Babysitting The Amnesiac Lycan King

Chapter 84

Chapter 84

There's a funny thing about lying.

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People think the worst part is being caught, but that's not true. The real hell is watching someone you love do it to your face and pretending you don't see it.

It's the way their eyes flicker-just for a second-the way their breath catches, the way they say your name just a little too carefully. But mostly, it's the way they look at you afterward. It looks as though they're begging you to believe them, even when they know you shouldn't.

That's the look Enoch is giving me now.

"No," he says, fast and sure. "No one could ever look like you."

He doesn't hesitate, but his jaw tenses. A tiny, barely-there movement, but I catch it because I know him. His grip on me tightens, fingers pressing against my waist as if anchoring me in place. Then he kisses me, hard and claiming, though he can shove the words down my throat and make me swallow them whole.

I let him.

Because what else am I supposed to do? Call him a liar to his face? Demand answers I already know he won't give me?

Instead, I smile-fake and easy. I let my fingers skim along his shoulders, curling behind his neck as if nothing's wrong.

But I feel it. The crack.

A jagged little fracture in the illusion I let myself believe.

Across the room, Brooke is watching. Her gaze slides from me to Enoch, then back again, smug and knowing. I know she thinks she just watched a glass shatter and is waiting to see how long I'll pretend the pieces aren't slicing into

me.

I hold her stare for a second longer than I should, then look away.

Because no matter how much my stomach knots, no matter how much I want to grab Enoch and demand the truth, I can't afford to fall apart.

Not now.

So I let him lead. Let the music guide us. Let the warmth of his hands fool me into thinking I can be happy, just for a moment. But my mind is already somewhere else.

By the time we get home, I've made up my mind.

I'm done waiting for the truth to be handed to me. If I want it, I'll have to take it.

**

The second I step inside my apartment, I kick off my heels, toss my bag onto the couch, and scrub a hand down my face. My head is a mess, my heart even worse.

Zoe's voice echoes in my mind. Tread carefully, Taryn. Liam's not the kind of boss you can charm your way around.

Yeah, no shit. Liam Calloway isn't just my boss-he's the kind of man who sees everything. The kind who gives you a task with just enough rope to either prove yourself or hang yourself with. And he gave me one hell of an assignment.

Write about Enoch.

30 Mar

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Chapter 84

His fears. His past. The controversies surrounding him.

Make him look good.

The words feel heavy.

I sink into the chair, open my laptop, and stare at the blank document which I'd

say holds the answer to my entire life.

who barely escaped

hover

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the weight of the world was on his

try to push it

photograph at the

just a little too much

my fingers, and force my

This isn't about me.

is about my

came from, what happened to them, why I ended up in Riverstone to begin with-I need to keep this job. I need Liam to trust me.

No second-guessing. No hesitating.

I start typing.

a sound.

a gunshot.

glance at the

Incoming call: Gamma Abel.

bathroom door, muffling everything but the steady rush

swipe to

Abel's voice is steady, but there's an

force a dry chuckle.

feed into my deflection. "You tell

my temple. Of course he sees through me.

fine," I mutter. "We're

stretches. Then-"That was

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Chapter 84

Fast.

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felt anything but fast. It felt like something stolen. Temporary. A dream so fragile I knew better than to hold onto

are talking. His absence-your absence-it's not sitting right. The Elders are circling

my eyes. Of course they are. They've been waiting for Enoch to falter, to give them a reason to sink

dips, quiet but firm. "Make sure you know what

hollow feeling creeps

I don't.

Not really.

won't say

chin and steady my voice. "I

doesn't call me on the lie. He just

The line clicks dead.

onto

The shower shuts off.

My heart jerks.

snap my laptop shut just as the bathroom door

the room.

slung low around his hips, hair damp and curling at the edges. His skin gleams under the golden light, broad shoulders flexing as he rakes a

flick to my

Then to me.

awareness

before I can react, he

mattress dips as he settles behind me, his

my

back.

circle my waist, slow

think too much." His voice is a low murmur against my

shoulder.

my spine. Not from the cold. From the way his words

for me

fingers slide lower, splaying against my stomach, pulling

I can't.

11:35 Sun, 30 Mar

Chapter 84