Forget About Midnight (Alexa O'Brien, Huntress #9)

“All right,” Kale said, flinging open his door. “Let’s get this over with. I’m not good at this shit.”


We all got out of the Jeep, and Kale started by grabbing Jez in a giant hug that forced tears from her eyes. A streak of mascara made its way down her cheek. Just watching her hold tight to him caused tiny pinpricks behind my eyes.

“You better call me every fucking night,” she demanded. “Don’t let Jenner suck you into his weird stage antics. It’s totally not cool. And if some bitch named Sloane shows up, tell me immediately. The bitch held a gun to my head, and I owe her one.”

Kale chuckled, and he held on a moment longer when she started to pull away. “Got it. Take care of yourself, Jez. Let Alexa help you. Help each other, ok?”

She nodded and stepped back, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “Call me the minute you land.” Without another word, she got into the Jeep and stared down the street, giving us as much privacy as possible.

An ache in my stomach made me worry that I might throw up. That would be ugly. When he turned to me with misty eyes, the last of my strength crumbled.

“Alexa.” My name was a ragged sigh on his lips. “God, this is killing me. I don’t want to do this. I just know I have to.”

I nodded even though I didn’t want to agree. “Yeah, I know. Part of me wants to beg you to stay, but part of me knows that things would only get worse. We would get worse. And we’re bad enough as it is.”

Kale tucked a strand of hair behind my ear before tangling his hand in my long locks. He pulled me close and rested his forehead against mine. We stood there like that in silence, just feeling one another.

Finally he said, “I love you too much to be the one who keeps you from being who you’re meant to be. But I will never forget everything we’ve shared. And I will never love anyone the way I love you.”

I groaned, his words evoking the deepest of emotion. Tears threatened, and I fought them so hard I trembled. My fingers dug into the leather of his jacket, and I searched for the words that I knew he needed to hear as badly as I needed to say them.

“I would do anything for you, Kale,” I started, voice quavering. “Part of you belongs to me because of what I am, but part of me belongs to you because of who you are. That part of me will always be yours, and it will never stop missing you.”

I broke then, unable to continue. The tears won the battle, spilling down my face in a torrent of red. My vision blurred, and my mind screamed for release from this horrible moment.

Kale kissed a few of the tears away before stroking a gentle thumb through the rest. “I’m not leaving you, Alexa. Please, don’t look at it that way. I’m setting you free.”

I wasn’t sure I could take much more. “Like I should have done for you. I’m glad one of us is strong enough.”

“No.” Kale shook his head. “Don’t blame yourself. We’re beyond that.”

I gazed into his fabulous eyes, hating that this was the last time I would look into them, for a while at least. “I don’t think I can ever be set free. I will always want you.”

“But I’m not the one, and we both know it.” Kale laughed, bitter and harsh. “Maybe it’s nothing less than what we deserve, after everything we’ve done. Especially me.”

I touched his face, guiding his lips to mine. “I thought we weren’t blaming ourselves.”

With a shake of his head, he fell silent. He kissed me with all of the feeling and passion of one who knew this kiss might be the last. That sweet, honey-drenched energy screamed with a torment so similar to what I felt in my soul. Maybe he was right. Maybe we deserved this pain.

The depths of his longing resonated throughout me as we clung to one another. I kept picturing him in that big, bright, and noisy city with Jenner, and it just felt so wrong. He belonged here, with me. Except… he didn’t.

I didn’t want to accept that. Couldn’t accept that. But what choice did I have?

“Promise me,” he said, his lips moving on mine as he spoke. “Promise me that you’ll keep working with Brinley and seek out others like him. They need you. That’s who you’re meant to be.”

My reply was forced, a broken mess of sound. “I promise. I will.”

“I’ll keep in touch,” he promised. “Unless that’s too hard for you.”

“No, I want you to.” Perhaps that was a mistake, but I just couldn’t let him go without knowing he was doing ok there with Jenner. Without me. Ugh.