Page 10 of Shattered Trinket

I clench my fists at my sides, feeling conflicted suddenly.

If she’s doing better, if she’s safe and being cared for, do I really want to disrupt that? Do I want to bring her new world crumbling down when she’s finally getting to a good place in her life?

Physically, Cozette seems perfect. She looks healthy and content, something I’ve never been able to witness myself, and that eases some of the turmoil that’s plagued me since leaving her.

But how do I let her go?

There’s not much in life I’m certain about, but I’ve been confident that Cozette is the only omega—only person—for me since the moment I laid eyes on her. It was solidified the first time she looked at me fully with her sorrowful blue eyes. After secretly visiting her for weeks anytime Victor was away, I finallygained a little of her trust. After that, she captured the good that was left in me and stole it away for herself. I became reckless the longer she was chained to him, and watching her suffer drove me closer and closer to the edge of insanity, ready to risk it all if it saved her.

She’s been my sole reason for breathing for over a year, the thing that keeps me going and kept me coming back to Victor for any job he had for me, no matter the cost. Every glimpse of her, every word she’s ever spoken to me, every look she’s ever given me… It’s all imprinted on my heart and soul, tattooed on my brain.

How do I walk away for good when every cell in my being screams she’s mine?

Her tangy lemon bar scent that’s been ingrained in me since the very first time I scented it is carried to me on the breeze that blows by, and I inhale greedily, closing my eyes and nearly groaning out loud when I realize it’s no longer tainted by her fear and sadness. When I reopen my eyes and look back up at her, she’s frantically looking around until she stops on the tree I’m at with wide eyes, and I duck my head back, realizing she probably caught my scent on the breeze like I did hers.

“…Ghost?” I hear her whisper, her voice trembling despite how quiet she says it and I curse under my breath for staying for as long as I have, warring with myself on whether I should step out and let her see me.

“Jeremiah?” she calls out softly, slightly louder but still quiet enough not to alert anyone, and I can’t tell if I’m imagining it when she sounds almost hopeful, or if it’s wishful thinking.

Fuck it.

I’ve already broken every rule I’ve ever had for her. What’s one more?

I step out from behind the tree, just enough that she can see me, and look up at her with my hands shoved in my hoodiepocket to hide the fact that they’re shaking. She gasps and disappears from the open window almost immediately when she catches sight of me, and my chest feels like it’s going to cave in as disappointment takes root.

What did you expect? You’re a reminder of everything she had to endure…

I take a deep breath and prepare to make a quick escape before whoever she’s staying with comes out and catches me, but as I’m about to turn and disappear into the trees, I hear the front door quietly open and shut. Her quiet footsteps through the grass reach me before I look up and watch her run across the yard towards me. My shoulders tense and I just barely get my hands out of my pocket before she collides with me, wrapping her arms around my middle and stealing the breath from my lungs as she rubs her nose just below my chest thanks to her short stature.

The tension in me bleeds out instantly, and I bend to wrap my arms around her, squeezing her tight as I press my nose to the top of her head and inhale her sweet, tart, lemony scent, hoping it soaks into my hoodie so I can carry it with me for as long as possible. She shivers in my hold, and I close my eyes to savor the feeling of her in my arms after so long of dreaming what it would feel like.

“Hey, Dove. I’ve missed you,” I rumble softly, giving her the soft smile that’s reserved only for her when she pulls back slightly, looking up at me with watery eyes and a wobbly smile.

My thumb comes up gently to swipe the lone tear that falls from her lashes before it can make its descent down the apple of her freckled, plump cheek. Cupping that same cheek, I lower my head and press my forehead to hers, staring deep into her eyes. I let her see the regret that I’ve been tormented by since I left, let her see the worry and concern that’s eaten at me, and then I let her see how relieved I am to see her again, safe and healthy.

“You came back to me,” she whimpers, her lower lip poking out slightly as she tries not to cry, and fuck if she isn’t tugging at all my heartstrings right now.

I bring my other hand up to cup her other cheek, holding her face in my hands as I fight the urge to kiss her stupid like I’ve wanted to do since that first night I broke in and sat with her outside of the cage Victor liked to put her in as punishment or when he would leave.

“I will always come back to you, Cozette. No matter how far you are, no matter how long it takes me, no matter the obstacles in my path. There’s nothing that could keep me from finding you. Not even Death himself. Words can’t describe how sorry I am for not saving you, for leaving you with him.”

She bites her lip and brings her hands up to rest over my heart, closing her eyes when she feels it beating erratically through my hoodie. I quickly glance around, making sure we’re still alone and not being watched, and when I look back at her, she’s got a soft smile on her lips.

“Always so vigilant, my Ghost.”

She reaches down and clasps my hand in hers, tugging me behind her as she leads me around to the side of the house where there’s a small garden with a wooden bench overlooking the yard and side of the house. She sits, pulling me down with her, never letting go of my hand. Unconsciously, my thumb strokes across her knuckles, and for once, I let myself completely relax, if only for the moment. Nothing else matters but the omega sitting beside me.

“I don’t blame you for leaving, you know,” she says quietly after a few minutes of silence, looking out at the flowers surrounding us as the crickets sing into the night.

Her brows furrow as she looks down at our hands, thinking, and I say nothing, waiting patiently as she works through her thoughts. And when she finally speaks again, I can’t help butsqueeze her hand tighter in mine to remind her I’m right here with her.

“I wanted you to leave, to stay alive. Needed you to. I was so afraid when I thought I was going to have to watch you die. You… I don’t know why I’m so drawn to you, Jeremiah.”

She glances up at me, chewing her bottom lip until I pull it away, so she doesn’t accidentally make herself bleed.

“I don’t understand a lot about myself, but something deep inside of me needs you. Why does it feel as easy as breathing for me to let you touch me—to trust you—when I’m still learning how to trust others, but alphas especially? That’s what I’ve asked myself since he’s been gone. I was… I was afraid that what I felt for you was because of my trauma and that I’d latched onto you because you were the first person to be kind to me after Victor brought me home with him. But since I’ve been here, I’ve been able to figure some things out. And one of those things is that you’d be important to me no matter when or how you came into my life. Am I crazy for thinking that?”

Her eyes glisten as she looks up at me anxiously, and I bring her hand up to my heart before pressing mine against hers. I close my eyes and my lips curl up slightly when I realize our hearts are beating in sync. When I look back into her eyes, I know that there’s nothing and nobody in this world that could ever get me to let her go again, unless she asked me to herself.