Athena’s Pow
Leah wanted to ask more questions, I could see it in the way her brow furrowed with concern and her mouth opened slightly like she was about to speak. But something about my tone, the fragile edge in my voice, must have warned her off.
She just nodded and led me back to her car, though she kept stealing worried glances at me as we walked.
I could feel her eyes on me, studying my face like she was trying to solve a puzzle. The weight of her concern felt heavy on my shoulders, another burden I wasn’t sure I could carry right now.
The drive home was a complete disaster. I was so lost in my own head, so completely shaken by what had just happened, that I kept giving Leah wrong directions.
My thoughts were spinning in endless circles – was it really him? Had Daxon somehow tracked me down? Was I losing my mind, seeing threats where none existed?
I saw him turned, it wasn’t him. I really need to get my shit together, this was becoming embarrassing.
We missed the turn to Tristan’s place three times because I told her to go straight when we should have turned left, then right when we should have gone straight. Each mistake made me feel more foolish, more broken, like I couldn’t even handle the simple task of getting home.
“Maybe we should try the GPS, Leah suggested gently after the second wrong turn, but I shook my head stubbornly.
I know the way. I just… I’m distracted.” But even as I said it, I realized I was directing her toward streets that didn’t make sense,
roads that led away from where we needed to go.
“Athena,” she said finally, pulling over to the side of the road and putting the car in park. “I think you need to tell me what’s really
going on. We’ve been driving in circles for twenty minutes, and you look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
I looked around and realized with fresh embarrassment that we were only two blocks from where we’d started. My mind was so
completely scrambled I couldn’t even remember how to get to the place I’d been living for weeks.
The familiar streets looked foreign, threatening, like the landscape had shifted while I wasn’t paying attention.
“I’m sorry,” I said, pressing my palms against my eyes and trying to push back the tears that were threatening to spill over. “I’m just…
it’s been a really long day. The house is just up there, close to the blue one.”
How could I explain to Leah, that I’d just chased a complete stranger through an alley because I thought he was the man who’d spent
years systematically destroying my sense of self?
How could I tell her that I was so broken, so paranoid, that I saw my abuser’s face in every shadow? That the training hadn’t done
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Chapter 46
anything to how scared I am of Daxon.
When we finally pulled up in front of Tristan’s place, Leah turned off the engine and looked at me with genuine concern etched across her features.
“Do you want me to come in with you? I really don’t like the idea of leaving you alone when you’re this shaken up. Marcus won’t mind if I’m a little late getting home.”
The offer was tempting. The thought of walking into that empty house alone, with nothing but my spiraling thoughts for company, made my stomach clench with anxiety.
But I couldn’t drag Leah into this mess. She had her own life, her own problems, her own happiness to protect.
I shook my head, not trusting my voice to stay steady if I tried to speak. “I’m fine. Drive safely, okay?”
“Athena, you’re clearly not fine,” she said softly. “Whatever happened back there at the market, whatever you saw or thought you saw, you don’t have to deal with it alone.”
For a moment, I almost broke down and told her everything. About Daxon, about the years of abuse, about how I’d run halfway around the world only to discover that you can’t actually escape from the monsters that live inside your own head.
Instead, I forced what I hoped was a reassuring smile. “Really, I just need some rest. Thank you for everything today.”
She clearly didn’t believe me, but she let me get out of the car. I could feel her watching me as I walked to the front door, probably making sure I actually made it inside safely. The weight of her concern followed me all the way to the porch.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
