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The place had been ransacked.
Both couches were toppled over. The collection of pottery and woodwork on the shelves were smashed to pieces on the ground. Picture frames had been bent and demolished. Photographs smoldered in the fireplace, remnants of the destruction done to his wonderful home.
The more we discovered, the more the defeat settled into my bones. Eventually, I plopped into an unharmed chair and leaned my elbows on my knees.
“Heathens,” I accused softly. “Monsters.”
He wiped his lips. “I shouldn’t have reacted.”
My head shot up. “Matty, this isn’t your fault. You did what you were supposed to do.”
“I should have been a good lapdog and played along.”
“Don’t talk like that.”
He held out his arms. “Look what they’ve done tomy home, Rose!”
The silence that followed his shout wounded me. It was the silence of being beaten, of having everything crushed to dust. Ash right back to ash. The fireplace stood ominously behind him, the mantel having once hosted a medley of photographs that were now gone.
The distinct scent of burned paper lingered in the air. Tears blurred my vision, causing me to grimace as I turned toward the window on the left. It didn’t matter that I couldn’t clearly see the truck or anything beyond. Seeing his pain was too much for me to bear.
I closed my eyes, tears silently slithering down my face.
Not a moment later, I felt his hands cupping my face, his thumbs stroking the space beneath my eyes. He wiped my tears as he pressed his forehead to mine.
“Don’t cry over me,” he said shakily. “Don’t cry over this.”
“I can’t help it.” I shuddered. “I canfeelyour pain, Matty.”
And it was true. I could. The awful waves of defeat crashed into my shoulders and constricted my chest. My heart felt like it was cracking in half. My back ached and my legs burned with the desire to run as hard and fast as I could in the opposite direction. Anywhere was better than here.
I rested my hands over his and forced myself to open my eyes. “I wish I could take you away from this. You don’t deserve it. You deservepeace.”
“I deserve vengeance.”
“You deserve to be safe and loved.”
He retreated an inch. The sight of him doing that like I was a snake trying to bite him made me twist with agony. I grabbed his shirt and shoved my face into his chest, hiding the way I felt. But how could I hide my emotions when he couldn’t hide his from me?
Everything was on full blast. I was starting to lose myself to the tide when he turned my head and positioned his heart at my ear. Beat by beat, my tears dried up and my body stopped shuddering. One breath turned into two and then three. A wracking sob turned into a sigh and then I slumped against him, weak from sharing so many of his emotions.
“You’re in so much pain,” I whispered weakly. “I want to take it all away.”
He groaned. “You’re hurting yourself doing it.”
“So? At least you’ll feel better.”
“No,fleur. It doesn’t make me feel better to see you swimming in my pain.”
I raised my gaze enough to catch a glimpse of his expression. There wasn’t any steel there today. Only affection like brisk snowflakes tickling my cheek.
I smiled. “So, take it back.”
“Well, I don’t know how.”
“If I can figure it out, then so can you.”
He gulped. “Rose?”
