You don’t have to call me that. It’s a bit too official sounding.”
“Yes, daddy—” NOOOOOO.
I officially live in existential crisis mode now.
“Just stick a fork in me, I’m done.”
“What am I doing?”
I hadn’t meant to say THAT out loud. “You are making my accent worse, you see what you’re doing to me?”
“Am I supposed to be watching?”
“SIR,” I said and it came out thick as shit with my accent, there were definitely some extra letters in there.
“I do believe we’ve already discussed sir, Savannah.”
I slammed my hand over my mouth so I didn’t say it again. So I didn’t repeat the horror.
“Savannah?”
“I’m sorry,” I groaned.
He chuckled so quietly I almost couldn’t hear him but my pulse still went stupid as shit. “It’s okay, just don’t do it again.”
“Yes, daddy.”
NO! I threw myself on the floor and buried my face in a pillow. WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING? I HATE THAT WORD. I HAVE NEVER SAID IT EVER. WHY. OH MY GOD. CRINGE, CRINGE, CRINGE.
I AM UNCOMFORTABLE.
“Savannah?”
AHHHHHHHHHHH, I screamed into the pillow.
“Savannah? I can hear you.”
I rolled over, grabbed my phone, and yelled, “KIWI.”
“All right,” he said with gravelly voice. “I’ll let you go for now, but when I call back let’s try this again.”
“Yes—” I shoved my fist into my mouth.
“Good girl,” he purred. “Bye for now, Savannah.”
The line went dead and I was jealous.
“WHAT THE SHIT JUST HAPPENED?!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.
Did Cooper Bishop just give me a safe word?
MA’AM.
STOP IT.
NO, HE DID NOT.
YES, HE DID AND I USED IT. ACCURATELY.
I smacked myself in the head with the pillow over and over.
Note to Savannah, ASSIGN RINGTONES TO PEOPLE. This was so avoidable. If I wasn’t so damn lazy and assigned ringtones to specific people I would never have traumatic moments like this.
Damn it, Savannah. Damn it.
Ozzy started singing again and I stopped breathing. But then I looked and saw it was Gigi this time. I answered it, “This is all your fault. Why weren’t you on time?”
Silence.
“What did you do?”
“COOPER CALLED AND I THOUGHT HE WAS YOU SO I ANSWERED IT AND SAID I AM STARTING WITH OR WITHOUT YOU AND DO YOU KNOW WHAT HE SAID?”
“Oh no…”
“IT MATTERS MORE HOW YOU FINISH AND THEN HE MADE ME PICK A SAFE WORD, GIGI. A SAAAAFE WORD, MA’AM.”
“…did you call him daddy again?”