AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Gently I run my fingers through her hair, soothing her with a gentle touch until eventually she begins to relax in my arms, her breathing evening out.
"That's it, I've got you."
When she's calm, I gently cup her chin, hoping and praying that when I look into her eyes that the Cyn I know and love is staring back at me and not a ghost.
This time it’s her.
“Cyn,” I lament, my voice thick with emotion.
Her grey eyes swell with tears like storm clouds before rainfall, but she blinks them away and beneath the glistening sadness I see something I haven't seen since before the Skull Brotherhood stole her from us. A spark, a memory of who she was before that day. If I can remind her of who she was then, maybe I can bring her back to the surface for good this time.
I feel my throat close up with emotion as I take in her appearance, the bruises on her body a testament to the horrors she has endured. Whilst they've faded from a deep purple to a greenish-yellow, healing with every passing day, it still kills me to look at her mottled skin, knowing what she's been through at the hands of that evil cunt.
"Cyn," I choke out. "I thought I'd lost you."
She reaches up, cupping my face with her broken fingers, her thumb running across my bottom lip as she looks at me, really looks, instead of staring right through me.
"I'm h-here," she manages to get out, her voice nothing more than broken shards of glass in a smoky room. “I’m s-sorry.”
“Don’t apologise to me,” I murmur, my mouth pressing against her forehead, my shoulders sagging as the tension seeps out of me.
I wrap my arms around her tightly, burying my face into her hair. She stays there for a few moments before gently pushing against my chest until I look at her again. Her grey eyes meet mine and then she speaks, each word is an effort that seems to cost more energy than she has within her exhausted body.
"Where am I?"
"Home, Cyn. You're home."
She frowns, her fingers dropping from my face and feathering against the bruise that rings her throat. She begins to tremble, the lingering pain from her still healing fingers triggering the memory of what happened to her.
"We've been back on our island for two weeks now," I say quickly, trying to distract her, to keep her focused on the here and now.
“The Masks, Christy? I remember hearing her voice…” she frowns.
“They’ve gone home to Ardelby Castle. Christy said we needed our space. They send their love. They’ll come visit whenever you’re ready,” I add.
“And Connall?”
“We told him he could speak to you when you were ready, and not before.”
"I see..." she coughs, her eyes watering from the pain.
"Would you like some painkillers?" I ask, shifting her on my lap so that I can grab the glass of water from the side table, passing it to her.
"No," she replies, taking a sip, wincing as she swallows. "I'd like a bath."
"A bath?"
"P-please..." She pauses, her eyes wavering with uncertainty. "If you'd help me."
"Anything you need. I'm here," I reply, my arm wrapping around her back as I take most of her weight. Her breathing is shallow and her body is tense from stiffness and pain, but she manages to move forward with my help. At least this time she’s conscious of what she’s doing, instead of robotic. "Easy now. Just lean into me. I've got you."
A tremulous breath parts her lips and she clings to me as we make our way into the en-suite bathroom. “I feel lightheaded.”
"Sit here for a moment," I say, closing the lid to the toilet and easing her down on it so that I can fill up the bath. “Take deep breaths. Your body’s not used to being up and about. The only time you’ve gotten out of bed was to use the toilet and bathe. You had my help each time.”
Her cheeks heat and I immediately regret my words. “Hey, don’t be embarrassed. You needed me, so I helped you.”
She nods, watching me as I roll up my sleeves and turn on the taps, checking the water every so often as it fills to make sure it's not too hot. Once it reaches a level I'm happy with, I pour in some bath salts, swirling the water until puffy white clouds appear on the surface and the scent of orange blossom and sandalwood fills the air.
