AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stand before him naked since my panties and bra were destroyed before the assault. Humiliation washes over me, and I lower my arms, crossing them over my chest. Averting my gaze, I stare at Chase’s bare chest.
“Hey. Don’t.” His fingers slide beneath my chin, lifting it. Moisture builds in his eyes as he stares into my soul. “You’re still you.” He gestures to my heart. “Your essence is still here. No one can take that away from you.” Taking a step closer, his lips press against my forehead. “They can only take what you allow them to strip from you.”
His words are a soothing balm on my fractured soul. He’s wise beyond his years, and I’m curious about his words. It sounds like he speaks from experience.
Pulling back, he grabs my hand and then helps me into the bath. I hiss when my bottom hits the warm water, my most intimate parts stinging from the intrusion.
“There’s some antibacterial soap.” Rosario stands by the door. She has the decency to keep her eyes averted. “I’ll turn my back so you can undress and join her.”
Chase ignores her, focusing on getting me as comfortable as possible, considering the circumstances. Straightening, his head turns to her before he looks at me. He gestures toward his baggy sweatpants and asks, “Do you mind?”
“No, I don’t. I won’t look.”
The water sloshes in the tub as Chase climbs in. I draw my knees to my chest, shielding my nakedness.
Chase settles in front of me. I keep my eyes averted until I feel his hands on my knees.
As I sit there, staring into his eyes, debating if I should ask him to hand me the soap so I can scrub away what happened to me, it hits me like a freight train. I open my mouth, but instead of asking for the soap, I find myself blurting out tearfully, “How can you look at me like that? After what… happened?”
Chase, wincing every time the water touches the wounds on his back, goes completely still. He stares at me with a dumbfounded expression before he places his hand on my interlocked fingers that cling to my shins.
“Nothing has changed for me, Mackenzie, except for one thing. I thought you were amazing before, but after witnessing what you endured last night, you’re beyond incredible. In the midst of something horrible, you were concerned about me. You screamed the loudest when they hurt me, ignoring your pain while feeling every ounce of mine.”
“So did you.” My voice is barely audible as emotion clogs my throat, taking me over.
Chase nods. “My feelings for you haven’t changed because of what happened. If anything, the more I see of you… The more I learn… The harder I fall.” He loosens the death grip I have on my legs, gently taking my hands in his. “You’re not broken, Mackenzie. Your light still shines bright, despite the circumstances. They tried to extinguish it but failed.”
My face softens from his words and the raging sincerity in his eyes. “Chase,” I breathe, at a loss for words.
“Angel, they physically hurt you, but they can’t psychologically break you unless you let them. And I seenoevidence of that. You’re still the most amazing person—and woman—I’ve ever met.”
I know his back probably feels like it’s on fire every time the water touches it. Although the last thing I want is to inflict any more pain on him, I can’t stop myself. Ignoring the agony as I shift my weight to my feet, I propel myself into his arms.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I press my naked body against his, surprised yet pleased when I don’t feel any revulsion at touching or being touched. Although we aren’t being sexually intimate, I feared I’d never be able to get naked in front of any man after being raped.
Chase is right. They hurt me but didn’t break me.
“You have power, Kenz. We’re in a horrific situation, no doubt, and although I hate what happened to you so fucking much that I dream of maiming and killing all these fuckers,don’tlet them win. Be you. Don’t change for anyone.”
I nod against his neck, clinging to this amazing man like a drowning person clinging to a life raft.
His lips are against my ear as he whispers, “You’re perfect, angel. You’ll always be unblemished, no matter what they do.”
I squeeze Chase tighter, tears coursing down my cheeks. He has no idea how much his words mean to my tarnished views of myself and the broken pieces of my heart.
But in his arms, he’s repairing the damage they inflicted.
25
CHASE
I’m lying on my stomach on the musty, foul-smelling, stained mattress, staring blankly up at the ceiling. The dim light bulb casts shadows on the walls of the attic as day turns to night.
My thoughts are full of vengeance and murder. One thing is for damn sure, I need to get us out of here before Halloween, which is also Mackenzie’s eighteenth birthday, and the final stage in the devil’s fucking rituals so he can ascend.
I refuse to give up hope, although I’m pissed that I couldn’t capitalize on the bath situation earlier. I was in too much fucking pain, as was Mackenzie, and a failed escape attempt would have likely only resulted in our deaths.
Still, it eats at me.
