Chapter 393


    Sephie


    I watched Stephen look at the message that just came through on his phone. His face went wh ite. I


    think he might’ve forgotten to breathe even. Whatever news he just got was not good news.


    “Yoden?” I asked quietly, trying to snap him out of it. “What’s wrong?”


    He was staring at his phone, but he slowly raised his gaze to look at me. His eyes were wide, not in


    shock. He was afraid. I dropped what I was doing and went to him. “Stephen? What happened? What’s


    going on? Talk to me,” I said, reaching out for his arm. When I touched his arm, I got hit with hi


    memories. All of them. Every dark detail he never wanted me to know. Every time his sisters abused


    him and tortured him in the worst way possible, humiliating him for the sheer joy of it. I saw everything.


    I felt everything.


    I didn’t mean to. I’d never had it happen like that before. I wasn’t actively searching his mind. I was


    trying tofort him. I felt tears burning my eyes as I went to move my hand from his arm, apologizing.


    I wasn’t sure if he knew that I’d just seen everything he never wanted me to see. He caught my hand,


    holding it in ce, but still not yet meeting my gaze.


    “They’reing to the city. I never thought they would actuallye here, but they’ll be here in two


    days. They want to see me. I haven’t seen them in years. I don’t know if I can face them,” he said. He


    still hadn’t looked at me, but he wouldn’t let go of me either.


    I sat down next to him, putting my other hand on top of his, resting my head on his shoulder. “You don’t


    have to see them. You can tell them to f**k off. You don’t owe them anything,” I said.


    He was quiet for a moment, contemting like he always did. “I think about what I’ll say to them when


    I’m forced to see them again. Each time I think about telling them off. Each time I think about pulling all


    of their demonis out and putting them on full disy for everyone to see. I think about breaking their


    minds the same way they tried to break mine.” He sighed. “And every time I can’t do it. I go back to that


    quiet kid that was terrified of his sisters.”


    This belongs ? N?velDra/ma.Org.


    I rested my chin on his shoulder, looking at him, fighting his memories. “I’ll be with you the whole time.


    You don’t even have to say anything. I’ll happily say it for you. I’d love nothing more than to destroy


    them sopletely they never want to see you again and they leave questioning their entire


    existence.”


    He chuckled. “I might pay to see that.”


    “I will happily do it,” I said, my anger oozing out. I didn’t have my contacts in, so he saw my eyes go


    dark when he nced at me.


    “Huh. I didn’t think I’d miss seeing your eyes change, but I kinda miss your demon eyes. That’s such


    weird thing to say, now that I say it out loud.”


    I smiled at him, chewing on my bottom lip. I was trying to calm down so the other guys wouldn’te


    rushing in. I wanted a few more minutes alone with Stephen.


    *Yoden, I don’t want to fr eak you out, but when I touched your arm, I got a full view into your head. I


    didn’t mean to. I wasn’t trying to, it just happened. I saw everything,” I said, tentatively.


    “I know you did. I wanted you to. It’s easier than me having to tell you. I’ve found having to say the


    words is harder than anything,” he said. “I wasn’ sure it would work, but clearly it did.


    My heart just broke for him. He’d been carrying this around with him for so long with no one to talk to


    about it. His sisters were truly well, “de parents know?” I asked quietly,


    Talthfully


    “I have thought about that, as wel. It makes me wonder if that’s why I ended up in the career path I’m


    in. Maybe I would’ve been an ountant otherwise,” he said, finally looking at me. A sly grin on his


    face.


    “An ountant that murders numbers,” I said, unable to contain myughter at my corny joke. He


    laughed quietly, but he was still struggling to get a handle on his emotions.


    “What do they want while they’re here? Like do you just have to suffer through dinner with them?


    What’s the n and how can we make this the most ufortable visit to the city they’ve ever had?” I


    asked.


    “They’ll want to spend time with me while they’re here, I’m sure. I don’t think I’ll get by with just a


    dinner.”


    “I’ll be there every time you have to see them,” I said. He looked at me, somewhat surprised, which


    made meugh. “Don’t be surprised. There’s no way I’m letting you face them on your own. Pinky


    swear, even.”


    His look of surprise only grew on his face, “What’s that?”


    I grinned. “You’re in for a treat, Yoden. The pinky swear is the holiest of holy swears there is. All the


    gods, goddesses, demi-gods, and holy men were polled on what the holiest swear is and 7 out of 10


    agree that the pinky swear is where it’s at. The other three were promptly thrown into the pits of He ll


    for disagreeing, but that’s neither here nor there.”


    He finallyughed. “Okay, so how does one go about making this holiest of holy swears?”


    I put my pinky out in front of him. “Give me your pinky,” I said. I hooked my pinky around his once he


    put it out in front of him. “I pinky swear that you will never have to face the demons of your past,


    present, and future alone ever again.”


    He smiled as he looked at our pinkies, still hooked together. “And I pinky swear you’ll never have to


    face your demons alone ever again too.”


    I grinned at him, loving that he indulged me, but also knowing this was the first step to getting him to


    realize his full potential. I leaned my head over to his shoulder once more. “You’re my favorite. Don’t tell


    the others.”