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“Did he hurt you?” I asked Onyx. I felt guilty for not asking sooner. I would hate for Malachi to hurt someone else.
“I’m fine, sweetheart. Are you okay? Where did he hit you?”
“He hit me in the side of the head with his fist. I have a headache and probably a bruise, but nothing life-threatening.”
“I’d really like to see your pretty face and make sure you’re okay for myself. I know you’re scared, but I bet you can be a brave girl too, yeah? I bet you’ve been brave for a long time now.”
Seven years. Rouge and I had been battling these demons for seven years. Originally we’d kept everything a secret because we were underage and terrified of being sent back to the cult. Once we became legal, we just kept everything quiet because it was easier to push all the trauma behind a mental door and lock it. We’d believed we were safe. We’d thought it was over. Hell, Rouge still thought it was over. I hadn’t told her about Malachi finding me a few months ago. I never shared the terror I felt when I started getting letters and calls. I hadn’t expressed my horror at realizing the forty-six year old man I was supposed to marry at fifteen had started stalking me. I hadn’t, because Rouge had suffered far more than I had. She’d been forced to marry at twelve. She’d been assaulted and had her spirit broken. She’d tried to run away and had been beaten and punished for days. Her feet had been whipped so badly, she couldn’t walk for weeks. I couldn’t expose her to that horror again.
I’d been fighting this new nightmare alone for so long. I was exhausted.
“You don’t have to fight it alone anymore.” Onyx spoke gently, holding his hand out.
I wondered how much I had said aloud.
“You don’t, Emily. We’re here for you. We can handle this together,” Dallas agreed as she held her hand out too.
“Come on, Little one,” Onyx commanded gently.
I was terrified to involve my friends for fear they’d get hurt too, but I yearned for the refuge they were offering. Exhaling deeply, I put the scissors down and placed one hand in his and the other in Dallas’. He pulled me to them and into his lap beside Dallas. Relief swept through me. I buried my head into his neck and cried.
“You’re safe now, darlin’. You’re safe,” he promised, as I clung to him, soaking his neckline with my tears.
“It’s going to be okay, Emily,” Dallas echoed as she rubbed my back.
The door rattled as someone opened it. I screamed into Onyx’s neck, but he just kept rocking me.
“It’s just Pike, Emily,” Dallas whispered.
“Emily, baby,” Pike said from somewhere nearby. “The police are taking him away. There were several witnesses that saw him assault and try to abduct you. He says his name is Malachi, but he has no ID. Do you know him?”
“Yes,” I cried. Just the mention of him made me want to vomit.
“Is his name really Malachi?”
“Yes.” I trembled in Onyx’s arms. I wished they’d stop saying his name.
“Did he hurt you, darlin’?”
I wanted to scoff. He’d hurt me for years. “No.” My head throbbed as I told the lie.
“Maybe,” Onyx answered. “She’s terrified. The bastard hit her.”
“I’m f-fine.” My teeth rattled together as panic clawed at me. .
“I’ll decide that, okay? I’m worried you’re not feeling the pain because you’re so scared.”
He could be right.
I slowly lifted my head and Onyx cupped my face gently, studying me closely. “You’ve got a nasty bruise, baby,” he commented. He looked over to Pike. “Call Elliot.”
The new name, a man’s name, I was pretty sure, sent terror coursing through my veins, even as I told myself the fear wasn’t rational.
“Have you ever met Elliot, Little one?” Onyx asked, still studying me..
I shook my head.
“He’s a doctor at the hospital, but he helps us when we don’t feel good or have ouchies. None of us like going to the hospital so he comes to us,” he explained. His gentle tone brought fresh tears to my eyes.
