Tracked: A Valkyrie Saga Book 2

Chapter 19 - Kidnapped

God. What have I done?

-Jack Huntsville

I sent the twins back to the waiting room while I cloaked enough to be able to sneak into Amy's hospital room. I knew that Jack would be there and I wanted to talk to him alone and check in with Amy once more before going home to change. When I finally found her room, I walked in to find that Jack was in the exact same pose that he had held in the ER. Sitting in a chair next to Amy's bed with her hand lightly in his grasp. I uncloaked and asked, "How is she?"

Jack jumped a little and spun around to look at me. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot making me assume he had cried. I hated that he had cried, but I also hated that I felt such a deep pang of betrayal when I looked at him. I needed to get over myself. It wasn't like I was in love with Jonas.

"She is going to be okay. She woke up for a little while, but only cried a little before she passed back out."

"If you want, we can get someone for her to talk to," I offered and Jack visibly clenched his jaw.

He stared at me and I felt the space between us stretch until he felt like he was miles away instead of standing within touching distance. He waited so long to answer that the air filled with a tension that I didn't know how to break. Was he upset with me? Why was he looking at me like that? I was the one who had the beef with him right now. Shouldn't I be the one that was upset?

"You look ridiculous in that get-up," Jack finally said in a terse voice and I wondered if he was upset that I now had money. Just weeks ago we had to scrounge for enough money to make sure we could eat outside of the free meals at school. Now I was living in a house with so much food that it would spoil before we could eat it all, going to royal balls, and offering to pay for Amy to see a therapist. 

But I had openly invited both of them into my home. My life was changing but I was doing my best to make sure Jack and Amy stayed a part of my life. Yes, I had been a little absent lately, but so many life-changing things kept happening to me. I felt like I was doing everything in my power just to keep my head above water.

"Are you seriously upset with me right now?" I asked because I was done playing games.

"Where the hell were you last night? Why the fuck are you dressed like a Disney princess?" Jack snapped at me and I was sure the only reason he wasn't yelling was that he didn't want to wake Amy.

I felt like he had just slapped me and I was done. I was done taking hits from people that were supposed to be on my side. "Me? Where the fuck were you when your sister was out going to parties alone, clearly in some sort of self-destructive path? Oh, wait I already know the answer to that. You were fucking my boyfriend," I hissed back and his jaw visibly clenched again before he looked away from me to stare out the narrow window.

I didn't understand this. I came in here thinking we would have an awkward conversation about what I had walked in on. Eventually, he would apologize and I would forgive him. Together we would talk about how Jonas wasn't good enough for either of us and plan what we were going to do to make sure Amy never pulled this kind of stunt again. I wasn't expecting him to act like I was the bad guy here, or for him to shut me out like this.

Two whole minutes passed and Jack didn't utter a word or look at me. That breaking point I was flirting with earlier came rushing back and I felt like I was standing at an edge of a cliff. A strong wind would be enough to push me over and I would never be the same again.

I wanted to tell him that I had been hurt yesterday and those wounds still felt raw. I wanted to explain how terrified I was of this unknown future and how I hated being pushed into politics just to keep my new family safe. I wanted to share the panic that still lingered in my system from when I literally felt Amy slipping away from us. I wanted to tell him that I didn't really feel that strongly about Jonas, and I cared more about our friendship. I wanted to forgive him.