My heart rattled against my ribs as he moved in even closer. His eyes locked with mine, freezing me to the spot, burning a hole inside me. And just as he leaned in, the kettle let out a shrill whistle. I jumped a good foot into the air and scrambled to take it off the heat.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. “I’ll just fill this cup and take it up to bed. Thank you for the tea. And the cameras. And—and—” Griffin caught my elbow, forcing my gaze to his. “And for making us safe.”

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to my forehead. “Sleep well.” And with that, he was gone. The kitchen was empty, and I was alone. But my forehead burned where his lips had been, and I didn’t think I’d sleep a wink.

26

Griffin

I stared up at my ceiling as if it could somehow magically send me off into unconsciousness. But my ceiling had never been very good at that. Instead, I was hyperaware of every noise in the house. Every settling creak or gust of wind against the windows.

An hour or two ago, I’d heard the faint sound of light footsteps. I’d climbed out of bed to see Ava and Mia opening the door to Caelyn’s room. “Can we sleep with you, Cae Cae?” Ava had asked shyly. Caelyn had, of course, welcomed them in.

Maybe I’d been wrong, and it would take a lot longer for the girls to recover from their ordeal. They’d refused to take separate bedrooms, and now they were sleeping with Caelyn. My hands fisted in my sheets as Mia’s tear-streaked face flashed in my mind. The gash on Caelyn’s head. The way Ava’s hand trembled as she took mine when we walked down the street to my truck. The only one who seemed to be holding it together was Will. But I had a feeling he was simply locking things away. I’d taken that route before. And it never ended well.

I threw the covers back, swinging my legs over the side of the bed and heading for the door. Lying around wasn’t going to change a damn thing. I needed to move. If I stayed still in this state, my skin began to itch.

As silently as possible, I made my way downstairs and towards my office. I brought the computer to life, scanning through the different camera angles. All was quiet. I swore I could still smell a hint of Caelyn’s shampoo in the air. Something floral that I couldn’t identify. That smell brought it all back. How she’d felt in my arms. The silk of her skin beneath my lips.

I gave myself a good shake. It wasn’t the time. Caelyn had been through too much. I needed to be a friend and support for her, nothing else.