Light (The Shadows Series) (28 page)

“Eve, no, this isn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known what they were doing.”

“Does he hate me? Is he mad at me?”

“Do you really think he would be here if he did? That man loves you. Don’t question it because of some wrongly placed guilt you feel.”

“I just—”

“Stop.” I glance at Theron and his face is twisted with anger. “Stop, right now. None of this is your fault. None of it. I have a list of people to blame and you are nowhere close to being on it.”

“Can one of you please tell me what happened? How did you find me?” Neither one of them will look at me. “Evan?” He looks to the ground, avoiding my gaze. “Theron?” He doesn’t answer. Silence fills the room; you could hear a pin drop. “Damn it. Somebody tell me!” Theron jumps at the sound of my voice.

“No. Not right now. That’s my final word on the matter.”

“Final word? What the hell, Theron? I deserve to know.” Theron stands and starts pacing beside my bed. Raking his hands through his hair, he lets out a sigh.

“You do. I won’t deny that, but I don’t trust myself to tell you right now. I don’t know if I can tell you and control my actions at the same time. Right now, I want to crush those people beneath my shoe. I want to skin them and hang their bodies out to dry in the hot sun. I want to take everything that they’ve ever had from them and destroy it. I want to torture them by breaking their minds, before I break their bodies. I don’t know if I can hold back my anger. I just got you back. I’m not going to risk losing you because of my hastiness. Let me pull my thoughts together. When we get home, it’s just us and you’re wrapped in my arms in our huge soft bed, I’ll tell you anything you want to know. Just not now. Please don’t make me do it now.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah. Okay.” I lean my head back against the pillows, trying my best to keep tears from falling. Reclining in my bed, I close my eyes.

O
uch! I stretch my arms out above me, trying to loosen my muscles. If he would just let me out of bed, besides to shower or use the bathroom, I would be able to stretch my muscles a little bit better. I have been laying in the bed for six days. I need to move. My sides are still a little sore, but it doesn’t hurt to breath anymore. My leg still hurts, and I know that it is only going to be worse when I start putting weight on it. I have a follow up appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. Getting out of the house is going to be interesting. I can still remember Theron and me arguing, as he carried me up the stairs when they released me from the hospital.

 He was so insistent on me sleeping in our bedroom. I thought it would have been easier downstairs in a spare bedroom, but he refused. For one thing, there wouldn’t have been so many stairs involved, not that I was walking up them anytime soon, but he had to carry me up the stairs. Although, being cradled in his arms with my head laying on his chest, breathing in his intoxicating scent wasn’t really a bad experience. Just thinking of his strong arms around me, has me closing my eyes and wishing that I could clench my legs together. That is another knot that I need worked out, and I am afraid that he is not going to touch me anytime soon. I know that he doesn’t want to hurt me, but if he doesn’t touch me soon, I may die.

 I push myself up onto my elbows and wiggle my hips, scooting backwards until my back is flat against the headboard. Leaning over, I try to reach for the brush that is sitting on the table beside me, but my sides are still too sore. I hiss through my teeth, as Theron walks through the door. He rushes over to me, daggers shoot from his eyes right towards me. I can’t avoid them either.

 “Why do you insist on making me crazy?”

 “I don’t insist on anything. You do this to yourself. I can brush my hair, Theron.”

 He sits beside me and reaches for the brush. We sit in silence, as he brushes my hair. I can’t take much more of his hovering. If it’s not Theron jumping at my every movement, it is my nurse, Kelly. It’s not like Kelly does much, Theron won’t leave me alone. The poor girl just waits around. She has only brought me pain pills once or twice. Other than running me a bath, she just hangs around the house. I am tempted to tell Theron that I don’t need her, but he is so on edge with everything. He is constantly jumping when other people walk into the room. I know that he is holding back on me, and I really wish that he would just tell me what is really going on. My frustration turns into anger, as I sit there with the brush sliding through my hair. I am not a weak person. I may have dealt with some crazy shit, but I am not weak. Is it because he doesn’t want to burden me? Tears sting my eyes, as my emotions consume me. A few slide down my cheeks, and I hear him sigh. I quickly wipe them away because it is obvious that I am bothering him.

 “Stop.”

 “Stop what?”

 “This, Eve.” Theron points to my head, as I cast my eyes downwards, looking at my hands fidgeting in my lap. I start chewing on my cheek to help with whatever this is. Anxiety? Nerves? Fear? I don’t know what it is, but it’s eating me. He lifts my chin with his fingers. I revel in his touch, as I look into his colorful eyes. “Whatever you have going on in here, just stop. Talk to me, don’t keep it locked away.”

 “You’re one to talk.”

 “What’s that supposed to mean?”

 “I’ve noticed how jumpy you are. I can see the weight of your thoughts on your shoulder. You’re keeping things from me, yet you want me to talk to you. You talk first. Then I’ll talk.”

 “I don’t think we are ready for this conversation.”

 “Ready? Jesus Christ, Theron! I was fucking dragged out of my work, beat, tied to a bed, and left to lay in my own urine and vomit while I’m told, by someone who I thought was my friend, that I’m being held for ransom. Ready? Fuck you. All I want is for you to be honest with me. I died without you, Theron. My heart felt like it was ripped from my chest.” Tears pour from my eyes, as I try to talk through my sobs. “I just wanted you and you weren’t there. They were going to take me from you and I couldn’t…I couldn’t make them stop. I wanted to die, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t let go of you, and I couldn’t let go of what we created together.”

 “Beautiful, I came for you.”

 Wiping my eyes, I look over at Theron. “You came for me?”

 “Yeah. I knew something was off. When I opened the door to the store, I felt like I had died a thousand deaths. There were books and shelves everywhere. Then, when I saw the blood, I knew. I knew someone had taken you from me. I didn’t wait for the police. I mean, I had Evan notify them, but I wasn’t going to wait around for them. Evan was in the military for years. His specialty was finding and recovering objects, as well as people. I gave him orders and he followed them directly. He knew where you were before the police did.”

 “You came for me?”

 “Baby, I’m trying to tell you. You wanted to know. So, this is me telling you what I know.” He swallows and I just stare into a sea of colors. I knew he was close because I could feel it. It is like our souls recognize each other. He takes a deep breath and looks up at the ceiling. “Evan notified the police of your location. They warned me not to do anything rash, but I couldn’t sit around waiting on them. So, your dad, Robert and I drove to where they were keeping you. It wasn’t anything fancy or rundown. To be honest, the house looked normal. Nothing stood out, until I noticed the windows seemed to be covered or boarded up from the inside. Evan had his men surrounding the house. They went in for you and I followed. Ben came down the stairs first. He tried to run, but he didn’t make it out of the house before he was restrained. Then Anne came downstairs. I just couldn’t believe that she was there. Evan had told me, but it still fucking shocked me. She pulled a gun out and just when I thought she was going to shoot me, she shot Ben instead. I watched his body slump over on the floor, and jealousy ran through me. I knew I would never be able to hurt him like he hurt you. The police brought the paramedics with them.”

 “You don’t have to keep going. Thank you for coming for me.” I lay my hand on his leg to stop him. Tears are sliding down his cheeks. I don’t want to be the reason for his pain.

 “You need to know that Thomas was behind this.”

 “No, it was Ben and Anne.”

 “I know you saw them there, but Thomas paid them. The detectives followed his money trail and it led right to Ben’s bank account. Then Thomas’ personal attorney showed up for Anne. He’s not done, yet. I don’t know what his plans are, but I know that he’s not done, yet.”

 Fear slices through me. Now I know why Theron is so jumpy. He is afraid that Thomas is watching us. I wouldn’t doubt it if he was, but I have faith in Evan. Surely, he would know if Thomas was close. Theron grasps my chin once more in his hand and ever so softly, he kisses my forehead. I take a moment and breathe in his scent. The heat from his lips scorches my flesh. Goosebumps spread across my body, and I shiver.

 “Cold?”

 “No. I just need you.”

 “You have me.”

 “No, I need to feel you. This is the only time that you’ve actually touched me without having to help me out of bed or change my clothes. I need your touch, Theron. It’s highly addicting. If you don’t touch me soon, I’m going to crawl out of my skin.”

 “You need me that bad?”

 “Always. I always need you.” Light explodes in his eyes. His lips curve into a delicious smile.

 “Beautiful, you have me. I’m keeping you. Do you think this is wise?”

 “Theron, I don’t care. I need you. For fuck’s sake just touch me.” My heart is pounding in my chest and my skin is burning for him. How does he not get what he is doing to me?

 “I’ll make you feel good, but you have to help me. I want you to scream my name, while I watch your skin glow from my touch. Can you do that, baby? Can you scream my name for me, while you come undone from my touch?”

 “Yes. Fuck yes.”

 “Alright. Let me help you lay back. I got this.” Theron gently lifts my body into his arms and lays me in the center of our bed. It has to be difficult to move me so carefully without hurting me, but he moves me, as if I am just a feather. I lay my head back on the mattress, my wild brown locks fanning out in every direction. He props my broken leg up with a pillow and gives me a wink. What is going on in his head? I watch, as he stands at the foot of our bed and slowly pulls his t-shirt over his head. His body is perfection. He slowly undoes the buttons on his jeans, slides them down and then kicks them to the side. My breath catches in my throat. He pauses, as he hooks his thumbs in the waistband of his boxer briefs. I can already see his hard cock through the straining fabric. He gives me another wink and then shakes his head.

 “Theron. Please.” I am not beneath begging. I know what he is capable of making my body feel. I am dying to get on that ride.

 “Ssh. Let me take care of you.” His hands drop from his sides, leaving his boxers in place. Disappointment fills me, but I am easily distracted, as he very carefully slides my panties down my legs. “Tell me if I hurt you. This will only work if you’re honest with me. I don’t want to push you too far.”

 “You won’t.” His lips softly kiss the tips of my toes and work their way up the inside of my right leg. My skin prickles and I can feel my body dripping for him. His fingers caress and dig into my thighs. My nerves are on fire. His nose skims my pubic bone, before planting soft kisses on my stomach. He is teasing me, taunting me. I am going to shatter. He grasps the hem of my t-shirt and rolls it up my chest, just below my neck.

 “Don’t move.” I don’t need to be told. It is not like I can just get up and walk away. My eyes are focused on his perfectly round ass, as he rummages through the closet. He turns around with a white rectangle shaped box in his hands. “I was going to give this to you before everything, but I couldn’t keep my hands off of you long enough to actually grab it. There are seven speeds, but according to reviews, it goes from ‘this is nice’ to ‘oh my fucking, God! Don’t stop!’ to ‘unidentifiable sounds erupting from my body in heavenly tunes’. Which one should I start with?

 My mouth goes dry. I can’t answer, so I try swallowing a couple of times, but it doesn’t help. He walks around the bed and sits beside me, with my new vibrator clasped tightly in his grip. My tongue tries to sweep across my lips to bring some kind of moisture to my mouth, instead my mouth forms an O shape, as Theron’s hands find my nipples. He pulls and twists my nipples into hard peaks. My breaths are short and fast, as I watch his hands manipulate my body to his liking.