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6
FARRYN
The old-fashioned, claw-foot tub made for an ominous piece of furniture in the small bathroom, where I stood wringing the oversized T-shirt I’d worn as a nightgown. We’d already handed off Camael to the neighbor lady. Much as I’d have wanted her to come along, I didn’t think she’d be willing to damn near drown without clawing my eyeballs out.
Shirtless, Jericho sat on the edge of the tub, turning the dials to adjust the temperature, and as the water filled the basin, a knot formed in my stomach.
For years, I’d lived in the house and couldn’t bring myself to bathe in that tub. It wasn’t just bathtubs, either. Sometimes, if I held my face toward the shower spray for too long, the panic would rise up inside my chest, reminding me of that godawful day when my father had held me underwater. Even then, a visual flashed through my mind, the sounds of my screams muted beneath the surface.
“Papa! I can’t breathe! I can’t breathe! Stop!”
Eyes clamped, I shook the memory free and breathed in through my nose, out through my mouth, just like my therapist had taught me.
“So, um …” I gulped back the fear climbing up the back of my throat. “How do we do this?”
Brows creased with concern, he ran his hand over the water’s surface, and I watched as ripples chased after. “Come here.”
“You could just tell me first.”
“Come, Farryn. Sit.” He patted one of his muscled thighs, and I wondered if he’d use them to wrangle me into the water.
A burn streaked across my lip where I bit down too hard, and I stepped toward him, my pulse hammering as I neared the half-filled tub. Before I could jolt back, his hand gripped me, and he yanked me onto his lap, facing away from the water. He ran a hand through my hair and pulled me to his lips. “This isn’t going to be easy, okay? You have to trust me. And do everything I tell you. Understand?”
The cold inside my chest expanded. I did trust him. I just didn’t trust the water wouldn’t get all vindictive for not having killed me the last time someone tried to do the job. “How do we even know this is for the best, anyway? I mean, maybe I’m not safe anywhere.”
He moved a lock of hair from my face, tucking it behind my ear. “Whether here, or there, makes no difference in terms of your safety. It is only that there, I have a small advantage, without the Sentinels breathing down my neck.”
“And if they decide to seek me out there?”
“Let them. I will watch every one of them burn. In fact, let them send theirlegionsof angels and demons.” Finger hooked beneath my chin, he guided my eyes to his. “Any god or devil foolish enough to lay claim to you will suffer myunforgiving wrath. You are mine, Farryn.Mine. There is no compromise, no bargain that could possibly change what has already been decided. Understand?”
I blew out a shaky breath and nodded.
“Good. You must trust me. Trust that I won’t let anything, or anyone, hurt you.”
“I do, but … why drowning?”
“The Vale exists between life and death. When you fell from the roof, there was a point at which you traversed that line. It is both fragile and precise. Too far over the edge, and you could traverse in death.”
“Can we, like … knock me out, or something?”
“I don’t want to risk that you’ll inhale and drown. But I have an idea. You’ll trust me, yes?”
Again, I nodded, because I did trust him, even if I was terrified out of my mind.
“Good.” Fingers lodged in my hair, he pulled me to his lips for the kind of slow and lazy kiss that felt out of place for the dread simmering in my gut. “Put your arms over your head.”
Limbs trembling, I raised my arms up and felt his warm palms skim over my stomach, as he raised my T-shirt up and peeled it away, tossing it onto the floor.
Hand cradling the back of my head, he pressed himself forward, forcing me backward as he lowered me into the tub, but instinct throttled my muscles, and I gripped his arm, clawing at his flesh.
“Wait! Wait, wait, wait.”
He didn’t wait, though, and before I knew it, I was submerged to my breasts, every cell quivering with terror while I clung to him for dear life.
“I can’t. I can’t do this, Jericho! Please.”
“Shhhh,” he whispered. “I’m right here, Farryn. I will not hurt you.”
