Page 64 of Torn By Fate

But I couldn’t let her drown in this nightmare, in the memories that haunted her.

My fingers brushed against her shoulders, a featherlight touch. “You’re safe. Wake up, Serafina. You’re dreaming.”

Her eyes flew open.

They were unfocused, glassy, her pupils wide. She looked at me, and she screamed, a raw, shattering scream that tore from her depth of damaged throat.

Serafina wasn’t seeing me. I knew that. The terror in her eyes wasn’t directed at me.

Still, it pained me.

Her terrifying screams… her uncontrollable tears… her crippling fear.

It fucking killed me.

Her hands flew to her neck, fingers pressing against the bruises there. She released a small, fractured whimper and then a pained moan.

“Serafina.” I kept my voice low, steady, as if I were speaking to a wounded animal. “It’s me. It’s Adrian. You’re safe. Look at me.”

Her eyes found mine, and for a moment, just a small heartbreaking second, the terror receded.

“Look at me, Princess,” I repeated. “Just look. It’s me. It’s only me.”

Recognition flickered in her eyes, and her expression shifted from blind panic to mindless…rage.

At me.

My hand dropped from her shoulders as she scrambled backward on the mattress, the movement graceless and desperate. Her eyes never left my face.

“You’re awake,” I said. “You’re in a new hotel. We moved, remember?” I licked my lips, watching her carefully. “Do you remember?”

Serafina didn’t answer.

Her chest heaved, each breath a visible struggle against her bruised throat.

I stayed where I was and didn’t make any sudden moves. My hands remained on my knees, visible to her and empty. I wanted her to see that I wasn’t holding anything, that I wasn’t a danger to her. That I may have beaten a man to death, but I would never, ever be a threat to her.

“Can you breathe?” I asked. “Take it slow. One breath at a time.”

Her mouth opened. And then closed. She inhaled shakily. “You.” The word came out hoarse and barely audible, scraped raw from the inside of her throat.

Her eyes dropped to my hands. My knuckles were still swollen, the skin split in places. She stared at them for a long moment before realization slowly dawned on her.

She was off the bed before I could react, launching herself sideways. She gasped, clutching her left injured hand against her chest, but she didn’t stop. She backed away from the bed, from me, until her shoulders hit the wall beside the window.

“Serafina—”

“This is y-your fault.”

My heart thundered against my rib cage at the venomous accusation. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.

Her body trembled violently, her uninjured hand closing into a fist at her side, her broken nails digging into her palms.

“Why would anyone try to kill me?” Her voice cracked on the last word, and she pressed her lips together, fighting for control. “Tell me, Adrian. Who would want me dead?”

My body tightened at her words.

“I don’t have enemies.” Her voice rose, strained, and I could hear the pain in it. “I don’t have enemies because I’ve never hurt anyone. I’ve never—” She stopped, her breath catching.