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For the first time in a very long time, I feel… powerless. The feeling is foreign to me. I’m the head of this family, what I say goes, I’m always in control, always… but I can’t control this. I can’t take her pain away, I can’t make the blood result get here faster, and I can’t find out who did this and stay at her side at the same time.
Elena rolls onto her side and almost out of the bed. I move quickly, grabbing her at the last minute, and roll her back over. Her small hands reach for me, her slender fingers wrapping around my wrist to pull me closer.
“Julian…” My name falls off her lips in a breath, soft and quiet, but it hits me like a fifty-pound weight.
“Shh, it’s okay. You’re okay,” I assure her and watch her eyes flutter shut once more.
Her movement made the towel move off her body, and I remember she is still wearing her now soaking wet panties. I pull them off her legs, trying not to look at the valley between her thighs. I don’t care how sick she is, she is still beautiful, and I’ll never stop wanting her.
Careful not to rip out the IV, I move Elena into the center of the bed, take off my shoes and slide into the spot next to her.
She turns toward me, wiggling her body as she is trying to get closer.
I slide my arm under her body and gently lift her up to lie on top of me. With her cheek flat on my chest, her breath fans out over my skin. Her breathing is still a bit rough, but it’s starting to calm down, color returning to her cheeks, and I know she is going to be okay.
Absentmindedly, I run a hand up and down her naked body, enjoying the tiny shivers I draw out of her every time I hit a certain spot on her ribs. For a while, I let her body distract me, let her beauty and sweetness draw me in. I listen to her breathe and watch her sleep, but all too soon, even that can’t keep me from thinking about my next move.
I need to find who did this. Who dared try to take her from me. I need to find the person responsible, so I can remind everyone why you never mess with something that’s mine.15ElenaMy brain feels as if it’s been run through a blender. Scratch that, I feel like my whole body has been run through a blender. I don’t know what is up or down. All I know is every time I lift my head, the entire room spins. Trying to sort through my memories of the last twenty-four hours, I’m not sure what is real or made up.
What is wrong with me?
I remember Julian holding me in his arms, throwing up on him, him giving me a bath, and the doctor coming. Not all of that had been a dream, had it? Julian holding me against his chest seems like it would be a made-up thought, but I can still feel his arms wrapped around me, holding me securely against his chest. The whole bath thing was probably a dream too.
Blinking my eyes open, I slowly focus on the nightstand, the lamp, the mattress before letting my gaze move around the room at an even slower rate. My stomach is still knotted, and bile rises up my throat, threatening to come out.
My arm throbs like it’s been poked, and I peer down at it with one eye open. There is some light bruising, and at that moment, I can’t really put the pieces together in my mind.
“You’re awake.” Marie beams from her spot at the edge of the bed.
How long has she been sitting here? Where is Julian?
“I feel dead.” My voice is raspy, and my throat is raw. Reaching for the water bottle I spot on the nightstand, my hand misses, and I reach for it again and miss that time too. “What’s wrong with me?” I ask out loud.
Marie moves off the edge of the bed, grabbing the water bottle and handing it to me, “Mr. Moretti said you are sick and told me to stay with you until he returned. Are you feeling better? Are you going to puke again?”
“Not really, and I don’t think so. My brain feels like it’s been fried.”
Marie frowns at my response as I twist off the cap and take a small sip of water. I want to drink the entire bottle, but I just know it’ll come right back up if I do that. Putting the cap back on, I sag against the pillows. My skin feels hot and clammy.
“Where is Julian?” I ask, wincing at the sound of my own voice.
“I don’t know, but he said he would be back soon.”
