Chapter Fifteen

Kaitlyn

“Well, that wasn't awkward or anything,” I say.

Ashley laughs as she hands me a cup of tea. “I'm just glad I didn't walk in on you two mid-act,” she says and then gives me a flirty little smile. “I may have had to join in.”

Wyn is dressing in my room and I'd rummaged around, finally finding my pants and shirt, tugging them on quickly in front of Ashley. We dress in front of each other all the time, so it's no big deal. But for all of his cockiness and swagger, when Ashley walked in on us, Wyn's cheeks turned bright red and he looked like a kid who'd been caught fooling around with a girl in the basement by his parents.

It was actually kind of adorable.

“So – you do know I expect all the gory details later,” she says.

I smile. “I know you do.”

“And since I had to bear witness to – that,” she says. “You can't say no. You owe me now.”

“I actually think you're disappointed you didn't get to watch.”

She shrugs. “Maybe a little,” she says. “Would have been a way better use of my time than that fucking audition.”

I grab her hand and squeeze it gently. “I'm so sorry,” I say. “That bad?”

She nods. “Yeah, pretty much,” she says. “But hey, I'm not gonna get all the roles, right?”

“Exactly,” I say. “You're going to nail the next one.”

“Damn right.”

Wyn steps into the living room, pulling his shirt down and running a hand through his hair. I notice that he still can't look Ashley in the eye, which makes me laugh and shake my head. Like I said, adorable. Ashley's not going to let him off the hook that easily though – I can see the mischievous look in her eyes.

“So – Wyn,” she says. “Nice to see you again. But you didn't need to go to all the trouble of getting dressed again on my account. We're all friends here, right?”

He clears his throat again. “Yeah, nice to see you again too.”

“And, what are your intentions for my girl, here?”

He looks from her to me, his expression practically begging for me to jump in and save him. But I'm amused – and Ashley wants to have her fun, of course. I take a long sip of the tea she'd brought me and look at him, a grin on my face.

“M – my intentions?”

“Yeah,” Ashley says. “Are you planning on her being a booty call? A friends with benefits thing? Or are you interested in maybe dating her? Marrying her? Starting a family together? You know, your intentions. I need to know this.”

He looks at me and I can see some of the color coming back into his face. He knows that Ashley is screwing with him and I can see some of his cockiness and swagger coming back. Her walking in on us had knocked him off his game, but he's not the kind of guy who stays down too long.

“Kaitlyn told me you were a little bit older,” he says, a smirk on his face. “But I didn't realize you were old enough to be her mother.”

She shrugs. “Oh, you know, a concerned friend who's actually not that much older can cut your pecker off and stick it down the garbage disposal so they can't reattach it every bit as easily as a mother can. Just so you know.”

Wyn laughs and shakes his head. “I have no doubt,” he says. “As far as my intentions go, we'll have to see about that. Right now, we have a bigger problem we need to deal with. It's the reason I stopped by in the first place. I was going to tell you about it but we – got distracted.”

“You mean, you boned on my couch,” Ashley says.

“That's certainly a more – colorful way of putting it, sure,” he says.

“So, what did you want to talk about before we got distracted and boned on the couch?” I ask, throwing a little more salt on the wound.

His expression changes a bit and I suddenly see concern in his eyes. “You're in danger,” he says. “And I need to protect you.”

Ashley laughs and claps her hands. “You've got it ass-backwards, Wyn. Usually, you start off with that line,” she says. “You've already boned, so you don't need –”

He shakes his head and the look of concern on his face grows, which sends an uneasy feeling worming its way through me. I don't know why, but I believe him when he says that I'm in danger and that he's there to protect me. And it's a belief that sets my nerves on edge and my pulse racing.

“Who am I in danger from?” I ask.

“Nyro,” he says flatly. “And if you stay here, you might be in danger too, Ashley. Which is why I want you both to come with me.”

“Seriously?” Ashley asks.

“There are some things you need to know. To understand,” Wyn says. “And the best way for you to understand is for you to see something with your own eyes. Believe me, it will save a lot of time and hassle.”

Ashley and I share a look and I can see the open skepticism on her face. “I think we should go with him,” I say. “I don't think he's bullshitting us. I believe him.”

Ashley looks at me for a long moment before nodding, a look of uncertainty mixed with a little fear crossing her features.

“Pack enough clothing for a few days,” he says. “I'm going to take you someplace safe.”

He looks out the window and I see the look of concern on his face deepen. It's full dark out and for some reason, that seems to make him nervous. I nudge Ashley and give her a nod.

“Let's go pack,” I say.

An ominous feeling saturates the air around us. I don't know if it's because Wyn is putting off nervous energy – or I am – or if it's something else, but there is suddenly something dark and oppressive in the room with us. It's so thick that even Ashley seems to feel it. She nods and then heads off to her room.

“Please hurry,” Wyn says.

“I will.”

I run into my room, grab a backpack, and start throwing clothes into it. My heart is racing and my mind is spinning with a million different thoughts. I don't know why I'm suddenly feeling so on edge and scared, but I am. Maybe it's just paranoia or Wyn feeding into my own fears, but I can feel something coming. Something dark and malevolent.

As I zip up my bag, my mind flashes to Nyro's face. To his golden eyes. To the nightmare I'd been having just before Wyn showed up. Had it been a nightmare? Or was it real? It seems ridiculous to even question it. It had to have been a dream. I'd woken up from it on the couch.

But just like the memories of the night I'd spent with Nyro, tendrils from the dream still cling to me. And they feel real. Very real. It seems more than a dream or a memory. It seems like something that really happened – and my mind is simply choosing to frame it all as dreams and faulty memories because it can't quite cope with the reality.

I honestly don’t know what to think, but I know what I feel. And what I feel right now is scared out of my mind.

Grabbing my bag, I hustle out to the living room to find Wyn and Ashley already waiting for me. The look on Wyn's face is grim.

“What is it?” I ask.

“He's here,” he replies.