“Isn’t she beautiful?”He’d marveled at the butterfly even as he wondered why the butterfly was so still.“Watch her fly.” He’d thrown the butterfly into the air.Just to watch her fall back to earth.He’d stared at her, frowning, and the silence around him had grown.Then he’d realized what he’d done.
Too tight.My grip was too tight.I crushed her.
His gaze had swung back to his mother, and for just a moment, he’d caught her staring at him with absolute horror.Fear and horror.
“Atlas?”Lily said his name softly.
He forced his jaw to unclench.He hadn’t thought about that damn day in…forever.But now he could see that his mother had already feared he was like his father.His mother had known the truth about his dad way back then.She covered for him.She knew.She knew…
Just as she knew that when she looked at her son, she was staring at a monster.
But he hadn’t advanced to hurting animals.He’d never done that shit.Hell, he’d made a point of never having pets.Not like they were allowed in the group homes, anyway.
He’d understood what he could become.At fifteen, he’d read about the Macdonald Triad.The three behaviors that could supposedly be the signals that predicted whether or not an individual would be a future serial killer.Didn’t want to turn out like dear old dad.
He’d had zero of those indicators.No fucking bed wetting.No animal cruelty after the damn butterfly because he’d refused to be around animals, and he hadn’t set fires.Hell, therehadbeen a fire at one of the group homes, but someone else had started it, not him.He’d been the one to have his meager set of belongings ignited.
Those sonsofbitches in the room there had thought it was funny to watch his faded shirts and pants burn.
No one had been laughing when he’d gotten his payback.
“You have gone somewhere without me,” Lily said.
No, he was still holding her.He was just heading for the bedroom door with her and not putting her back in his bed as Atlas had originally intended.He opened the door, not letting her down.She hardly weighed enough.He’d have to be sure that Roland prepared her much bigger meals in the future.Eggs and toast would not cut it.
“Decided you didn’t want me with you?”Lily’s sigh brushed over his neck.“I understand.”Husky.“I warned you, I’m a difficult companion.”
He would always want her with him.“You are the only companion I want.”He had left her bedroom open.He walked across the threshold as he kept his grip on her.“But I won’t crush your wings.”With slow steps, he made his way to her bed.His arms wanted to linger around her.He liked the way she felt against him far too much.Yet Atlas forced himself to let her go.He put her in the middle of her bed.Even pulled the mangled covers up over her.
A wise move to cover her naked body and block his temptation.
“I don’t have wings,” Lily told him.
Didn’t she?“You can sleep with me.You can sleep alone.Your choice.”He backed up a step.“I’ll see you in the morning.”I will not fuck you a third time right now.I will show some restraint.I will not fuck you again right now.
“Where doyouwant to sleep?”she asked.
With you.With my arms around you so you don’t get away.But if I hold you too close, too tightly, I’ll crush the one thing I want.
“Atlas?”
“I don’t care if you have nightmares.I don’t care if you fight in your sleep.I can handle anything you throw at me.”A roll of one shoulder.He realized he was stark naked in front of her.His hand reached out and turned off her lamp.They’d left that light on earlier.He turned it off now and plunged them into darkness not because he minded if she saw his naked body or not, but because she needed to sleep.“I have my own nightmares.”He’d also started to have his own dreams.
Married to Lily.Her smiling at me.Her eyes lit up.
He turned for the door.Took two steps.
“I’d…like for you to stay with me.”Halting.Nervous.
His eyes shut.
“If I cause a problem, you can always leave.”A quick rush of words from Lily.“You don’t have to stay all night, and if you don’t want to be here, I completely understand.”
He was already back at the bed.“Scoot over, sweets.”
She scooted.
Atlas climbed into the bed with her.He edged closer to her, and, surprising him, she curled her body against his.Soft.Warm.
