I quickly strip the skirt off and then the boots. Standing in front of him in only a shirt and panties makes me feel way too vulnerable.
“Get in bed,” he commands softly. I sit down on the edge of the bed and then scoot back. When he takes off his shoes and socks, my heart all but stops.
I make a strangled sound and somehow I manage to squeeze the words out. “You’re going to sleep by me?”
“Yeah, move over.”
When his shirt is halfway off, my breath slams into my throat. Half of his chest is covered with the same tribal marking I’ve been seeing on his arm. I get a full view of him and it looks like a claw is worked into the design coming from his shoulder and spreading over his chest, as if it’s ripping his flesh off.
He throws the covers back and sits down. He stretches his legs out and places a pillow behind his back, and then he leans back against the wall.
I move back a little more so there’s plenty of space between us. He stills when I move and I glance at his face for the first time since we got home.
His eyes are dark on me. He reaches out and then his fingers close around my arm. My stomach dips with uncertainty. “Come lie down, Cara. I’m just staying to make sure you’re okay. Come sleep.”
I inch a little closer and then lie down next to his side. I make sure we don’t touch as I curl into a small ball.
Seconds pass and then he brushes some hair from my face. “Sleep. You’re safe.”
His hand disappears but I keep my eyes wide open.
Minutes pass and not one of us breaks the silence. He doesn’t move and soon my eyes grow heavy. I’m physically and emotionally drained.
I lose the fight against sleep just like I’ve lost every other fight in my life.
Cara~
I wake up in that exact position, but there’s something heavy on me. Somehow Damian has folded his body around mine. I lie with eyes wide open, not sure how I feel about this.
“How do you feel?” he mutters into my hair. He sounds a little angry.
“Okay,” I whisper.
He gets up and leaves the room in his silent manner. I quickly glance over my shoulder and when I see the door is still open, I pull the covers over me and stretch my body out.
I finally drag myself out of bed around noon. I take a quick shower before I go down to the kitchen.
When I walk into the kitchen, Damian turns from where he’s standing by the back door. I feel his eyes on me.
Only when I’m done making myself some coffee do I hear him leave. Good! I need the silence. I can’t deal with anything right now.
The backdoor is still open and I go sit on the top step. I sip at the coffee while my eyes scan the backyard.
Since I had the panic attack it’s been harder to suppress the emotions. I keep smelling the piss and vomit. I keep hearing the lock being opened. I keep feeling them, not the punches and kicks – I feel their hands groping at me. I feel them inside of me and it makes everything in me cringe with disgust.
I feel filthy.
At first the sound doesn’t register. My heart rate spikes and the hair on my body rises slowly. The sound of the wheels crushing over the gravel outside finally registers. A car!
My legs move and I run for the attic. I don’t knock and slam the door open.
“A car.” The words are only a gasp. “There’s a car!”
Damian pushes the chair back and gets up quickly. The chair keeps rolling for a couple of inches as he makes his way to me, and I take it all in – the maps on the walls, the laptop, the phones, the cabinets and then I see it – the camera and memory cards.
He brushes by me and closes the door. I don’t move as he goes down the stairs to see who’s here. I keep staring at the closed door. I hear him talking with someone.
I open the door again and go in. At first I only stare at the three memory cards. My hand trembles as I reach for them. They’re marked from one to three.
I open the laptop and press any random button. The screen lights up and then my blood turns to ice.
The screen is frozen on my face. There’s blood, so much blood. My eyes skip to the other person on the screen and I see Steven’s revolting face. A strangled growl pushes its way up my throat as the darkness closes in on me.
“Shit, Cara!” I jump back as Damian moves in front of me, blocking my view of the screen. He slaps the laptop closed and I watch his shoulders heave heavily as he breathes. “Why the hell did you do that?” he shouts. He never raises his voice at me – never.
I don’t think. I just turn and run.
I run from the room that holds my pain. I race down the stairs and keep going, straight out the front door.
Gravel crunches under my feet and then an arm grabs hold of me, yanking me back. I open my mouth to scream, but instead a broken cry is all that hurts my throat.
Damian takes me to the ground and I fall flat on my ass. His arms clamp around me and he yanks me back. The gravel scrapes at my hands.