“He’s not ugly and neither is his personality… never has been. He was just raised to act that way. When he’s not around his friends, he’s nice.”
“I don’t care how he was raised. He should’ve never treated people like he did.”
“I know that … but that’s not all there is to him. He’s a good person sometimes …” I shake my head in frustration. “There was potential there to be a kind person all the time.”
His brow arches. “Are you saying you could’ve changed him?”
I stare down at my hands. “Maybe … if we’d gotten to spend more time together.”
“You have too much confidence in him, always have.” He shoves up the sleeves of his shirt. “I still like my way better. It makes things more interesting. If you must save him, then I’ll remove the curse, but only if you’re willing to bear it for him. So, tell me, Blayze, do you love him that much?”
Do I love him that much?
Love.
Is that what this is?
“Yes,” I say, answering both Zeke and myself.
I do love Ash, enough that I want to take his inner pain away.
“Fine. Take all my fun away.” He sighs disappointedly. “Come on. Let’s get this over with.”
“Now what do we do?” I ask as he starts to get to his feet.
He sticks out his hand. “Now we shake on it and seal the deal.”
It seems oddly simple, but I shake his hand, anyway.
“Now, we go to Ash,” Zeke announces.
We leave his house and drive up the hillside to Ash’s three-story home. We find Ash in the living room, sitting on the window seat. When he spots me with Zeke, he jumps to his feet, fuming mad.
“No, I won’t let you do this,” he says, storming across the room toward me.
“It’s too late.” Zeke grins. “She already made the deal. There’s no going back.”
Ash throws a tantrum, breaking furniture and punching holes into the walls as he curses.
“I take back everything,” Zeke says, looking pleased. “I think watching you deal with this might be even more entertaining.”
Ash strides toward Zeke. “She doesn’t deserve this.”
“I know she doesn’t,” Zeke says, “but a deal’s a deal.”
“You have the power to break it,” Ash growls.
Zeke considers this, a thoughtful look rising on his face. “I’ll tell you what, since you seem to care so much about her—something I thought would never happen—I’ll be kind enough to make you another deal. You both carry the scars: half on you, half on her.”
“No, only me,” Ash snaps.
“Last chance. All her or both of you,” Zeke says. “It’s your choice. I’m starting to wonder, though, if you’re really not taking the deal because you want to be free from the curse and for her to carry it for you.”
Ash looks at me with wide eyes, and for the briefest moment, I question if that’s what’s really going on. Then I grow angry with myself for seeing Ash like Zeke sees him.
“Do it,” Ash whispers, carrying my gaze. “Either keep them all on me or put them on us both, but I won’t let her carry the curse herself.”
A smile curls at Zeke’s lips. “Look at you, being all noble. See? The curse did work.”
Ash glares at him. “Just do it and get out.”
“Fine.” Zeke rolls his eyes then mutters something under his breath.
I shut my eyes, too afraid to see, but I feel the scars slowly crawl across my body. By the time I open my eyes, Zeke is gone, and Ash is kneeling on the floor, crying.
“I’m so sorry,” he says as tears stream down his cheeks.
Half of his scars have faded and smoothed out, and he looks more like the Ash I first met. At least, his physical appearance does. The raw emotions emitting from him are definitely something he didn’t show me when I first ran into him at the record store.
“I’m sorry for bringing you into this mess. You didn’t deserve this … I wish I could go back. Do things over ... You’re too nice … doing this for me.”
I walk up to a mirror and take a good look at myself. A few faint scars line my cheeks and run across my arms, but strangely, it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.
When Ash walks up to my side, it seems even less bad.
“Please say something,” he begs, grasping my hand.
He sucks in a sharp, surprised breath, and then his lips are devouring mine. He kisses me so passionately I’m sure I’ll have a bruise. I don’t care, though. It’s worth it. All of this is worth it, just as long as he’s happy.
“I’m going to make you so happy,” he says when he comes up for air. “I promise I will.”
I rest my forehead against his. “I’ll be happy just as long as you are, too. No hiding behind closed doors anymore.”
“I promise,” he assures me before kissing me again.
Over the next years we spend together, he makes good on his promise. I fall in love with him more and more each day, despite his flaws, just like my mom said I would.
Sometimes, when he has dark moments of regret, he questions how I could possibly love him.
The answer is quite simple.
I loved him before the scars, and I love him after. How could I not? The scars are just marks on his flesh, and each one tells a story of how we got here. A beautiful, real, raw, less than perfect story, but it’s our story. And that’s all that really matters in the end.
About the Author
About the Author
Jessica Sorensen is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she’s not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.
Also by Jessica Sorensen
Other books by Jessica Sorensen:
Bad Boy Rebels:
Discovering Zhara: Kissing Benton
Discovering Zhara: Meeting The Bad Boy Rebels
Untitled (coming soon)
Lexi Ashford:
The Diary of Lexi Ashford
The Diary of Lexi Ashford 2
The Diary of Lexi Ashford 3 (coming soon)
Shadow Cove Series:
What Lies in the Darkness
What Lies in the Dark (coming soon)
Mystic Willow Bay Witches Series:
The Secret Life of a Witch
The Secret Life of a Witch 2
The Secret Life of a Witch 3
The Secret Life of a witch 4 (coming soon)
Unearthly Balance:
Captivate
Untitled (coming soon)
The Heartbreaker Society:
The Opposite of Ordinary
Standalones:
The Forgotten Girl
The Illusion of Annabella
Confessions of a Kleptomaniac
Broken City Series:
Nameless
Forsaken
Oblivion
Forbidden (coming soon)
Guardian Academy Series:
Entranced
Entangled
Enchanted
Entice (coming soon)
Guardian Academy, Dash’s Series:
The Forest of Shadow and Bones
The Forest of Shadow and Bones 2 (coming soon)
Sunnyvale Series:
The Year I Became Isabella Anders
The Year of Falling in Love
The Year of Second Chances
Unraveling You Series:
Unraveling You
Raveling You
Awakening You
Inspiring You
The Coincidence Series:
The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden
The Redemption of Callie and Kayden
The Destiny of Violet and Luke
The Probabil
ity of Violet and Luke
The Certainty of Violet and Luke
The Resolution of Callie and Kayden
Seth & Greyson
The Secret Series:
The Prelude of Ella and Micha
The Secret of Ella and Micha
The Forever of Ella and Micha
The Temptation of Lila and Ethan
The Ever After of Ella and Micha
Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always
Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always
The Shattered Promises Series:
Shattered Promises
Fractured Souls
Unbroken
Broken Visions
Scattered Ashes
Breaking Nova Series:
Breaking Nova
Saving Quinton
Delilah: The Making of Red
Nova and Quinton: No Regrets
Tristan: Finding Hope
Wreck Me
Ruin Me
The Fallen Star Series:
The Fallen Star
The Underworld
The Vision
The Promise
The Fallen Souls Series (spin-off from The Fallen Star):
The Lost Soul
The Evanescence
The Darkness Falls Series:
Darkness Falls
Darkness Breaks
Darkness Fades
The Death Collectors Series (NA and YA):
Ember X and Ember
Cinder X and Cinder
Spark X and Spark
Unbeautiful Series:
Unbeautiful
Untamed