Chapter Four
Brielle sat in oneof the outdoor couches on the roof late that afternoon, her legs folded beneath her as she leaned back into the soft back rest.The couch itself was a hideous brown color, but who cared what it looked like, it was comfy and when a woman wanted to sink in and read, it was perfect.It was also perfect when a girl just wanted to flop and think, which was exactly her mood in that moment.
The sun was sliding down the sky, painting the horizon in bruised shades of pink and gold.Below, the hum of traffic and the occasional honk drifted up from the streets, grounding her in the present even as her mind replayed the nightmare over and over.The roof had always been her place to breathe, to get above the noise and clutter of the city.Right now, she needed it more than ever.
She tugged her sweater tighter around her shoulders and muttered under her breath, “Maybe I should just move up here permanently.Hopefully I won’t have bad dreams with all this fresh air around.”
The squeak of the stairwell door opening interrupted her brooding.She glanced back to see Willow pushing it open, Liam at her heels.Willow’s face was full of worry, while Liam’s carried the look of a man about to interrogate a suspect.Brielle groaned softly.“And here comes the cavalry.”
“Thought we’d find you up here,” Willow said gently, plopping down beside her with the ease of a sister.“You okay?”
“I don’t know,” Brielle admitted, rubbing her temple.“I can’t shake it.My head feels like it’s full of echoes.That dream really knocked me for a six.”
Willow nudged her shoulder gently.“Want to tell me about it again?You’ve been carrying the weight of it all day, I can see it.Perhaps retelling it might jog your memory on a fact or two.”
Brielle huffed out a humorless laugh.“It was awful.Marion’s voice was mine.The fear was mine, but not.I woke up feeling like I’d been ripped apart.And the worst part?I can still hear the screams.Like they’ve lodged in my head somewhere.The smell of smoke was thick, and every time I closed my eyes today, I kept seeing Libby fall, Jacob and Liam bleeding out at Matthew’s feet.Saffie’s scream—gods, I swear I can still hear it echoing.It wasn’t just fear, it was loss, crushing, and absolute, and it felt like my chest was caving in with theirs.I woke up clawing at my sheets, sure there would be blood on my hands.”
Willow’s smile faded, her expression soft.“That’s not just a dream, Bri.You know it.It’s a memory.And memories like that ...they don’t just vanish because the sun comes up.”
Brielle wrapped her arms tighter around herself, half joking to ease the tension.“Well, if that’s the case, my subconscious owes me a spa weekend.”
Liam shifted on the other side of the roof, moving restlessly, his knee bouncing restlessly.He looked like he was chewing on words, pacing them in his head but refusing to let them loose.
Brielle caught the movement and raised an eyebrow at him.“You pacing in your head, Liam?Because that frown says you’re dying to add something.”
Liam hesitated for a moment before he crossed the roof slowly, eyes fixed on her, then perched on the bench across from her like a hawk considering its prey.“We need to talk.”
Brielle narrowed her eyes.“You know, usually when someone says that they’re about to break up with me.Should I brace myself?”
Willow choked on a laugh, and even Liam’s mouth twitched.“No one’s breaking up with you,” he said dryly.“But it’s serious.It’s about what happened this afternoon.With the EMTs.”
Brielle blinked.“Hunter and Lennox?”
“Yes.”Liam leaned forward, elbows on his knees.“When we were in the lift, I overheard them talking.Hunter and Lennox caught your scent immediately.I saw the way they stiffened, the way their breathing changed—it was instinctive, and they couldn’t disguise it.Later, when I stood near them, they caught it again, clinging to me because I’d been with you.They knew it was yours.And while I was watching them, I caught something, too—an edge of wildness threaded through their own scent.It wasn’t human.That told me plenty about what they are, and what they’re carrying inside.”
Stuck on the first part of what Liam had said, Brielle sat back, incredulous.“Excuse me?Are you telling me I need stronger deodorant?”
Willow pressed her lips together, shoulders shaking.
Liam’s expression stayed maddeningly calm.“No, you do not need a stronger deodorant.It was your scent.They reacted to it.Both in the lift, and later when they were near me.It clung to me, and they couldn’t hide their response.And trust me, that response was not one of displeasure.”
“My scent?”Brielle repeated, staring between them.“So, what—you’re saying I have a specific type of stink, but it’s okay because they didn’t hate it?Because this is not helping my self-esteem.”
Willow burst into open laughter this time.“Oh, my god, Bri.Firstly, you do not have a self-esteem issue, and you are not listening to what my man is saying!”
Liam pinched the bridge of his nose.“Not stink, sweetheart.Shifters react to scents, to bonds.And I’m telling you—they reacted to yours.Hard.”