Everyone was still so distracted by the fender bender that they didn’t even pay attention to me and my grief-stricken face.
The boys were loaded in the SUV shortly after I pulled up. Draco looked pale and was still bleeding. Wasn’t he supposed to be immortal? He should have stopped bleeding immediately!
“Are you going to be okay?” I asked Draco as I pulled the car on the ramp to the highway.
“Yes.” His voice was hoarse.
“Shit! He’s out!” Phillip cursed and reached back to see if he could wake him up. He couldn’t.
“Let’s just get him to the medical room.”
Phillip agreed, and we decided to pull in the apartment parking garage so no one would see us dragging an unconscious, bleeding body inside the building.
“My body is too sore for this,” I groaned as we shuffled our feet, carrying him inside and down the elevator. We finally had him on the surgical table, and I pulled the bright, overhead light closer so I could see his wounds better.
“I can see his body pushing the glass out, but we should check him just to be sure.” I was trying to stay focused on the fact that he couldn’t die, holding on to it like a lifeline right now.
Phillip grabbed a pan and some tweezers. Piece by piece, we removed every bit of glass we could find, hoping it would help his healing process move quickly.
Once we were done, we sat in two chairs, waiting for him to wake up.
I wasn’t ready to talk about anything that had occurred. Everything felt like I was having an out-of-body experience, like I wasn’t really there, going through all that pain and suffering.
When the clock told me we had been waiting for three hours, I couldn’t fight the feeling to relieve myself anymore.
“I’m gonna go pee.” I stared at Draco, while announcing to Phillip that I was leaving the room.
I walked into the bathroom and did my business. I still felt like I was outside my body, just going through the motions, until I saw myself. My eyes were red, and my lips were the palest pink I’d ever seen them before. In my eyes I couldn’t help but see Josie’s blank stare in the mirror.
Instantly my gut wrenched, and I ran back for the toilet. Everything that had occupied my stomach flew violently past my lips. Tears leaked out from the sides of my eyes, and my body started to shudder.
Once everything that was once inside me was gone, I rested my cheek on the cold tile of the pristine floor. I felt everything she felt as she died, and her attacker’s glee from stealing her powers, which had killed her.
I knew I needed to tell Phillip about what I felt, but I felt so weak. I was too drained emotionally and physically to get up. I’d never been through anything like today, and my mind didn’t know how to process it. The psychologist in me was trying to compartmentalize everything, but the empath part of me didn’t even know where to begin with all of these emotions.
“Deep breaths,” I whispered to myself. My eyes closed and instead of seeing Josie on the floor, I envisioned my happy place. Feet curled under my backside as I snuggled against the soft chair by the fire, reading a good book.
“Steaming cup of tea.” I verbalized my thought.
“Soft sweater around my shoulders.” I kept going, until the tears stopped, and my stomach didn’t feel so sick. I rested there, tempted to just go to sleep, but I knew I had to go see Phillip. I stood, praying my legs wouldn’t give out on me.
Phillip was standing next to an upright Draco when I walked in the door.
“Josie was killed by the man who is stealing others’ powers. It kills their body when he takes their gifts.”
Chapter Fifteen
Rose
Draco looked strained just sitting on that surgical table, but now, after hearing those words, he looked even worse.
“Why don’t we all rest up and get ourselves put together? Take tomorrow, too.” Phillip left, without another word. He was a mess, and needed time to himself. We all could use that.
“Are you alright?” I walked over to Draco and looked him over. All of his wounds were still covered with blood, but thankfully they had sealed up completely. He nodded.
“Never feels good, but I’ll live.” He said the last part sarcastically, like living was something he resented.
“Okay. Good.” I let out a deep breath and started to turn around and leave him be, when a hand wrapped around my arm and pulled me back.
His strong arms circled me, pressing my body against his. He was comforting me. Affection and concern flowed from his skin into mine, and I couldn’t hold it together. I started crying again, and confessing my soul against his blood-stained shirt. When I didn’t feel like I could talk about today anymore, he started telling me stories of his past.
“It never gets easy; you can save hundreds of people, and just those very few you can’t save will stay with you forever.” His breath tickled my hair, and I shuddered, thinking about living out the rest of my life with Josie’s image in my head.
I wish I could just knock myself out so I could rest without the nightmares that were surely coming my way. I was scared to close my eyes, and I didn’t know what to do about it.
“Come on. I’ll take you to my cabin; that way you won’t be alone.” He stood up and kept me in his arms as we walked to the elevator. I didn’t tell him no, because despite maybe needing the time to regain any control of myself, I didn’t want it. I didn’t want to be alone. Not when I knew what was coming my way and was too afraid to face it.
Draco drove us in his truck out of the city and up the long road to his cabin.
“You can take a shower first,” he announced as we walked into the living room. He marched over to a small closet in the hall and grabbed a clean towel, then set it on the counter in the bathroom.
“You’re covered in blood; I think you should shower first,” I pointed out, feeling weird now that we were here. My head started thinking about what Phillip and Draco both said to me about hooking up. Phillip declared it was going to happen, and Draco denied that it could. I pushed the thought from my mind and decided that since he offered me the shower first, I would take it.
My fingers closed the door behind me, and I started the shower.
I didn’t feel like I was going to cry or lose control over my emotions anymore. Being far away from the city and all of those people was helping. I looked over for something to wash my body with, and found a simple bar of soap and a bottle of shampoo plus conditioner. Both had a subtle scent of rosemary and lavender in it. That was interesting. I wondered if they were from a local shop, since I didn’t recognize the name.
Not wanting to take up too much time in the shower, I scrubbed myself as best as I could and hopped out to dry.
“Oh, crap.” I realized I didn’t have anything clean to change into.
Still wrapped in the large towel, I cracked open the door and called out for Draco.
He appeared shortly from the kitchen with a concerned look.
“Can I borrow something to wear?”
A small smile graced his lips, and his eyes crinkled with delight. It was a sight that sped up my heartbeat, and stopped my breath from exiting my lungs.
Without another word, he walked down the little hall and disappeared into his room next to the bathroom.
“Here.” He came out of the room with a handful of clothes. I doubt they would fit me well, but I would work with them the best I could.
“Thanks.” I opened the door more so I could grab the clothes, and caught his eyes roaming over my skin before I closed myself in the room to get dressed.
I pulled the large red shirt with long sleeves over my head and let out a small giggle when the bottom hem touched my thighs.
Next was a pair of flannel pants. Thankfully there was a drawstring that I tied as tight as the band would let me.
At least when I looked at myself in the mirror, I had a giggle.
“All yours,” I announced as I opened the door and walked out to the living room where Draco was sitting, his face in
his hands.
When he heard me approach he lifted his head to look at me, and I almost had to take a step back from the powerful emotions that came at me.
Lust.
And hunger.
My breathing kicked up into gear, and my eyelids felt heavy.
Draco stood, and for a moment I just waited there, expecting him to rush me and crush his lips to mine. His emotions were that overwhelming, but he strode right past me. The bathroom door clicked closed, and I felt like I could breathe again. Holy hell. Draco can say he doesn’t want to let whatever exists between us happen, but his emotions were betraying him. Maybe he can’t give his heart away, but it doesn’t seem like his body is getting the memo. That man wanted me more than anything.
I wanted him too, but at least right now, my heart wasn’t in it, either. Phillip said hookup, that was pretty easy, and even though I’d never been with a man like that, I couldn’t think of any other person who I would try with.
My stomach decided it was the perfect time to growl, and I realized I hadn’t eaten in a while. Figuring Draco wouldn’t mind, I walked over to the kitchen to make us something to eat.
Two grilled cheese sandwiches and two bowls of tomato soup later, I was sitting at the table waiting for Draco to finish his shower to eat with him.
When I heard the door open, images of his gloriously tan skin and muscular frame passed through my head from when I saw him naked. Was he walking around the other side of the cabin naked right now?
I tried to think of something else, so when I saw him I wouldn’t be a rambling mess, but then thoughts I wasn’t ready to think of again decided to make their presence known.
Draco was treading over wearing almost an identical outfit to the one I was wearing. His hair was down, and his eyes were narrowed on the food I’d set out.
“I made us dinner. Hope that was okay.” I shrugged, and picked up my sandwich. Draco didn’t say anything but he sat down and started to chow down as well.
We didn’t talk about anything; we simply had comfort in each other’s presence. That was what I had wanted, just to be around someone who understood what all I was feeling. Phillip had run away as soon as Draco was awake, on a mission to either forget everything for a little while, or he was onto something different to help our case.
After dinner I looked over a bookshelf I just noticed and grabbed a book that looked like a good read. He went outside to take care of his animals before it got too dark out. The couch seemed like a comfy spot to park it, so I grabbed a blanket I saw on a corner basket and settled in.
Draco walked in half an hour later, and stopped short when he saw me all snuggled upon his couch. Maybe I had just assumed he was okay with me using his house like it was my own, and should have asked him first.
“Hope this is all right?” I gave him my best innocent smile, hoping that he wasn’t angry at me.
Chapter Sixteen
Draco
Rose was looking pretty comfortable in my home, and if I was being honest with myself, I liked it.
I liked her on my couch, I liked her feeling like she could make us sandwiches and soup, and I liked her in my clothes.
I liked Rose, plain and simple. Seeing her dwarfed in my garments made the man in me roar.
“It’s fine,” I told her and walked away, heading to my darkroom. I needed to lose myself in developing photographs for a while. It was a place where I could let my mind go and just focus on the tedious task in front of me.
It wasn’t long before Rose came knocking on my door, thankfully not opening it right away, otherwise my paper would have been ruined.
“Just a minute,” I called out, and covered everything up so I could let her in without any damage.
“Everything okay?” I looked her over, and saw that she appeared to be fine.
“Yeah, I just don’t want to be alone.” She took a step inside and looked around. I closed the door behind her and went back to uncovering my paper. The red darkroom light let me see everything just fine, including her beautiful face that was taking everything in with little steps.
“Is this a darkroom?” she asked with wonder weaved in her words. Most people did digital these days.
“Yes, have you ever been in one?” I caught the side of my lips titling up into a smile. She looked over everything and shook her head no. She peered at what all I was uncovering, and I told her what I was doing. I could feel her embarrassment for almost ruining my work had I not covered it up, but instead of letting her sit in the feeling I started telling her everything’s name and what its purpose was.
“This is pretty cool. What are you working on now?” She looked at the developed paper I had sitting in the water tub.
“Just some film I had shot a few weeks ago in the park.” I shrugged, though she probably didn’t see it. Silently she moved next to me and watched as I tinkered with the enlarger and placed my photo paper underneath. I clicked it on for the few seconds it needed then tossed it in the developer chemical.
Surprisingly, having her in my space and watching my every move didn’t bother me. I’d always been alone in here, and having someone to talk to if I wanted was actually nice. She complimented my work here and there, and asked if maybe sometime I would show her how to do all of this. I didn’t answer her, because the swell of pride inside my chest was starting to overwhelm me.
“I think I’m ready to sleep; my body is still wrecked,” I lied, the sudden need to press my body against hers getting to me. She was tightening her grip around my whole being, and she didn’t even know it. I cleaned up my work and gripped my hand on the doorknob before looking back at her.
“Thank you.” She touched my shoulder, and together we left my darkroom. I wasn’t sure what she had to say thank you for, so I just shrugged and went about making myself a pallet on the floor so she could sleep in my bed.
I went to brush my teeth and finish my nighttime routine before lying down on the floor. Rose came walking in a few minutes later with a glass of water in her hand, and set it on the nightstand next to the bed. My room was simple: a queen-size bed, a nightstand with a lamp, a dresser on the wall across from the bed, a window to the right of it, and the closet to the left. I was a simple man.
As I lay there on the floor, I thought about what Rose was thinking. Was she able to let today’s events go and move on? It was hard, but she was strong enough to do it.
By the time I decided to voice my thoughts, her breath had evened out, letting me know she had fallen asleep.
I guess that answered my thoughts; she was okay enough to sleep. I closed my eyes and tried to do as she did, but sleep wasn’t usually that easy for me to find.
About an hour later, just as I was starting to truly relax, Rose started thrashing and letting out little whimpers. My body shot up and looked for danger, but there was no one else in the room. Shit, Rose was having a nightmare, something I was all too familiar with. A moment later she quit moving, and then I heard the sound of her crying, another sound I was familiar with. Without a second thought, I was up and crawling into the bed to hold her.
“It’s okay.” She wrapped her arms around me, pressing her face against my chest harshly, as if she wished she could just crawl inside me to hide from the pain that haunted her.
What happened to Josie was horrible; she was an innocent in almost every sense of the word. But she didn’t need me talking about that, so I just started telling her random stories throughout my history.
Meeting people in the books she read in school. Stories of adventures I’d been on before the world grew to what it was today. Her tears began to dry, and I felt her smile against my shirt.
“Can you tell me about the woman you loved?” she asked so softly that I almost thought she said something else.
“You don’t have to, if you don’t want to,” she quickly added, trying to backpedal. While I didn’t really want to talk about Cassandra, I didn’t feel the pain in my heart thinking about her when I did. It was a long time ago, a
nd as with everyone else I’d watched die, the hole in my heart had filled with emptiness.
“Her name was Cassandra. We met back in 1888. She worked as a nurse, and I had gotten hurt and passed out. When I woke up and saw her, I knew I had to get to know her better. So I kept up the ruse of the broken arm and leg, so I could stay in the hospital she worked at.” I smiled thinking about Cassandra’s face when I told her the truth of my mischievous courting of her. She smacked me on the arm, and then kissed me with all the love she possessed.
“We started dating and then one day I told her about my immortality. She loved me, and it wasn’t an issue. Then we made a promise that when she died, I would move on and remember everything.”
I hated thinking about the next part, but still, even though I didn’t like it, there was no pain associated with the memory anymore.
“We were married for fifty-two years, when she died. Moments after she took her last breath, World War II had spread to Australia, where we lived at the time. A bomb was dropped right by the house, and everything was obliterated.” Except me obviously. I didn’t feel the need to explain that, since I was living and breathing against her right now.
“I’m sorry. I can see why you wouldn’t wanna open up yourself again. One heart can only take so much pain, right?” She gave me a tight squeeze for comfort before rolling away from me and cuddling up to the pillow.
Story time was over, I guessed.
I was in the process of getting out of the bed, to move to the floor, when her sleepy voice stopped me.
“Sleep in the bed; I know it’s more comfortable than the floor.” It wasn’t long after her final word echoed around the room, that she fell back asleep soundly. I looked at the floor and debated going back down to the blankets I’d set out. But the softness of the mattress and the smell of Rose’s hair beckoned me to lie down and rest on the bed with her.
I grabbed a blanket from the floor and lay back down on the bed with my back to hers, there wasn’t much space between us, but it could work.
Cassandra’s face blessed me as I closed my eyes, but as I started to drift off, her face morphed into another.
Dawn (Hero Society Book 1) Page 7
