“I think we should hold off on telling them for a while; otherwise, they might put restrictions on our time together, and I don’t want that.”

“Agreed.”

Our lips connect, breaths mingling.

I’m about to dive into the kiss when someone taps on the window. When I turn my head, I see William grinning at us from the other side.

“So, this is why you wouldn’t hook up with me?” he asks with a shit-eating grin on his face. “Wow, I knew you were all about being nice to everyone, but seriously, you’ve lowered your standards to him?”

“You’re just pissed off because he kicked your ass,” I say haughtily. “Nice nose by the way.”

“You little cunt.” He reaches for the handle.

Ayden shoves me back into the passenger seat and gets out of the car as William opens the door. Ayden has him by a few inches, but William is definitely bulkier. Ayden once called William a steroid freak, and with his moodiness, I’m starting to wonder myself. Or perhaps he’s just an asshole.

“You’re going to walk away, back to the party, before I bash my knuckles into your face again.” Ayden’s voice is low and firm, and his hands are balled at his sides as he struggles to remain cool.

William’s fingers dart to his crooked nose, probably remembering what happened the last time Ayden punched him. “Whatever. You two can go fuck yourselves,” he spats, then storms back to the party.

Ayden slides back into the driver’s seat and shuts the door, locking us in.

“Well, at least I got my first encounter with him over with.” I blow out a shaky breath. I don’t like the vile feeling stirring inside me.

“Tonight’s been full of drama, hasn’t it?” He tucks a strand of my hair behind my ear, and his fingers linger on my cheeks. “I won’t let him hurt you.”

“I can take care of myself, Ayden, but thank you. For protecting me.”

A smile touches his lips then he leans over the console to kiss me. But before our lips can reunite, his phone vibrates.

Sighing, he moves back to retrieve his phone and check the message. A frown etches his face as he glances at the screen. “We have to go home.”

“Why… We still have an hour and a half left before curfew.”

“Because… the police are after a man that fits the description of the guy we saw that night standing in front of the house.”

“Why are they after him? Was he hanging around outside your house again?”

His eyes are wide, sheer terror radiating from his pupils.  “No he broke into my house.”

Chapter 11

Lyric

We text Sage and Nolan, telling them they have to find their own ride home, then we leave the party. By the time Ayden and I arrive at the house, my parents and the entire Gregory family have gathered in the living room of my home because Fiona, Kale, and Everson are too scared to go home. So scared, in fact, that they all brought their sleeping bags and pillows over to spend the night.

When we walk in, they sit us down and tell us what happened.

The Gregorys came home from dinner and Uncle Ethan caught the guy snooping around in Ayden’s room. Before they could do anything, the guy dove out the window. Uncle Ethan chased him for a mile but lost him in the park where a neighborhood Christmas party was taking place. The police are currently searching for the man and dusting for fingerprints even though Uncle Ethan is pretty sure the guy was wearing gloves. The worst part, though, was the tattoo Ethan saw on the back of the man’s neck—black ink and circles around solid lined symbols. While he didn’t get a really good look at it, he’s pretty sure it’s the same tattoo that Ayden has branded on his side.

“We’re going to find a way to get that tattoo off you.” Uncle Ethan says to Ayden as he paces the living room, more riled up then I’ve ever seen him. “We’ll get you laser surgery or you can go get it covered up, but it’s coming off.”

“Fine by me,” Ayden mutters, shutting his eyes and sucking in a breath.

“The police also want you, Lyric, and Ethan to go in and look at pictures,” Aunt Lila says. “See if maybe someone can identify him.”

“Okay,” all three of us mutter simultaneously.

The room grows quiet as reality seeps in. The guy had the same tattoo, which means he has to be part of the group that held Ayden hostage three years ago.

“We should turn a movie on,” Aunt Lila suggests to my mother, breaking the silence. “It might take everyone’s minds off this and help them fall asleep.”

My mother agrees and the two of them start rifling through the DVD collection while my dad and Uncle Ethan wander into the kitchen to make a snack for everyone.

Ayden remains pretty quiet as Lila asks everyone what we want to watch. His silence is concerning me. He says stress sets off his panic attacks.

I scoot close to him on the sofa. “Want to go up to my room and talk?” I whisper in his ear.

Ayden nods once then gets to his feet, pulling me up with him.

“Where are you going?” Everson asks. At fourteen-years-old, the kid is sassy for his age, but I prefer his sassiness over Kale’s gaping, especially after what Ayden told me.

Lila glances up from a stack of DVDs on the coffee table. “Ayden, you can’t go anywhere, not for a while anyway.”

“Lyric and I are just going up to her room, if that’s okay?” he asks politely. “We need to work on some songs.”