Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 56

(Angel's POV)

Sleep eluded me again. I felt the pull of the darkness that wrapped around the center and an unsettling chill made my skin crawl. The nightmares were getting worse. Every time I closed my eyes, I found myself back there, trapped in those hallways with faces staring, shadows flickering, and that constant whispering. It wasn't just about the center anymore. I could see glimpses of Hendrix-tied up and bleeding, his eyes begging for something I couldn't understand. But tonight, the dream had been different. There was blood, so much blood. It pooled and dripped from the walls and stained my hands. And Dr. Joe...his face twisted into a monstrous grin as he held a scalpel to Hendrix's throat. "You think you can save him?" he taunted. "You're just as trapped as he is." And then, the scalpel dug deeper and Hendrix's scream pierced through me, snapping me awake.

My heart thundered in my chest as I sat up and felt the sweat cold against my skin. I glanced around and made sure the girls were still asleep. There was no way I'd wake them up again. I needed air, needed to clear my head before this madness swallowed me whole.

I slipped on my jacket and quietly left the dorm.

The night was cool and the breeze carried a sense of calm that felt out of place in this nightmare. I wandered aimlessly until I reached the old gazebo, hidden behind thick ivy and forgotten bushes. It had become a sanctuary, a place where I could think and breathe and feel something other than fear.

I wrapped my arms around myself and replayed the nightmare, feeling the pressure of it pressing down on my shoulders. What if this was all a warning? What if...?

800

(Hendrix's POV)

I couldn't sleep either. The treatments were taking a toll on my body and made my muscles ache and my mind buzz with endless thoughts. And then there was Ava-always Ava. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw her smirk, heard her threats, and remembered the documents we'd found. She was in this, deep, and I felt like a fool for not seeing it sooner.

But above everything else, there was Angel. Her face, her laugh, her warmth...they haunted me. Even now, I could still taste her on my lips, feel the way she clung to me. And it wasn't right-I knew it wasn't-but how could something that felt so wrong feel this damn good?

I needed to clear my head. Maybe a walk would help, maybe

And then I saw her. Sitting by the gazebo, her hair catching the moonlight, looking so small and fragile. My chest tightened, and I hesitated, but my feet moved on their own, drawn to her.

asked, trying to sound casual,

eyes widened slightly before softening. "You can join me if you want,” she whispered. I sat beside her, and the silence

night wrap around us. But I could feel it-the way

her head, and tears formed in her

"You're lying."

"I... I had this nightmare," she choked out. "About the center, about you. And it... it felt so real." Her voice cracked

let her sob against my chest. Her pain became mine, and every tear cut into my heart. "I'm here," I murmured and held her tighter. "I'm here, Angel. I won't let anything happen to you." "But what if you can't stop it?" she whispered and her fingers clutched my shirt with a desperation that

cheek, catching the tear that wanted to fall. "It won't," I said and tried to make my voice sound stronger than I felt. "I swear to you, Angel, it won't. I'll drag us

how do you know?" she pressed, her eyes searched mine, pleading for answers I didn't have. "How can you be so

raw with emotion. "But I'd

as if confessing a sin. "Why does everything else disappear when I'm with you?" "I wish I knew," I breathed and leaned in a little more, and every inch closer made my pulse pound harder. "But

against my chest. "This is dangerous," she said, but her voice sounded so soft that it felt more like a plea than a

forehead against hers, our breaths mingling,

distance. "What if we get caught?" she asked,

answered and my mouth moved inches from hers, my voice barely more than a growl. "But if

for a heartbeat, I thought she'd pull away. But then her fingers slid up and tangled in my hair, tugging me closer. "Kiss me," she whispered

leaving only the taste of her and the feel of her against me. I kissed her with a desperation I didn't know I had, my

thing I had ever wanted but never reached for. Her hands fisted in

into my lap, her legs straddling me, and the moment she settled against me, I couldn't stop the low growl that escaped my chest. "Angel," I groaned into her lips, the feel of her pressed against

just enough to look at me, her eyes half-lidded and her lips swollen. "Good," she whispered with a

my hands up her thighs, over the curve of her