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“Careful, man…” one of the men muttered, looking back at me, concerned. Eliot came to a hard stop, his face conflicted at the man’s advice. Dismissing everyone and everything around me, my focus lasered in on him.

Without much thought, I was up and running, launching myself into Eliot’s arms. He caught me instantly, holding me tightly against him. Tears, hot and embarrassing, rolled down my cheeks as he held me in his arms, murmuring softly in my ear as he rubbed my back. I barely registered the looks on the other men’s faces as I finally was able to take a breath.

Surrounded by the dark and backed into a corner, Eliot was a beam of light. My salvation, because he was the only thing scarier than what hid in the dark.

“I’m here. You’re safe.” His voice, gruff and scratchy, was like a balm to my ragged nerves.

“I’ve got you. Now and forever.”

Sagging in his grasp, I nearly collapsed, all the adrenaline leaving my body. In the devil’s arms, I was finally safe from the demons chomping at my heels.

Chapter 14

Scythe

“We’ll just…give you guys some privacy.”

I vaguely registered Bash’s voice because all of my focus was on Lilah. She was shaking in my arms, her breathing erratic and far too fast. As I murmured comforting words, I held her tightly, knowing physical comfort, strength, and protection meant more than anything I could say. The guys had helpfully left flashlights before leaving, the glow just enough to show the kitchen. After a few minutes, Lilah’s body wilted, her legs dropping from my waist. Her arms were still around me, her head resting on my chest as she tried to gulp back air.

“I’m sorry! I just can’t catch my breath,” she wheezed out. I shook my head.

“Don’t apologize.” An idea crossed my mind, and before I could second-guess it, I pulled my phone out of my pocket. With one hand, I quickly pulled up the playlist I preferred when I needed to calm down.

The first song that came on was Morphine’s “The Night.” It was dark and moody. The singer crooned about Lilah, a mysterious and melancholy woman; the song was an ode to her. A tale of decisions and consequences, of love that spanned life and death.

“Will you dance with me?” I muttered the question into her hair as I pressed a kiss to her temple. We started slow, doing little more than swaying in each other’s arms for the opening chords. Her breathing was still wonky, but she wasn’t gasping for air like before. Wrapping her hand in mine, I brought it to my chest.

“Count the beat with me,” I murmured. Her small hand under mine, we tapped against my chest to the rhythm as we started to move around the kitchen. As I felt Lilah relax in my arms, I pulled back to watch her face.

“Now, try to match my breathing.” Her eyes never left my face as she followed my advice. Soon, color returned to her cheeks, and she was able to let out a gusty exhale, like it had been trapped in her chest until that moment.

Her head dropped to my chest, and I pulled her close as we kept moving with only the music and our breathing between us. She was graceful, her body following mine easily. A faster song came along, and she smiled in recognition. Twirling her around the kitchen island, she started to laugh before gently pushing me away.

“I’m gonna get dizzy!” she said, her voice hoarse from earlier. Gently taking her hand, I pulled her into my arms. I pushed the hair out of her eyes before cupping her face. Slowly, I pressed a kiss to her lips, and I was rewarded with her happy sigh. The kiss was slow, intimate, comforting, and I hated to end it.

“Do you have any candles?” I asked, needing a task so I could refocus on making sure Lilah was okay and not how much I wanted her.

“Yeah. I have a few scattered about. I was looking for matches when the power went out, and then…Well, I had my little meltdown.”

“Alright, then. Grab that flashlight for me, Angel,” I told her. I wanted to ask questions about what had sent her spiraling, but she was still unsteady. She needed to feel safe, and I, at least, had my version of that. Shooting a quick text off to the guys and Mom to let them know I’d be with Lilah, I put my phone away and focused on my girl.

Grabbing the pack of matches she had dropped, we walked through her house hand in hand, locking doors and windows as we gathered candles. She had an impressive amount in different scents and sizes. It took two trips to get them all upstairs. The layout of her space was imprinted in my memory. Lilah didn’t question me, just followed along as I made my way through her bedroom and into the attached bathroom.

Dropping the candles on the counter. I walked her over to her bed. Lighting one and putting it on the nightstand, I was glad to see Lilah looking more alert, color in her cheeks and dry eyes.

“Can you sit here for a few minutes? I wanna set some things up. Do you have pajamas you want to change into?” She nodded, pointing to her dresser. Opening a drawer, I pulled out a set that felt soft. Comfort was key. I wanted to wrap her up in cotton and protect her from the world. I knew that wasn’t possible, but I’d do my best to get as fucking close as I could.

“I’ll be in the bathroom while you change, but call me if you need anything. Understand?” She nodded but wasn’t looking at me.

“Need your eyes, Blue Jay. You okay to do this on your own?” She was chewing on her bottom lip when her gaze shot to mine. My attention drifted to her mouth, her lips swollen and pouty.

“I can do it,” she replied, and I nodded, dragging myself into the bathroom. Moving around the room, I lit the candles and spread them around, creating a halo of light in the smaller space. Grabbing some towels, I laid them on the bottom of the tub before stepping toward the door.

“You decent?” I asked

“Mhm,” she murmured, loud enough for me to hear. Without hesitating, I entered the room and had to firmly disagree with that statement. She was fully dressed, but the soft fabric did nothing to hide her body.

“Which blanket and pillow are your favorites?” I asked, willing my body to listen to me. I’d never had to fight so hard to ignore my urges and cravings to focus on the task at hand.