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I sat in partial shock, my entire body breaking out into uncontrollable shivers. No matter how much I tried to calm myself, I couldn’t make it stop. My mind rushed through all the scenarios of what could’ve happened if Damien hadn’t found us when he did. Whatwouldhave happened.
The sickening feeling of Marcus’ hands lingered on my skin, and my vision grew blurry as tears welled in my eyes. I furiously rubbed my face, trying to brush them away, but they kept coming.
“Easy, Cas, easy. You’re safe now.” Damien’s entire aura changed the moment Marcus was out of sight. Seeing him as he was just moments before would’ve been frightening if he hadn’t been doing it to protect me.
“Does anything hurt? Did he do anything before I got here?” he asked, taking my hands to examine them, looking me over carefully.
Cold air flooded in and out of my lungs as I breathed deeply, trying to calm myself. My eyes fell to my quivering hands in his, watching him check me for any wounds. “I... I think I’m ok. Just shaken up.” It was a lie. I wasn’t even remotely ok. My body was still panicking, and I’d lost any sense of control over it, but I couldn’t bring myself to verbalize it.
“I’m so sorry. I would’ve gotten him off you sooner if I’d have known you wouldn’t get hurt in the process.” Damien turned my hands over, seeing my palms scraped from the fall. My hands burned, studded with dirt and gravel. “Come on, let’s get you out of here before anyone else comes along.”
He felt so warm, and his gentle gaze helped ease me, made me feel safe again. He lifted me to my feet, supporting my weight as he guided me toward the entrance to the building. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Vincent and Zephyr gathering my bag and books from the ground, and they followed us into the building.
Damien hesitated once we passed through the doors. “I know you’ve got class, but… I can take you home if you want.”
Everything in me wanted to say yes. I wanted nothing more than to just go home, to not be in this place any longer. I barely wanted to come to this school anymore, but I refused to let someone like Marcus think he’d won.
I couldn’t meet his gaze, fearful that I’d gave to his offer. “I really should get to class…” My voice was low as I tried to reason with myself.
Damien walked me down the hall to the bathroom. “If that’s what you want.”
I washed my hands in the sink while he stood in the doorway, his presence somehow comforting.
“Are you sure? You don’t have to put on a tough face for me, Cas. It’s ok. Marcus is a piece of shit.” I could almost feel the anger that seethed in him, his voice growing harsher with each word. “I should’ve seen you to your class. I didn’t think he’d try anything with you.”
“You couldn’t have known.”
“If he ever so much as looks at you again, I fucking swear—” He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry.”
It was oddly comforting hearing him say that. Damien’s defense touched a part of me, warmed me to my bones. With all the people I’d met in my life, I always felt alone, so alone in my inability to connect with anyone. With him, I didn’t feel so alone anymore.
My gaze fell to my hands. My fingers continued to tremble under the water, and it frustrated me that I couldn’t make them stop. I couldn’t believe how helpless I’d been, how I couldn’t even bring myself to try fight back, try to escape.
Damien’s hand reached out, gently taking hold of one of my hands. “It’s ok, Cas. You’re safe now.” His voice was low, so soft that I felt enveloped by his words.
His hooded eyes were focused on my hand, his thumb gently stroking back and forth against my skin. The delicate expression of affection left butterflies dancing in my stomach. Behind that soft expression masking his face, I could feel the fury he still harbored. Though he tried his best to hide it, to help calm me, I could see through the facade. It eased my fears, in a strange way, and helped me settle.
“Thank you so much, Damien, but…” I drew a deep breath, summoning up the courage to force a smile. “I really should get to class, I’m already late.”
“I want you to have my number,” Damien offered. “You can call me if you ever need me. Anything at all. I’ll be there.”
I was a bit surprised by his offer. “That would be nice, actually.” I responded, handing him my phone. It gave me some comfort to know that he wanted to be there for me.
“Seriously, don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.” He quickly typed in his number and handed my phone back. “I’ll be there, I promise. Doesn’t matter when, even if you just need to talk.”
I stepped out of the bathroom. “Thank you, for everything.”
“Anytime, Cas.”
Vincent handed me my backpack and books and I thanked them all before turning to walk to my classroom just a few doors down the hall. Adrenaline still coursed through my body, and I tried to breathe steadily to calm myself down before entering the classroom. It was no use though; it would end up clouding my entire thought process for the remainder of the day.
5
The edge of my charcoal ran against the grain of the paper, the gritty feeling vibrating softly into my fingertips. The lines of black ran downward along Kat’s jawline, the shadows smudging under my fingertips as I blended them out under her chin, cascading into her long, delicate neck.
My curls dangled, untamed, against my face as usual. I sighed in annoyance as they got in the way of my view for the fortieth time since I’d started a few hours ago. I pulled my hair back into a loose bun. The stool creaked under my weight as I leaned back, tilting my head to scrutinize the drawing before me.
The clock read 1:32 a.m., and I couldn’t fall asleep to save my life. I was so awake that it would likely be hours before sleep finally welcomed me into its arms. The moment I’d laid down a few hours ago, my thoughts flooded with images of my encounter with Marcus earlier that day. The last thing I needed was to have a panic attack. I needed to drown out those thoughts, and for once, the words in my books weren’t enough to do it.
