Between Two Wolves and a Hard Place by Cassie Wright Read Free Book Online Page B

so."
    Drake blinks rapidly several times. It's a lot to process. He runs his hand through his hair again, and frowns. "So your showing up here has nothing to do with Dean and me?"
    "I -" I stop. Putting it that way, looking into his eyes, I don't want to say it. I can see his hope, raw and hidden, like a little candle flame cupped behind his hand. All I have to say is yes, and I'll blow it right out. But I can't lie. It tears at my heart, but I nod slowly.
    "Well." He blows out his cheeks and shakes his head. "Well, I feel like a fool. I guess I owe you my apologies."
    "Drake, no."
    "I should have known." He grins, a cold, pained expression. "Stupid of me. Thinking you'd come back after all these years. Sorry. My bad."
    "Drake, please." But what can I say? That I'm glad I'm back? That I've done my best to forget about them, to bury my heart, to focus on my art, but now that I'm here I suddenly want to see them, spend time with them, rediscover our friendship? Because it's true. I realize it in a flash. I want to ask Drake a thousand questions. About his ownership of the mill. His and Dean's pack. About their lives, their experiences, about everything that's happened these past six years.
    But I can't. Because I didn't come back for them. I came back for myself. And Drake can see it in my eyes. Before I can speak, before I can plead my case, he digs out a ring of keys from his pocket. "This way," he says, voice cold, and strides past me to where the hall ends in a plain white door.
    I sigh and trail after him. He slides a key into the lock, and turns it with some effort. Pulls the door open, and gestures for me to go in.
    I step past him into a huge space. It's easily a third of the whole mill, but without a second floor, so that the ceiling is far, far above me. Large windows look out over the rushing Conway River just where it turns into the Honeycomb waterfall. The floor is concrete, and the space is immense, empty, open.
    But. My eyes lock on the furnace. It's a massive, black iron monster hunched against the far wall, taller than I am and massively industrial in appearance. Huge tubes extend from it, truncated and severed decades ago, no doubt meant to carry the heat to the rest of the building.
    "It's functional," says Drake, stepping past me, his footsteps echoing in the vast, empty room. "I had a guy come over from Northampton to turn it into a kiln."
    I join him, and can't hold the question back. "Why?"
    "Why?" He laughs bitterly, and glances sidelong at me. "Why do you think?" But before I can answer, he shakes his head and turns away. "Everything you need should be there in the corner. Propane. Oxygen. I bought a torch secondhand. Carlisle something or other."
    My eyes go wide, and I run over to where crates and boxes are stacked against one wall. I open a case, and pull out the torch. It's gorgeous, large, and of incredibly high quality. "A Carlisle CC," I say. Back home I only have a small Red Max, good for small, detailed work, but this would let me work on bigger pieces. "And pipes. And - how many cases of borosilicate glass is this?"
    "Ten or so." Drake is smiling when I turn to him, but it's a sad smile.
    "Drake. This is amazing. I - thank you."
    His smile fades away. "Yeah. No problem. You're welcome to it. In a way, I'm glad you're finally here. When you leave, I'll finally be able to do something with the space. I've been keeping it empty for you all these years. Now I'll finally be able to let it go."
    Tears come to my eyes. I feel so helpless. There's nothing I can say. I want to touch him, hold him close. Yet I can't. An irrevocable gulf stands between us. A gulf of my own making. We hold each other's gaze for what feels like an eternity, then Drake coughs and turns away. "I'll leave the keys in the lock. Good luck getting your company back."
    "Drake!"
    He looks over his shoulder. There's so much I want to say. I'm sorry. I miss you. Don't leave. Hold me. Talk to me. Be my friend . But I can't say any of