Patient A-3

Chapter 25: Jealous

Avalyn

I wake up with a heavy weight on my chest and peer down, finding Wrath's mess of dark waves resting on me. His arms are wrapped around me, holding me close, and I can't find it in me to make him move. He looks so peaceful like this, with no furrow in his brow or scowl on his lip.

Turning to the side, I realize Cierien is missing. I reach out with a hand out, feeling the absence of warmth that tells me he hasn't been there for a while. The open bathroom door indicates that he's not in there. I listen closely for any sign of him, but the house remains eerily quiet.

He's not here.

"Wrath, wake up," I tug on his hair and shake him awake from his slumber. He groans, muttering a half-hearted request for me to leave him alone. "Wrath, Cierien is gone," I say with a mounting sense of panic, attempting to maneuver his substantial form off of mine.

Peering through a single drowsy eye, his hand reaches out to search for Cierien. When he observes that he is, indeed, missing, he looks up at me. "Wrath-"

"Shh-" he silences me with a finger to my lips. My patience wanes thin, and I'm on the verge of resorting to more drastic measures, like smacking him, before he finally sits up. "I don't hear him," he groans, his eyes still heavy with sleep as he rubs at them. "Fuck, he probably went looking for Idalia."

I join Wrath in sitting up. "Is that bad?"

He turns, offering a contemptuous look that leaves no room for doubt. "Okay, so it is bad," I murmur anxiously, swiftly leaping out of bed and stepping out of the room.

As Wrath closely trails behind me down the stairs, he remarks, "He's probably already found her by now. All we can do is wait."

I can't agree. "No, he needs our support. We have to find him."

Just a couple of feet from the door, he seizes my arm, pivoting me to face him. He glowers down at me as his tone exposes the frustration he feels toward me. "He's a grown man, Avalyn. He doesn't require you to hold his hand."

I shove him back, my scowl deepening. "Why do you feel so threatened by me?"

A wry laugh escapes him as he runs his hand through his hair, his gaze averted. "Threatened?" he repeats, his voice tinged with incredulity. "By you?"

He inches closer, clearly attempting to assert dominance. "You act like you're something special."

I'm holding my ground this time.

My laughter aligns with his, and his confusion replaces his earlier aggression. "You're jealous," I say.

"I'm what?"

"Cierien doesn't need you anymore, Wrath."

His nostrils flare, his jaw clenching as he looks down at me. I step even further, refusing to let him make me feel bullied in my home. "You're jealous of the relationship I have with him- how close we are."

He snickers, nodding along. "Because you know that, one day, he's going to leave you- for me."

His cocky facade falters, but I just keep going, "Oh? Does that upset you?" I flash a confident smile. "Thinking of attacking me again, just to boost your ego?"

I pivot toward the door.

"I'm not jealous of you, Avalyn."

I keep walking, maintaining my stride.

"I'm jealous of him."

I freeze, listening to him release a heavy sigh before he moves closer from behind. His hands settle on my hips, drawing me near him. "I'm jealous of the relationship he has with you. I'm jealous of all those late-night conversations, the jokes I'm excluded from, the movie nights I'm not invited to, the kisses you share." His head lowers, his voice a whisper in my ear, "I'm jealous of the way he fucks you, sweetheart. I'm so fucking jealous."