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“Anything else?” he asked.
I shook my head. As he helped me to stand and began to lead me from the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the mirror and stumbled to a halt.
I didn’t recognize the man looking back at me.
There was nothing of myself, even beyond the bruises, swollen flesh and blackened eyes. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen the damage Eric had wielded, but it was the first time I was seeing it through someone else’s eyes.
Cain’s eyes.
His gaze met mine in the mirror, but I couldn’t bear to see the pity I knew would be there, so I dropped my eyes and got us moving again, using one hand to hold my towel in place. Lucy was waiting by the bed, her hands twisted as she watched us approach. She’d swapped the blanket out, though I wasn’t sure where she’d gotten the new paisley comforter that was on top of the mattress. The sheet hadn’t been changed, but since I hadn’t actually puked on it, it hadn’t needed to be. There was a bowl of broth on the nightstand.
Just the idea of eating had me wanting to throw up all over again, but I quelled it. Cain helped get me in the bed and didn’t loosen the towel from around my body until he had me covered up again. At some point, I’d really need to ask for my clothes back.
Cain didn’t speak as he disappeared into the bathroom, towel in hand. His clothes were sopping wet. I hadn’t seen a bag in the bathroom so I had no idea if he even had a change of clothes.
“Here,” Lucy said as she held up the bowl and handed me the spoon. Her hopeful eyes were on me as I forced myself to eat a few spoonfuls. In between bites, Cain left the bathroom and disappeared from the room all together. Exhaustion was starting to filter through my body and I barely managed to keep my eyes open long enough to answer the questions Lucy asked me about who she was and what year it was. I wanted to tell her I was sorry I hadn’t done a better job of looking out for her, but I couldn’t find the strength to speak the words. Everything hurt as I lowered my upper half down on the bed and the last thing two things I registered as my eyes drifted shut were Cain returning to the room wearing fresh clothes and the realization that I hadn’t thanked him.
Chapter Five
Cain
What the fuck had I been thinking?
I hated the agitation that had become like a living thing beneath my skin. I was known for my coolness under pressure, but now…now I felt like I was going to crawl out of my own skin.
I shoved the offending blanket off my lap and got off the couch. Even with it being pitch dark outside, not to mention cold as fuck, I tore open the front door and went to stand on the porch. The snow had stopped and like Ronan had said, the accumulation hadn’t been bad. We’d be able to get down the mountain just as soon as Ethan was up to making the trip.
Even the man’s name had me itching to put my hands on something.
Or someone. No, not someone…
Fuck!
I began pacing the small porch in the hopes the cold would ease the tension running through my frame. The icy air pricked at my arms and feet but, despite the fact that I was wearing just a T-shirt and jeans, I still felt hot all over.
Why the hell had I touched him?
And why the hell couldn’t I stop thinking about it?
Lucy and I had been finishing up dinner when we’d heard moaning coming from the back of the cabin. By the time we’d reached Ethan’s room, he’d been screaming the word “No” over and over again. Several pillows had been shoved across the bed and to the floor as Ethan had thrashed around and the blanket had been draped precariously over his lap. As I’d rushed into the room, his screams had stopped and he’d started wheezing like he couldn’t breathe. Panic had rushed through me as I’d wondered if one of his injuries had worsened, but I hadn’t had time to give it much thought because as soon as I’d put my hands on him, he’d lashed out at me. He hadn’t hit me at first – no, he’d clawed at my neck as I’d tried to get ahold of his arms. Even now, I could feel the scratches just beneath my shirt collar where the fabric had shifted during the struggle and his nails had raked over my skin. Just before I’d caught his swinging fists which had come way too close to hitting Lucy who’d gone around to the other side of the bed and climbed onto it in the hopes of waking Ethan up, his fist had connected with my jaw. The blow hadn’t been enough to deter me, but unlike when he’d taken swings at me when I’d first arrived and encountered him and Lucy in the front yard, this time he’d managed to leave a mark on me.
