“Mom,” I sob. “You can’t die. You’re all I’ve ever known.”
“I just wanted to keep… you safe,” she gasps out. “That was all I wanted.”
“You can’t die. Someone get her help! Help her!”
Leo places his hand on my shoulder. “There’s no helping her, Emma. I’m sorry, baby.”
My mother offers me a smile before the light leaves her eyes. Her hand goes limp in mine. She takes her last breath. And then she’s gone.
It takes me a long moment to realize that she’s truly dead. My mother. The woman who abused me. The woman who protected me. The woman who loved me and hated me.
All I can do is sob. I bury my face against my mother’s neck and cry out everything inside of me. I remember the way she’d hold me when I was scared at night. I remember the way she’d laugh with me as we made pancakes every Sunday morning.
I also remember the way she would lock me in my room. I remember the way she’d slap me when she thought I was speaking out of turn.
All of it – the pain and good times – hits me and I cry.
I can hear Gabriel speaking to his men about cleaning the bodies up before anyone arrives at the church. I can sense the men moving around me.
And lastly, I can feel Leo standing right beside me, his hand on my shoulder, offering me some sort of strength, even though I’m not sure if it’s enough.
The woman who was my everything for all of my life is gone. The woman I fought so hard to leave.
She’s just… gone.
“Emma,” Leo murmurs after a long time. “We have to move her body. We need to leave before anyone shows up. I am sorry, baby. But we have to go.”
I stand up on shaky legs and watch as one of Gabriel’s men picks my mother up and carries her outside.
I slump against Leo as all the strength in me disappears. He holds me. Just holds me.
Leo takes me to a hotel since his house was badly burned. The moment we step foot into the hotel room, I turn to him.
“Kiss me,” I whisper.
“Emma…”
“I need to forget. For just a moment. I need to forget.”
Leo cups my face and places a tender kiss on my lips. It only takes a few seconds for the kiss to become heated. I grab his shirt, pulling him in closer.
“I need you,” I whimper against his lips. “Right now.”
“Ok, baby. Whatever you need.”
I tear at his shirt so fast the buttons go flying. My hands roam over his strong chest. Leo lets out a low groan before kissing me again.
His hands shove my bloodstained dress up and rip my panties down. I kick them away. Right now, I need Leo more than I’ve ever needed anything. Nothing else matters.
I unzip his pants and pull his cock out. Leo groans deeply. I love knowing I have this power over him. Some choice in my life.
Leo picks me up in his arms and presses me against the wall.
“Your arm,” I gasp.
“I can ignore the pain,” he grits out. “I need you too. Fuck, baby.”
I wrap my legs around his waist. His cock is right next to my entrance. Our eyes lock right before he thrusts into me.
