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I can’t let my guard down. Not with her or anybody else. My family counts on me.
When I get back to my bedroom, the doc is just wrapping up her wrists.
He looks up when he hears me coming in. “You need to keep her arms elevated. I’ll come and check on her again in the morning. Until then, watch the red marks on her arms. If they spread, call me back right away. Here are some pain meds and some antibiotics.”
He sits two pill bottles down on my nightstand before examining me nervously. “Is that all I can get for her? Or does she need anything else… like the morning after pill?”
His question infuriates me beyond all reasoning. I know logically it shouldn’t.
She is, after all, a beautiful young girl half naked in my bathroom, and she clearly has been tied up. Of course, he would assume she’d been raped, as it wouldn’t be the first time I’ve done something psychologically fucked. I know his assumption shouldn’t bother me… but fuck, it does.
“Don’t ask questions, Doc. If I needed something else, I’d have asked. Now, if you’re needed, I’ll call you. Otherwise, get the fuck out.” I grit out the words and he scurries from the bedroom, grabbing his things.
As soon as we’re alone, I settle onto the side of the bed and stare at her. I watch her chest rise and fall beneath the blanket… I listen to the medicine drip from the IV bag into the tube and watch the saline being carried through it to the needle in her arm. This, her being here, me saving her, it’s so unlike me.
I’m a killer, not a savior, and still, I cannot shake the hold this tiny girl has over me.
“Who are you?” I whisper, trailing a knuckle down the side of her cheek. Her skin is still hot, but a sheen of sweat coats her forehead, telling me her fever is breaking.
I think of the things she told me yesterday… of how she merely went searching for her sister. She was selfless walking into a den full of lions. I’m surprised I didn’t find her in worse condition. Then again, my father hadn’t really gotten a chance to touch her. If he had, I can guarantee she’d wish she was dead.
Isn’t that what you’ll do to her? Make her wish she was dead by the time you’re done with her? I squeeze my eyes shut. I don’t understand the feelings coursing through me. The only thing that is clear is that I cannot hurt her. I can’t… no matter what.
“Xander…” My name falls from her lips on a whimper and I look up, expecting her to be awake, but she’s not. I grab onto her fragile hand that’s extended outward on the bed. I interlace our fingers… She’s useless to me like this, our agreement null and void.
On top of it, she’s a loose end. If anyone discovers her, then everything will unravel. I stop myself from thinking further on the matter. I’m not in the right state of mind right now.
My need for her is causing me to break every fucking rule that I put into place, and secretly, my father is getting his way. He may not know it, but I do. He’s left me something, someone, that I cannot bring myself to kill.
And it’s going to ruin everything…
It already has.
Chapter 7
Ella
My eyes burn, my head throbs, and a coldness fills my veins. I try and swallow, but my throat burns feels like fifty-grit sandpaper. My tongue is heavy in my mouth and every single breath I take is labored. I try and lift my arms and legs but nothing works. I feel broken. I will my eyes to open, but they don’t.
“Her fever is back up.” A deep rumbling voice fills my ears.
“That’s going to happen, boss. She’s fighting an infection. It’ll be a couple of days before we see any real improvement.” That same voice lets out a loud sigh, and I feel the bed dip beside me. I flicker through the memories in my mind… trying to put a face to the voice.
The image of a man with dark hair and even darker eyes appears before me.
Xander.
“Don’t die on me, Mouse,” he whispers, so softly I barely hear him. I think I feel his lips graze my forehead, but I cannot be sure. Questions burn deep inside of me. Why is he caring for me? Shouldn’t he have just killed me? I’m not of any use to him now.
Our agreement appears in my mind, and I wonder if he’s going to end things now. He probably should. It would be easier, right? I feel trapped, caught between four walls that are slowly closing in around me. I cannot cry or scream. I can’t do anything to let him know that I am here… with him. I try and mumble, move my limbs, anything at all, but everything starts to fade out again. A buzzing fills my ears and within seconds, I’m gone… floating through endless darkness. Maybe I’m already dead? I can’t tell the difference between reality and dream anymore.
