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The basement door clicks shut, and I shake my head. “Oh, brother. Well, let’s not keep him waiting.” I hold my hand out to Eden, which she accepts immediately, and I smile down at her. We walk hand in hand to the stairs leading down to our in-home gym.
At the bottom landing, I point off to the right towards a wall of lockers and a bathroom. “Inside the first locker there are clothes, sports tops, and yoga pants that should fit you, and at the end, behind that door, is a bathroom.”
Eden squeezes my hand before letting go in favor of reaching up and gripping my shoulders. When she gives them both a tug down, I bend forward, and she places a light kiss on my right cheek. “Thank you for thinking of this,” she whispers and walks away, a little extra bounce in her step now.
I place my hand over my cheek as if I can hold the feeling of her lips pressing against my flesh forever. My mind is quiet for the first time in longer than I can remember, startled by the slip of a woman who’s done me in.
“You okay there, son?” Edward asks, a shit-eating grin on his face.
“Nope. Not in the slightest,” I say with an answering grin and a snort. “I’m so fucked.”
I don’t recognizethe girl staring at me in the mirror anymore. Dark circles under sunken eyes. Her pale complexion and boney cheeks. Faded, dull blonde hair. And eyes filled with sorrow and pain. But underneath all that is an unbridled anger and rage at the injustice of the life she’s lived.
My hands braced on the counter, I lean in close to the mirror, my eyes locked with the dull green orbs looking back at me. “Who are you?” I ask her.
Silence is her only reply.
“Do you have nothing to say?” I whisper shout, slapping my hand against the mirror. My head drops forward—hanging between my shoulders—and a tear of frustration drips to the counter.
The door to the bathroom creaks open, but I don’t move. The smell of peppermint fills the small space and Edward’s soft hand comes to rest between my shoulder blades. “Figuring out who you are after a lifetime of being locked away—being manipulated and abused—will take time, my dear. Don’t be so hard on yourself. It’s only been three weeks.”
I look in the mirror, and scan his warm, caring expression. “I feel lost all the time, adrift like a feather blowing in the wind with nothing to tether me to the ground. Even the softest gust of wind will blow me away.”
“But imagine the view and all the things you’ll see along the way. What a wild ride that’ll be.” His smile is large, giddy, and childlike.
A small laugh bubbles up inside of me at his excitement, and I smile in return. Turning around, I wrap my arms around him. “Thank you,” I say into his shoulder, though it comes out muffled by the fabric.
He pats my back with a deep rumbling laugh. “Oh, my dear, there is nothing you need to thank me for.” He pushes me back slightly by my shoulders, keeping hold of me, he grins and says, “Now, let’s not keep Kain waiting.”
I eye him speculatively. “Why do I get the feeling you’re up to something?”
“Because he’s always up to something,” Kain says, leaning against the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. I drink in the sight of him in loose grey sweatpants and a tight black tank top. “You ready?” he asks seriously.
I nod, trying to swallow the saliva pooling in my mouth, and follow him deeper into the gym. He hops into the boxing ring and holds the ropes open for me to climb through. A roll of white cloth sits on the floor, and Kain picks it up, holding out a hand to me. I place my hand in his, and he tenderly traces a fingertip over and between each knuckle. He turns my hand over, and his thumb traces the faint white mark running along my inner wrist. The barely-there touch is feather light, sending shivers racing down my spine.
He glances up and meets my eyes for a moment before refocusing on my hand and methodically wrapping the cloth around my hand and knuckles, looping it through each finger and securing the Velcro strap around my wrist.
I inhale a breath and wordlessly thank him for not asking questions. Though I’m sure they’ll come at some point in time.
In silence, he proceeds to wrap my other hand, paying close attention to each scar and mark that mars my pale skin as he does. After he’s wrapped them both, he lifts my hands to his mouth and places a kiss to the back of each.
A warmth blooms in my chest at the tender act by such a gruff and ruthless man. Images of the first night at the club flash through my mind. When he held my face, cupping it between his strong hands, and promised me vengeance. He’s both hard as steel and soft as a gentle breeze, and the contradictions make my head spin.
“First, I’m going to show you how to break a hold so you can run away. If you can escape your attacker, do it. Don’t go looking for a fight.” Kain starts, bringing my attention back to the here and now.
He walks behind me and steps in close, his front pressed firmly against my back. He wraps his arms around me, one hand spanning my lower belly while the other crosses my chest to hold my shoulder. A new feeling rises up inside of me at the intimacy of this hold, a mix of excitement and, I’m pretty damn sure, arousal.
“I’m going to lift you off the ground, you’ll have no control. How are you going to get free?” Hot breath ghosts over my cheek with every word he speaks low in my ear, and my body races into overdrive.
He lifts me, tightening his hold on my body. The arm around my center bands around my ribs, cutting my breath short. The arm across my chest slips an inch closer to my neck. Panic wells inside of me, buried memories forcing their way to the surface. Hands wrapped around my throat, squeezing until not a whisper of air could get through. The feeling of arms wrapped around me from behind as they pushed me against a wall and forced themselves inside of me.
“Eden, where are you?” a voice whispers in my ear.
“The club. In the third room.” My voice breaks, and I fight against the arms that hold me tight.
“No, you’re not. Open your eyes, sweetheart, you’re in the gym. You’re safe. No one can hurt you here. I won’t allow it.” The conviction in the voice as he growls the last few words has my eyes flying open. I suck in a deep, shaky breath. The sweet oxygen rolling over my tongue and filling my lungs feels like life renewing every cell in my body.
Kain loosens his hold and I grab his hands. “Don’t. Don’t let go,” my voice is weak, but my determination to get through this is iron. “Go again,” I command, this time my voice doesn’t waver.
