AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Shhhh… Princess, you’re in shock. I promise everything will be okay.”
I thrash against him, my fists hammering against his chest.
“You can’t promise me that,” I shout again. “You have no way of knowing what’s going to happen.”
Tiero holds my hands together, so I can no longer pummel him. Then he nods at someone behind me, and the next thing I register is a prick in my arm.
Moments later, my body turns sluggish in Tiero’s arms while he hums gently against my forehead, trying to calm me.
My eyelids grow heavy before my world once again goes black.
I wake up with a scream, my heart beating a million miles an hour. I’m shaking with terror and am bathed in sweat.
Where am I?
I glance around. I’m alone, and I don’t recognize the room.
My head throbs as if a hundred busy jackhammers are going off. I look around again with dread. The room seems somehow familiar, and a moment later, it comes back to me. I’m in the De Marco house in Rome.
Where is Tiero?
Scrambling my brain for an answer, I finally remember he was going after whoever tried to kidnap me last night.
Last night… the horrors of what happened haunted my dreams. Oriana and Alonso are dead, their bodies riddled with bullet holes… the consequence of somebody’s hatred and violence.
Quaking and retching, my stomach turns on itself. I run to the bathroom and just make it to the toilet in time. Sinking to my knees, I fling the lid open, doubling over as my stomach convulses and empties itself.
My head is pounding, and my entire body hurts, especially my face. I rest my head on the seat, too weak to move my heavy limbs.
Unfortunately, it’s a familiar sensation. I was drugged, yet again. This time, though, I’m grateful for the blackness that swallowed me up, giving me a reprieve from the dark reality of last night.
The door to my room flies open, and seconds later, Tiero rushes into the bathroom, coming straight for me. He scoops me up and envelops my shaking body in a tight embrace as he carries me back to the bed. He sits down with me in his arms, holding me like I’m the most precious thing in the world.
“I heard you screaming, angel. It’s okay. You’re okay,” he coos. “I’m here. You’re safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
But it’s not okay.
Nothing is ok, least of all me.
I can never unsee what I’ve seen.
Then the memories bombard me… of being shackled and silenced, of a stranger’s cruel and hard hands dragging me mercilessly, of being hit so hard I fell to the floor… a fresh wave of nausea rolls in, but I suppress it, desperately trying to think of something else.
We sit in silence as my heartbeat slows and my breathing evens out. My body stops shaking as Tiero rocks me gently back and forth, as if soothing a child. It works for me, the tension in my body slowly abating.
I pull away from Tiero to look at him. He’s freshly showered, his hair still moist. He’s wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him dressed so casually.
“I want to take a shower,” I say, my voice sounding hoarse and unused. The urge to wash off the grime, and scrub away the memory of violent hands on me too demanding to deny.
“I’ll run you a bath. It will help calm you.” I nod and let Tiero carry me to the bathroom.
I probably could walk, but I have no fight left in me.
Tiero starts the bath and begins to take off my clothes. Ah well, it’s not like he hasn’t seen me naked before, and I have no energy to care.
When he’s done, he places me gently into the oversized tub, where lavender scented bubbles crackle and pop. The sound of the running water soothes my nerves, and the hot water is heavenly on my skin.
Tiero pulls a wooden stool closer and sits down at the head end to massage my scalp in slow, soothing circles. I lean back and close my eyes, enjoying his closeness.
