Broken Dreams (43 page)

“She threw me away. She sold me.” He fell into me. I held him as tight as I could while he cried. I brought him down to the floor. I sat and rocked him, consoling him and telling him how much I loved him; telling him I would never leave his side; telling him it would be okay, and we would find him the closure that he desperately needed.

Sophie walked over and knelt down. When he looked at her, the pain in his eyes cut through me. “Henry.” She took his hands. “I’m so sorry.” She reached for him, while looking for my permission to hug him.

I nodded and backed off, allowing her to comfort her longtime friend. Sophie kissed him on the cheek, and was talking in his ear. I couldn’t hear most of what she was saying, but she was doing her best to help him. If he wasn’t lost before, he surely was then.

I heard a grumble from Kellan’s direction. I looked over, and saw that he had opened his eyes. They were glazed over. His jaw snapped a couple times, biting the air. Then he snarled.

Claire had removed herself from the IV, and scrambled backward. Kellan was sniffing the air, sensing there was fresh blood close by. He began to rage in the chair, pulling and tugging at the restraints.

Nick yelled, “Let’s get him outside!”

Without hesitation, Thomas grabbed the back of the chair, and Nick grabbed the front. When they picked him up, Nick growled in pain. His arm was still hurting.

“We can switch!” Thomas yelled.

“No, just go!” They ran out the door with Kellan in the chair, snapping and snarling at the two of them. I headed to the door, but Claire grabbed me.

“Don’t. Let them take care of it.” She was crying.

“But Nick is hurt.” I was worried Kellan would overtake him, even though he was tied up.

“He’s got…” Before she finished her sentence, we heard a gunshot. We stood still, knowing it was the end of Kellan’s torturous reign over Henry. After all of those years of being subjected to his brutality, Henry was one step closer to getting the revenge that he sought.

Minutes later, we heard footsteps coming up the stairs on the porch. I ran to the door and pulled it open. Nick stopped when he saw me.

“Are you okay?” It seemed like a silly question.

“As good as I’m going to be.” He walked past me and over to Claire. Henry had quieted down for the moment. I sat down on the floor beside him and Sophie. He was looking at the floor with a blank expression.

“Hey.” I touched his face. “Let’s get you cleaned up. Claire finished a bag. You’re in need.”

I grabbed his hand, and he winced in pain. On top of the injuries Kellan caused and his stiffness from the virus, there were cuts all over his hands. I guided him to the kitchen, and dragged a chair in. I sat him down beside the sink. Claire brought in the antiseptic, bandages, some gauze pads, and a bottle of water. I began cleaning him up.

It was my turn to take care of my man. He stared at the floor, lost in thought, hissing as I was trying to clean his wounds. Claire helped me bandage up his hands.

I knelt down in front of him. “Henry…I love you so much.” He nodded and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me onto his lap to hold me tight.

He whispered in my ear, “I love you, too. Please, don’t ever throw me away. You’re all I have.”

My heart ached for him. He feared that I would run far and fast. “That’s not true. You have all of us. We are all here for you.”

“I don’t feel worthy. I’m a throw away.”

“No, you’re not. There must be some reason she did that. It wasn’t because of you, Henry. Maybe they forced her.”

“You heard Kellan.”

“Yes, I did. I don’t care what he said. You are not a throw away. You are not trash. You are an amazing, loving, and deserving man.” Sadly, he shook his head. “Yes, you are. You have to trust me when I say that.” I leaned in and kissed his forehead.

He dug down into his pocket, pulling out my ring. “If I’m so deserving, why did you give this back to me?” His eyes were welling up again.

“Henry…I was stupid and wrong for doing so. I’m sorry. I was just so angry with the entire situation.”

I held out my hand, and he slid the ring back on my finger where it always belonged. He wrapped his arms around me. “I can’t go on without you,” he whispered in my ear. We held one another for a few moments.

“Come on, lover. Let’s get you some blood.” An odd statement, but it was what it was. I got up and headed into the dining room. I stopped as I passed Claire. “Thanks,” I said. I grabbed the bag off of the table and went back to the kitchen. I saw him rummaging through cabinets. “What are you looking for?”

“Mugs, cups, glasses…”

After I guided him to the correct cabinet, he pulled out three mugs. I handed him the bag, and he emptied it evenly between them. He walked back out, and handed Sophie and Nick their share.

“Cheers,” Henry said, glumly. He held up his mug for a brief second, then tipped it back. He set the mug down, and had to hold onto the table. He leaned over, his head hanging in a temporary state of euphoria. Nick sat down and sipped away, enjoying every drop of Claire’s blood. Sophie stood, and hadn’t even looked at her mug. My stomach began protesting.

“How can you think that tastes good?” I asked in disgust.

“It’s not that it tastes good. It’s euphoric. Near orgasm-worthy.” Each word Henry spoke came out breathy and relaxed. I made him sit down before he crashed to the floor. He looked up at me and licked his lips. I knew exactly what he was thinking, but we knew we had other matters to be concerned about at that moment.

Without looking at her, Henry commanded Sophie to drink. She broke out of her trance and sat down at the table to sip the elixir of life. He sat and surveyed the damage he had caused. He was ashamed and embarrassed. I could see how upset he was for what he did. I grabbed his hand. “It’s okay.”

“No. No, it’s not. I destroyed your mother’s things.”

“They’re just things. I have learned, since all this fucked up bullshit started, that the only thing that matters is us. All of us. These are just objects. They don’t hold the memories. Our hearts and minds do. Nothing is more important than the love between us. My mother would understand.” His face never changed. I couldn’t tell if he absorbed what I said.

“I’ll clean it up.”

“I will help you.”

“No. I need to do this.”

Claire cleared her throat. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to go lay down for a little while. Nick, can I lay down in your room?” she sounded somber. She had her own room but, apparently, she needed to use Nick’s.

“Yes, yes, of course.” Nick sounded a little shocked, but excited. “Is it okay if I come up and speak with you for a minute?”

Claire smiled. “Yes. That would be nice.” I watched their exchange, and smiled.

I looked over at Sophie. She was twisting her long, bleach blonde hair in her fingers, staring off into space. I don’t always have the best timing, but it was burning me up on the inside. “Why didn’t you tell us you have kids?”

“Elaina, don’t. Not now.” I don’t think Henry wanted to hear anymore of anything. I am sure his brain was in melt down mode.

“Now is as good a time as any.”

“Don’t push it. It’s a long story. I didn’t know until she showed me a picture back at our flat.”

“It’s quite alright, Henry. I really should talk about what happened. It may help me deal with it.” Sophie looked over to me. “Henry used to protect me when he was at the complex. He saw Roger looking at me one day. From that point on, he was my guardian. I ended up falling in love with him.” Henry shifted in his chair, looking very uncomfortable. He decided to get up and start cleaning up the mess in the living room.

“Shortly after he left, Roger called me to his office. He overpowered me, raped me, and sent me on my way. The whole time his disgusting arse was pounding into me, he kept asking where Henry was. I laid there like a board, hoping it would end sooner rather than later.” Sophie had a difficult time holding back her emotions. “When I arrived back in my room, I wept for hours. Every night, he would visit and claim me. Some nights he was more brutal than others.” I heard Henry’s sharp intake of breath. I felt like he still had some unresolved feelings for her. Her story upset him tremendously.

“If I refused my blood vials, I would be beaten into submission, then raped again and again.” She took a deep breath. She was fighting her tears. “Sometimes Roger would allow Kellan to have me when he was done. A reward for a good beating, I suppose.” The tears began to fall down my face.

“While Henry was here in the States, I ended up having two babies. A boy, Samuel, and a girl, Anna.” She pulled a tiny picture out of her bra and handed it to me. “When I got the call that I needed to bring Henry home, I didn’t hesitate for one second. I knew that if I could get him back to the complex, he would protect me again and it would all stop. But he refused to leave you. He loves you so much, Elaina.” She took my hands in hers.

“Do not take him for granted. He never loved me the way he does you. The night you kicked him out of his room and gave him that back,” she pointed at the ring, “he was absolutely devastated. I have never seen him that defeated before…until today.” She leaned in close and whispered, “He feels he’s nothing without you. He feels he isn’t worthy of anyone’s love.” I hung my head in shame, feeling like a complete ass.

I peeked over at Henry. He was sitting on the couch with his face in his hands. I could see the tears running between his fingers. He pulled his hands away, and when he spoke, he was full of sorrow and regret. “I should have taken you with me. I am so sorry I let all of that happen to you.”

“Henry, it’s not your fault that happened…or what has happened now.” Sophie got up and sat down next to him. She took his hands in hers. “Do not blame yourself. I’ve come to the conclusion that they would have eventually gotten rid of you somehow.”

“I thought you would be okay, and that another recruit would stand up for you in place of me.” He was beating himself up. It was a terrible thing to watch. I decided to go sit with him, as well. I started running my fingers through his hair, trying to comfort him in any way that I could. When he looked over at me, his beautiful eyes were full of guilt.

“Don’t do this to yourself. You cannot rest other’s actions on your shoulders.” He nodded at me and I wiped his face with my fingers. I leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. “You were so noble and strong, doing what you did for her. You risked your own life to defend hers.”

Sophie agreed. “Yes, he did. Thank you, Henry. You did all you could do for me.” She smiled at him. “Please, forgive yourself. I forgave myself ages ago. I used to think it was my fault, but I now know it was just a power hungry, disgusting animal who just wanted to assert more dominance over the ones he broke.”

We sat in silence, staring off into space for what seemed like an eternity. Then I had a thought. “Henry?”

“Yeah…?” His voice was soft.

“What if what Kellan was saying was a complete lie? What if he was saying all that about your mother just to get to you? He knew he was turning. What if he was saying all of this just to get in one last jab?” He looked at me with a blank expression.

“You know… I think she has a point, Henry. It makes perfect sense.”

“I don’t know. What advantage would it give him?”

“This!” I stood up and gestured to the mess in the living room. “Henry, listen. What if he did it just to break you completely? What is one thing that they knew would tear you apart?” I could see him rolling it through his mind. “He knew that you have never been at peace about your mother. I don’t think you should accept what he was saying until you can get some proof.”

Henry laughed. “And how do you propose I do that?”

“Once this madness comes to an end, we’ll find out the truth. We’ll go over there and find out.”

Henry shook his head in disbelief. “Elaina, are you mental? Do you not see that this madness will
not
end?”

“It has to! There’s an end to everything. You will see. It will end, and we will find out the truth.” Then I mumbled, “If it’s the last thing I do.” Henry was giving my idea some thought.

Thomas, who we had forgotten about, walked in from the dining room. “When do you want some from me?” he asked.

Henry cleared his throat, trying to rid it of the sounds of sorrow. “Tomorrow morning okay with you?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, thanks. Alright then. Tomorrow morning.” I didn’t like the idea of traveling one bit. I was afraid I would lose them. Henry looked at his forearm. “Let’s cut these things out and rid ourselves of the past. It will give us some of the freedom we have been craving.”

I got up and grabbed the knife Henry used on Kellan. His blood had already dried on it. I took it to the sink, poured bottled water on it, and soaped it up with my mom’s favorite dish detergent.

The lemon verbena smell flooded me with memories of my many evenings sitting on the countertops, chatting with her about everything while she cleaned up the dinner dishes. Knowing I could never do that again, I came back out and handed the knife to Henry.

“Would you like to do the honors?” He tried to hand the knife back to me.

I stepped back. “Not unless you want me to barf in your face.” Everyone laughed, but I didn’t think it was that funny.

“Actually, we’ll use a smaller knife. This one is a little bit of an overkill.” He smirked. I decided to go upstairs while they did what they had to do.

Chapter 23

ick escorted Claire to his room. After he closed and locked the door, he motioned her toward the bed. She sat down while rubbing the duvet cover with the palms of her hands. She smirked when she realized it was a floral print.

“Are you into flowery décor, Nick?”

“Of course I am. Every man enjoys a pretty floral print on his blankets.” He winked at her. She knew sarcasm was a family trait. Nick sat down beside her on the bed. She nervously fiddled with her fingers.

“Listen,” Nick started. “Can we talk about what happened down there with the…?”

Claire interrupted him. “Wasn’t it awful?”

Nick looked confused. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize my kissing was so awful. I suppose I could work on that somehow.”

Claire slapped her hands over her mouth. “No! No, I mean Henry. What happened with Henry.”

“Oh.” Nick was embarrassed. He chuckled a little at both of them.

“Your kissing was…nice, actually.”

Nick smiled with relief. He leaned close to her to kiss her again, but she backed off. “What’s wrong?”

“I…umm…” She was trying to form her words so she didn’t hurt or offend him in any way. “I’m afraid.”

“I understand.” Nick got up and headed toward the door.

“Wait!” He stopped, but didn’t turn around. She got up and grabbed his hand. “I don’t want you to leave.” She directed him back to the bed. “I’m just saying that I’m afraid. Of everything. I’m afraid of loving and losing. I’m afraid of this world. I’m so afraid…” Claire’s voice cracked. She could feel she was on the verge of tears.

“Shhh…” Nick pulled her close and held her. “I’m afraid, too,” he whispered in her ear.

“I still can’t believe all of this is happening. One day, I’m happy as a clam. The next, my world as I knew it had fallen apart.”

He made her look at him. “Claire, I want to make you happy again.” He was so sincere.

“Oh, Nick. I
want
to be happy again, too, but…how can any of us be happy in this madness? How is that possible?”

“We can figure it out.” He fiddled with her hair and touched her cheek.

“What if we decided to make a go of this? What if we fall in love, and something happens to one of us? What if we decided to marry eventually? And children? What about children?” Her questions were coming out in rapid fire.

“Claire.” He positioned himself so he could look her in the eye. “Listen to me. We can’t live on a ‘what if’ basis. We have to live in the now. We just have to. There is no other way to live anymore. We can’t take a single day for granted, thinking we’ll wake up tomorrow. I don’t know what my future is, none of us do, but why not try to make the best of our situation? Why not try to live in the now?”

She quickly realized that what Nick was saying was true. No one knew what would happen in five minutes, let alone ten years. She was so used to having everything planned out that it was hard for her to live spontaneously. Nick was absolutely right. There was no other way to live.

“Kiss me,” she whispered. He didn’t waste a second. He began kissing her passionately, and Claire returned it. The chill of his lips and tongue, as he stroked hers, made her shudder.

Nick pulled back. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes. Please, don’t stop…” She leaned into him for more. Nick began to kiss her neck.

Then she thought of Marc. She gasped and jumped back. “What’s wrong? Did I do something wrong?” Claire sat there stunned for a moment, staring at him. “Claire?” He touched her cheek.

“Do you think they would have wanted us to move forward?” Nick took a deep breath. He knew what she was thinking.

“I think they would want us to be happy. So, yeah, I think they would want us to move forward.” He felt some sadness, but he knew Jenna would want him to move on.

“I think you’re right.” Claire dove back into Nick’s embrace. He laid her down on the bed. Things heated up, even though Nick’s body stayed cool. Her body prickled with his every touch.

He pulled back enough to soak her in. His eyes dazzled her, and she melted with his look. “You are everything a man could ever want, and so damn beautiful. I don’t know why I never…”

“Shhh…” She began kissing him again, pulling him back down on top of her. She loved the feel of his weight pressing down on her smaller frame. He felt so much different than Marc. It wasn’t that she hadn’t enjoyed Marc and his love making, but being with Nick was something she had yearned for. She let out a moan as he reached down and pulled her leg up.

“I want to kiss you all over.”

“Please…,” she whispered.

Nick laid a kiss on her forehead, then moved to her right ear. He drew her earlobe into his mouth and nipped it. Claire let out another soft moan. She held onto his hips as he ground them into hers. He circled the outer edge of her ear with his tongue, and then slowly worked his way down her neck, leaving kisses at each stopping point.

The deep V-neck t-shirt that Claire wore exposed what little cleavage she had. Nick was glad she hadn’t noticed that he was staring at her cleavage every second that he could throughout the day. He kissed her collarbone and down to her chest, where he met her shirt.

“Baby…this needs to come off.”

“Yours, too.” She wanted to see his fit chest, never imagining that she would be able to touch it.

Nick pulled back, and pulled his t-shirt over his head. Claire wiggled her way out of hers. She had on one of her only bras, and it happened to be emerald green lace that matched Nick’s eyes.

“Jesus Christ, Claire.” She smiled, as his eyes darted around her nearly naked upper body. “You are the most beautiful woman that I’ve ever seen.”

She laughed. “You are just saying that to get into my pants.”

He smirked at her. “Baby, I don’t need to compliment you to get into your pants. My good looks do it for me.” Claire burst out laughing, and Nick followed with a hearty chuckle.

“Keep going,” she said, as she grabbed his hair and pulled him back down to her lips. “I want more kisses.”

“No problem, baby.” He kissed her lips, and went back to where he left off. He nuzzled his way across her chest and pulled her right breast out of her bra. “Let’s just take this thing off, shall we?” She sat up, and he reached around behind. In a snap of a finger, her bra came off and hit the floor.

Nick dove right in. He ran his thumbs over her nipples. She let out another moan as he played with one and licked the other. He began to kiss his way down to her navel.

“Nick…,” she moaned.

“Yes, baby?” he breathed as he left another kiss on her abdomen.

“I need more.”

“I’m getting there. I want to savor this moment.” He nipped at her firm stomach. “Jesus, baby,” he spoke into her pale skin. “You’re so fucking sexy.”

He unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, inching them down off of her hips. He kissed her hip bones and across her lower abdomen, as he ran his cool finger just under the edge of her lacey panties. He wondered if her hair was just as ginger south of the border. He closed his eyes, imagining what she looked like and what it would feel like to be deep inside of her as he slithered his way back to her face.

He felt her hands go from his chest to the waist of his pants. Once she unfastened them, Claire pushed her hand down them. Nick threw his head back and groaned when she stroked him through the soft cotton of his boxers.

“Oh, god, baby. I can’t wait to feel you around me.” She smiled because she couldn’t wait to feel him inside of her. He kicked off his pants, then pulled hers off, as well. “Fuck me…,” he said, as he sat back and looked at her.

“What?”

“You. Holy fuck. Look at you. So damn perfect.”

“I am not.”

“Yes, you are, and don’t you dare say you’re not in front of me. Don’t ever put yourself down. You are absolutely perfect, Claire.” She shyly looked off to the side. Marc was never as generous with the compliments. He would say that she was beautiful, but Nick made her
feel
beautiful.

“Thank you.”

He looked down and licked his lips. “Those need to go.” He reached down and yanked off her tiny panties.

“Yours, too.” He shimmied out of his boxers and stood up. His hard length stood out proudly. Nick grabbed Claire’s hand and pulled her up from the bed. After one twirl, she was in his arms again. His length was rigid against her abdomen.

“Would you let me taste you?” Claire nodded into his neck. He made her sit down on the edge of the bed. “Put your legs over my shoulders,” he said, as he kneeled down in front of her. She pinned her knees together, and looked at him with worry. “Don’t be shy. You’re beautiful. Do what I ask, and you won’t regret it. I promise you.”

Claire allowed herself to relax. He kissed the top of her slit, which made her moan in anticipation. Then he went lower and dragged his tongue up, making him groan against her heated wetness. The vibration made her gasp.

“Nick…,” she panted, and his tongue repeatedly flicked at her swollen nub. He dipped his tongue in her wet folds. She felt her peak coming on, fast and furious. She tensed up.

“Relax, baby. Just relax.” His cool breath tickled her heat. She inhaled deeply and exhaled at length. “That’s it.” He ran his tongue around her once more before he started to crawl up on her body. He shifted both of them so that they were laying on the pillows. She could feel his tip pressing into her. He kissed her gently, looking into her beautiful blue eyes.

“Are you sure?” he asked, a sexy grit in his voice.

“Yes. I want this.”

Nick closed his eyes, and he began pushing himself into her an inch at a time. Her body opened to him as his throbbing thickness entered her. He took her away, making her feel like nothing was wrong in her world. Their bodies moved as one. Never had sex with anyone else felt that way to him. For the first time in his life, he felt like he was making love, not just having sex. It was more than just physical. It became secure in his mind that Claire was the one for him. In that moment, he made the decision that he would never be with another. She was all he ever needed.

They looked deep into one another’s eyes, studying each other’s face. He ran his hand down her side, and slowly passed over her breast. She moaned with pleasure. He nuzzled her ear, planting soft kisses down her neck and over her jaw.

“God, baby…you’re so fucking beautiful.”

She smiled. He picked up his pace, making sure to fill her completely each time. She gasped as he touched her inner limits. She loved the feeling of him inside of her.

“Faster, Nick…”

“Anything for you.” He picked up the pace, and she moaned in ecstasy. She dug her nails into his back. The sounds that were coming from her turned Nick on in ridiculous amounts. Then he felt her tighten her muscles on him and it nearly pushed him over the edge.

“Oh fuck, baby.” He was breathless. The stirring in her core intensified, and she shifted her hips as her body was ready to explode.

Claire’s eyes rolled as she reached her peak and drenched Nick in her silky moisture. He watched her face as she enjoyed her moment. It thrilled him that he could make her feel so good. He began kissing her again and worked one long stroke at a time.

“Oh, fuuuuck…,” he groaned in pure pleasure. He braced himself above her, ready for his moment.

With his eyes closed, Nick held his upper body up high and pounded his hips into her. Suddenly, he stopped moving and breathing. Then he dropped his head, and his body shuddered from head to toe. He inhaled sharply.

He moaned her name as he filled her, pulsing a few more times before he collapsed onto her. He lay on top of her for a minute, trying to catch his breath. She smiled, rubbing his back with her fingertips.

They laid there, quiet and still, entangled in one another’s arms. That was the most relaxed Claire had felt in such a long time. She felt safe in Nick’s arms, even if he was only partially alive.

The darkness of the night crept in. While looking into her eyes, Nick drifted off to sleep. Claire laid there, listening to him sleep, enjoying every moment.

She wasn’t ready to sleep yet, even though she knew she should, but Sophie, Thomas, and she would be traveling back to Henry’s apartment soon. Claire carefully untangled herself from Nick’s lean, muscled arms. She covered him up, then dressed.

Before she left the room, she looked back at him in his quiet slumber, and smiled. She felt at peace with what they did. She felt the love for him build inside of her. She knew that he would be all she ever wanted.