Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 68913 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68913 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 345(@200wpm)___ 276(@250wpm)___ 230(@300wpm)
“You did?” I couldn’t help asking.
Delilah nodded.
“It sounded really loud—like a really big balloon popping. Bang! Bang! It scared me so bad I hid under my bed. But I shouldn’t have—I should have stayed in bed and let…let them shoot me too!”
Her face was a mask of misery and I had the feeling she’d been keeping these thoughts bottled up inside like some kind of toxin that was slowly poisoning her.
“No, you shouldn’t,” I said firmly. “Look, the bad guys didn’t even get in through the door. I heard my dad talking about it—they got in through a window they broke.”
This was a lie—I had no idea how the burglars who had shot her parents had gotten into their house. But I understood instinctively that it was a lie she needed to hear.
Delilah looked up at me, her mismatched eyes filled with hope.
“Really? You mean…it wasn’t my fault?”
“No, baby,” I said, the endearment slipping out somehow. I shook my head firmly. “None of it was your fault.”
“Not my fault. Not my fault.” Her eyes overflowed then but some of the misery was gone from her little freckled face. Guilt can be a fucking heavy burden to bear—I was glad I’d been able to lift some of it off her.
“I know it’s hard, but we’re your family now,” I said softly, reminding her again. “I’m your big brother and my mom and dad are your mom and dad.”
“You’re all so…so nice to me,” she said again, swiping at her eyes. “But Cole…”
“Yeah?” I asked, looking down at her.
“What if…what if they come back? The bad men?” Her eyes were filled with fear. “What if they break a window and come back and hurt my new family too? And what if this time they kill me, like they should have before. I’m scared!”
It was the fear in her eyes that finally got me. I wanted so badly to comfort her—to take away the pain and anxiety I saw in those mismatched eyes. I don’t know why she affected me that way. Like I said before—I was a teenager and if there’s a more selfish form of life on the planet, I don’t know what the fuck it is. But Delilah just seemed to have a direct line to my heart, right from the very beginning.
I felt helpless, watching her cry. I thought of how my dad comforted my mom—how he would wrap his big arms around her and just hug her when she was upset. I wanted to do that for my new little sister—I wanted to give her what she needed.
I tugged at her shoulder and pulled her into my arms. She was hesitant at first, but then she flowed to me like water running downhill. She wrapped her skinny little arms around my waist and pressed her hot face to my chest. I could feel her tears seeping through my cotton t-shirt.
“I’m scared!” she whispered again. “What if they come back?”
“They’re not coming back,” I said firmly. “Listen, Lilah, this house is the Packmaster’s residence. That means we have alarms and armed guards outside at all times.” Which was true—my dad didn’t fuck around when it came to security.
“Really?” She looked up at me uncertainly.
“Really.” I brushed some of her long, curly hair out of her flushed face. “Plus, you’ve got a big brother to protect you now,” I reminded her. “I’m never going to let anyone hurt you.”
“Do you promise, Cole?” she asked. “Do you really, really promise?”
“I really, really promise,” I said and gave her a comforting squeeze. “Nobody’s going to lay a finger on you as long as I’m around.”
“Thank you.” She hugged me again and then sat back, putting a little distance between us.
I let her go, though I wouldn’t have minded holding her a little longer. She seemed so little and lost—like a kitten caught out in a rainstorm. I can’t explain it—I just wanted to protect her—to shelter and care for her. Even back then, she had me wrapped around her little finger.
“Thank you…big brother,” she said, looking up at me. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome, little sister,” I said, smiling at her. “You feel a little better now? Think you can sleep?”
She nodded and then yawned, which I think surprised her because her eyes went wide and she put a hand over her mouth.
I grinned at her.
“I think that means yes.”
“I think so, too.” She lay back down in the bed and I pulled the covers up, tucking her in.
“Try and get some rest,” I told her as I stood up. “I know things are tough, but getting some sleep will help—at least a little.”
“Okay.” Her eyes were already closing but as I turned to go, she reached out and grabbed my hand. “Cole?”
“Mmm-hmm?” I turned back to her.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Big brother.”