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With it being a Friday night, the bar would no doubt be busy, so he would probably stay until closing and then clean up.My body began to ache, from lack of sleep and all the moving I’d done the few times I’d gone on my own.I was as wobbly as a newborn kitten and felt just as needy.
Every so often, a creaking floorboard would make me startle, or a shadow caused by a tree branch would make me cower deeper into my pillows.I was safe at Sanctuary; my brain knew that.Marcy and Amy had sworn there had never been a break-in or any other incident at the shelter.Not only did Jack live in the basement, but the MC members took turns patrolling the fence, and the sheriff personally drove by twice a day, as well as having his men check on the place during each shift.
But while my brain mostly understood that the shadows couldn’t catch me here, a tiny part of my mind wasn’t convinced that the malevolent beings couldn’t find a way to get to me, even behind the massive, locked gates and high fences.
The only safe place was with Jack.
He was the only one who could protect me.
No one would hurt me with my beautiful bear there to save me.
Midnight came and went, and each hour that passed afterward seemed to take twice as long as it should have.The lateness of the hour only made the darkness outside the window more sinister, and every time I tried to close my eyes in an attempt to sleep, the shadows’ laughter would echo maniacally through my head.
Pressing my hands to my ears, I turned my face into my pillow and swallowed down the scream that tried to burst free.
I was so focused on keeping the noise trapped inside that, at first, I thought my mind was playing tricks on me when I heard a tap on my door.But it came again, and then again.Focusing on the noise, I was able to catch my breath enough to answer.“Wh-who is it?”
From my bed, I watched as the front door opened, and then Jack was standing there.He quietly closed it and came into my bedroom.He was dressed in dark sweats and a matching T-shirt, and his hair was damp and hung around his shoulders, letting me know he’d most likely just come from a shower.My gaze flickered back to the clock to see it was nearly three thirty.
“I was just doing my regular routine of checking all the doors and windows, and I heard you whimpering in here,” he explained as he looked down at me with concerned, kind green eyes.“I was worried you might be having a nightmare.”
“I… Um…” Shifting on my bed, I lowered my eyes to look at his shoulders, too embarrassed to meet his gaze.“I couldn’t sleep.”
“Being in a new place can make it difficult to—”
“I was scared!”I interrupted and quickly pressed my lips together.
His brows pulled together.“You have nothing to fear here, little fairy.”
“I know,” I whispered.“I do, I swear.But the shadows are still there, and I… I only feel safe with you.”
He scratched at the hair on his chin for a moment before nodding toward the other side of the bed.“How about I sit with you until you fall asleep?”
Relief flooded me at the selfless offer, but so did guilt.“You took care of me all day, Jack.And then went to work.You should get some sleep.”
“I’m not going to be able to sleep if I know you’re scared.”Without hesitating further, he sat on the other side of the bed and then adjusted the pillows.Stretching out beside me, he folded one arm beneath the plushness and laid his head on it.“How did things go?Did Marcy and…” He paused with a frown.“And…”
“Amy?”I supplied with a smile.Maybe I should have been ashamed of myself for the glee I felt that he didn’t remember the nurse’s name, but I couldn’t seem to give a damn right then.
He snapped his fingers.“Yeah, her.Did they take good care of you after I left?”
“Marcy is wonderful.She’s sweet, and her food is amazing.”
“And the nurse?”
“Amy was nice too.She had nothing but good things to say about you.”I shifted, getting more comfortable, and found myself a little closer to him.
“Don’t really care what she thinks about me, little fairy,” he said as he adjusted the blanket over me.“I want to know if she took good care of you.”
I fought back a yawn, my eyes already feeling heavier.“She made sure I had my meds on time and arranged the pillows so my leg was elevated at the right angle.Amy seems like a competent nurse.”
“But you don’t like her?”
I blinked my eyes open, fighting sleep now that he was beside me.“I didn’t say that.”
“You didn’t have to.It’s in your voice.”He reached for my hand, playing with my fingertips.I’d noticed he did that often.It was an innocent touch, yet it made me feel connected to him on a level that was not just comforting, but oddly intimate.
“It’s not that I don’t like her,” I hedged.“I just don’t know her.I’m sure she will grow on me soon enough.”
