Page 47 of Exile
“I can’t do that, Kai. They won’t believe me. Dom is too well known and too well liked. They’ll say I’m making it up. Dom will find me and hurt me worse. No…no, that’s not an option.”
“Hey, ReRe. Calm down. Deep breaths. We don’t have to if you’re not ready. Okay?” Kai leans down, making sure he can look me in the eye, pulling me out of my panic spiral. “We will do this however you want, ReRe. I won’t push you to do something you’re not ready for.”
I nod at his words as hot tears stream down my cheeks. When did I start crying again?
“C’mere, kid. Let’s watch some TV.” Kai tugs me against him and positions us so we are facing the TV. I settle into his side as he flips through the channels before settling on a rerun of Supernatural. Watching the episode, I can’t help notice how much our motel room looks like the ones Sam and Dean stay in on their travels.
“What room do you think Sam and Dean are staying in? Do you think if we told them Dominick was a ghoul, they’d go take care of him for us?”
Kai laughs at my lame attempt at humor, giving my shoulder a squeeze.
“I thought the tall motherfucker standing in front of me at the check-in desk looked familiar.” I laugh at his joke and settle in to watch the Winchesters hunt demons. It’s like this, wrapped up in Kai’s embrace feeling safer than I ever have, that I fall into a dreamless sleep.
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
SERENA
Iwake to the sound of a buzzing phone. The room I’m in is unfamiliar in the dim light of the television. The sunlight streaming in from the window earlier has dimmed to an early evening glow. I’m pressed up against a warm, firm body, and my own stiffens in fear as I try to get my bearings. The arm around my shoulders gives me a brief squeeze before I hear Kai’s familiar voice. “Hey there sleepy head. Have a good nap?”
I relax into his hold as the memories from the last few hours come back into focus. Dom leaving me trapped, alone at his house. Kai showing up and stealing me away. Checking into the motel. Falling asleep while watching Supernatural. “You were sleeping pretty hard there ReRe. You drooled more than Archie.”
“I don’t drool!” I push away from Kai’s chest and level an offended glare at him.
Kai smirks and gestures to the wet spot on his shirt, right where my face had been resting, causing my cheeks to burn in embarrassment. Kai chuckles as he reaches for his phone. When he sees the number on the caller ID he sits upright, expression turning somber.
“Who is it?” My stomach pitches in worry at his sudden change in demeanor.
“Your mom. Do you want me to answer it?”
I bite my lower lip, debating how to handle this conversation with Mom. Then I remember her worry over me was the reason Kai came to check on me in the first place and nod, giving him the okay to answer. Kai answers the call on speaker and holds the phone between us.
“Hey, Ms. Laura.”
“Oh, thank goodness! I was worried you weren’t going to answer. Have you talked to Serena? Dom is here saying she isn’t at the house, and he can’t get in touch with her. He’s very worried.”
My mouth runs dry at Mom’s words, and Kai and I exchange a wide-eyed stare. Dom is with my mom. Panic surges through me at the thought of him being so close to my mother. What will he do? What can he do? He knows I’m with Kai—there’s no way he hasn’t checked the cameras at his house. How much can we say to her without triggering a reaction from Dom? Is she safe inside the walls of Whispering Grove?
“Kai, are you there?” Mom’s voice comes through the speaker, pulling us both from our shocked silence.
“Yeah, Ms. Laura, I’m here. Uh, yeah, I talked to Serena. She’s okay, and she’s safe. There is no reason to worry.” Kai glances at me, his look clearly asking how much he should tell Mom. “Laura? Be careful with Dom. He can’t be trusted.”
Mom is silent for a beat while she absorbs Kai’s words before responding, “Oh, okay. That’s wonderful. Tell her I said to give Arianna a hug from me and to enjoy her visit. Have her call me when she gets the chance, okay?”
Kai furrows his brows in confusion, giving me a look that says “do you know what she’s on about?”, clearly worried about Mom’s mental state. I, however, know exactly who she is referring to.
Arianna is her best friend from high school and my surrogate aunt. She was a huge part of our lives, up until she took a travel nursing job to work in a rural hospital desperate for nurses, right before the accident.
She was the person I would go to growing up when I had questions too embarrassing for a teenage girl to talk to her parents about. She helped me navigate getting on birth control before losing my virginity to my first boyfriend. She also would come visit as often as possible and helped as much as she could in the beginning when Mom was adjusting to life post-accident. Now her visits are down to a few times a year thanks to her travelling, but there is no doubt that she will help me if I need it.
Mom is telling me I need to see Arianna if I’m in trouble. She is currently working at a hospital not too far from here. I give Kai an encouraging nod to go along with Mom’s lie.
“Will do. Write this in your journal, okay? We’ll talk later.” Kai hangs up the call, turning his attention to me. “What was that about?”
I tell Kai what I think mom was trying to suggest we do, and he nods his head thoughtfully. “Do you feel safe going to her to report your abuse? I’ll take you right now. What hospital is she at?”
I think for a moment, trying to figure out if I do feel safe enough to go to Arianna. I know she will believe me. She will advocate for me. But will her help be enough? The idea of going to a hospital, the bruises littering my skin tangible proof of my stupidity, and being examined under the harsh fluorescent lighting by a stranger sends my stomach rolling.
Kai must sense where my mind is going. Gently he cups my face, making it so that I have to look at him when he says, “None of this is your fault, Serena. None of it. Dom tricked you. Manipulated you. Used his charm and pretty-sounding empty promises of a happily ever after to isolate you. Abused his position of power to control you. This is not your fault. You did nothing wrong.”