She’s still there.

“Rose,” I whisper. “Are you busy?”

My sister turns, her hair bouncing as she spins around in her desk chair.

“I’m just working on some homework,” she says with a smile.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” I say. “I’m just going to get some stuff at the grocery store. You need anything?”

“Maybe like...a Red Bull? I’ve got so much to memorize tonight.”

I look over her shoulder.

“Biology,” Rose adds. “This is one of those nights being pre-med is not fun. Thanks for letting me study at your place, though. The dorms are so noisy, and even in the library everyone tries to come up and talk to me.”

“I didn’t know you were so popular,” I wink.

She rolls her eyes. “I think you’re the popular one. After we had that party here all of my friends keep asking when my big brother is going to invite us over again.”

I smile, and warmth spreads through my body. There’s nothing quite like the pride a man has in helping his sister succeed—socially, academically, or in anything really.

“I’m heading out the back. I’ll be back in like fifteen.”

“Sounds good. Oh, and Damien. Can you keep the door open? The breeze helps me think.”

“Of course I can.”

That’s the image seared into my brain forever.

Rose, sweetly hunched over my desk in the front room, tapping her pen against her notebook with a look of concentration directed at her biology textbook as I walk out, leaving only the screen door closed.

I should have known better.

Even as I leave, something in my gut doesn’t feel right. I hesitate, my hand on the doorknob, thinking about locking it in spite of Rose’s request.

But that vision of her sweetly studying comes to my mind, and I don’t want to disturb her. I want her to have everything she wants for her perfect evening of all-night studying.

Fifteen minutes later, I’m back with a bag of groceries. As I come up to the third floor, I see the inside back door is closed, and I squint toward it. That’s odd.

I drop my groceries to the ground, pulling out my key because the door is locked.

Even more odd that Rose would lock the door like this.

I unlock it and turn the doorknob, but it only opens a couple of inches before the door chain kicks in.

What. The. Fuck.

“Rose?” I call. I keep trying the door while I pull out my cellphone to call her.

No answer.

My heart pounds like crazy, and my skin warms with adrenaline.

I hear something inside, but I can’t make out just what the sound is.

Frantically, I bang on the door, then open and close the door a few times, but the damn door chain won’t let me on.

I clench my fists, and with a primal yell and a kick, I break the damn thing down.

“Rose! Where are you?”

I glance into the front room, where she was studying. Her pen is there, dropped to the ground as though she got distracted.

I run to the living room, and no one’s there. But the door in the front is cracked open. I run down the front stairs to the first floor and out the door.

I hear her voice. It’s faint. But it’s there.

Where’s it coming from?

In only the glow of the street lights, I walk the sidewalk, my movements frantic. My ears are superhumanly atuned to every possible sound.

Maybe this is nothing. Or maybe it’s something.

That’s when I hear the faintest knocking on a car, but I can’t see where it is. I turn around, and a man in a hoodie is right behind me, but I can’t make out his face in the shadows.

“Where is she?” I growl.

“Who’s that?” the man says, and then laughs maniacally.

Consumed with rage, I pounce on him. He tries to fight back but I feel superhuman strength in this moment. I drive him into the dirt, my hands wrapped around his throat.

“Where is she? Where is she?”

“She’s gone,” he laughs, somehow still able to breathe.

“I’ll fucking kill you,” I yell. “I’ll fucking kill you.”

* * *

“I’ll fucking kill you!”

“Damien. Damien! For God’s sake!”

I open my eyes, and come to in a cold sweat.

My hands are wrapped around a dark haired girl’s wrist.

“Are you okay? You’re having a nightmare,” the girl whispers, her voice soothing.

“Krista,” I mutter, taking a deep breath. “What are you doing here? Where am I?”

“You don’t remember?”

I loosen my grip on her arm.

“No,” I say, glancing around the room. “The last thing I remember was kicking Nick’s ass. And then everything went dark.”

Her pupils are dilated, and her face is shiny. A tear trails down her cheek. She leans in and gives me a big hug. I love how warm her body is against me.

“So glad to have you back,” she sniffles.

“Glad to have you back,” I add.

“What were you dreaming about, just now?” she asks. “I’ve never seen anyone sleep like that.”

I shrug. “Night terror. I used to get them all the time, after…”

I stop myself. Once I start talking about this, I could go down the rabbit hole.

“After what?” Krista asks gently. She takes my hand and interlocks our fingers tightly.

“After my sister got—” I say, breathing out deeply.

“Oh,” she swallows, rubbing my arm. “I’m so sorry. So sorry Damien.”

“I’ve been suppressing it for a while. I guess yesterday made me flash back. I’m just happy you’re okay. You are okay, right?”

“Yes,” she whispers. “Just a few scratches but I’m fine.”

“Thank God.”

I reach out, touching the tip of her chin, and guide it toward me for a deep, lingering kiss.

When she pulls back, she runs her hand through my hair.

“You’re amazing you know,” she says.

“Not amazing enough,” I huff. “I can’t believe I let him come that close to...whatever he was going to do. I don’t even want to fucking think about it. We need to get a restraining order, Sweetheart.”

She lowers her eyes. “You’re totally right. I didn’t see this coming. I guess sometimes when you’re the one close to the sun, you can’t sense things burning. I’ve known him to be a little over the top, but nothing like this.”

I shift my body, and just then notice how hard my head is throbbing.

“Fuck, that still hurts a little,” I say, lightly touching my hand to the back of my head.

Krista runs her hand over my shoulder, lightly touching me. Her touch is everything to me right now. It’s like she knows exactly what I need.

“Well you did get hit with a metal bat. I’d say you’re doing okay, all things considered.”

For a few moments we both say nothing as she grips my shoulder. We just breathe and enjoy our faces inches from each other. I run my eyes over her ruddy red cheeks, her dark brown eyes, her little nose and the way just the tiniest imperfection sticks out toward the right on the bridge of it.. Her imperfection is gorgeous.

She trembles, and starts to cry. “When I watched you get hit through the van window—I felt so powerless. And like this was all my fault. I’m the one who roped you into this. I’m the one who didn’t have the backbone to tell my ex off. I thought you were going to die, Damien.”

Emotion wells up inside me, too—though I don’t tear up.

She leans forward just a little bit and hugs me again, sniffling.

“It’s okay, Krista. It’s okay.” I hold her shoulders when she lets go of her hug. “Say it with me. It’s not your fault.”

Her eyes dart back and forth between mine as tears still roll down her cheeks. “It’s not…”

She trails off, ending the phrase as more of a question then a comment.

“I’m serious. You can’t blame yourself for any of this. It’s not your fault. Say it.”

She closes her eyes and swallows hard. “It’s not my fault.”

“Exactly, Sweetheart. And after this, I’m going to make damn sure this won’t happen again.”

“How are you going to do that?”

“Don’t worry about it,” I wink.

She smiles just a smidge, and rolls her eyes ever so slightly. “How can you be an asshole at a time like this?”

“Not being an asshole. Let’s get out of here and I’ll tell you. Can I leave yet? Oh. There’s this thingy in me.” I raise my left arm, which has an IV attached to it, still.

“Can you get this out of me, nurse?” I ask Krista.

“Hmm. I think it’s just fluids, but we should wait for your assigned nurse to be sure.”

I raise an eyebrow. “Well then I guess we might as well just start up date number three.”

She cocks her head a little. “Date number three?”

“Yes. The tenth night is coming soon, Sweetheart.”

She laughs, and we order some hospital food, talking about more frivolous things for a while. It feels good to be distracted for a little bit. In spite of the ever-increasing feeling in my gut telling me it’s imminent that something bad will happen.

Fuck if I’m going to allow that again, though.