Afterglow

glass

The ride back to the hotel was silent, pavement roaring under the town car that Lachlan's brother had rented out for the week, his brother in question having not been seen since the night before when we'd landed in California.

Lachlan's hand pulled me out of the car with him, his body tucking me within his embrace as Vera trailed beside us as we entered the gleaming lobby of the hotel.

"I'll go to my room and see if Blythe is there, she hasn't been answering my texts. Lincoln and Taylor said they were hanging with Evan in their room still trying to get a solid location on your birth father. I guess it's just a waiting game now."

"Okay, I'm going to go back to the room and take a shower, change out of these clothes," I told her, heading towards the elevator with Lachlan moving with me, our entities nearly as one.

"Do you want me to get you something to eat while you shower," he asked before the elevator doors could close and the immediate relief that filled my eyes was answer enough for him.

Chuckling at my eagerness for food, he placed a chaste kiss on my lips before letting the doors shut behind him, the promise of a full stomach calming me as I leaned my head against the cool metal of the elevator panel while pressing our floor button.

I was almost to our floor when the elevator stopped one below mine, and in walked Lachlan's brother, Brandon.

"Hey," I said, noting the red rimmed eyes and fresh bruise he sported across his cheek dusted with a five o'clock shadow. He reeked of bourbon, my dad's beverage of choice.

"Lachlan's little toy, what a nice surprise," he drawled, though I could tell that he was almost to the verge of passing out and most likely out of his mind.

"What do you mean, his little toy?"

He winked at me, the sight of him so strung out so completely unlike the person who'd given me a ride back to the academy a few weeks ago after the snowed in debacle with Lachlan in his car. Then, he'd been polite and refined, pulled back and quiet.

Now, he was a mess.

"I guess you'll find that out soon enough, baby. He's not here right now, wanna show me how you make him so happy?"

I nearly gagged as he filled up the space between us with his scent mixed with sweat coating his body.

"No, thanks," I said, and suddenly the doors opened up to my floor.

"This is my stop," I said, disgusted by his behavior but not enough to slap him when he invaded my personal space yet again.

"I'd follow you to your room, but I don't think baby bro would like me pissing on his territory. See you soon, gorgeous," he said, his hands slithering through my hair before my hand could catch his wrist in a painful grip that he just laughed at.

"You'll have to try better than that to hurt me, sugar. I've got a pretty high pain tolerance and, well, I'm pretty high too so there's that."

I rolled my eyes and escaped the cramped elevator before I did something that Lachlan wouldn't like- which included hurting his brother, something I was positive I was capable of considering the teetering state he was in. He was too sloshed to be able to hurt me, and I wouldn't let him get close enough to do anything.

Sliding in the room and making sure that Brandon had indeed gone with the elevator, I sighed and peeled off the funeral clothes, realizing that I was alone for the first time in over twenty-four hours.

I took being alone for granted, I noticed, wanting to feel the emotions that tugged at my heart that I couldn't allow myself to feel while in front of others, ashamed of tears that always threatened to spill.