Redesigning Fate (Revive Series Book 1)

by A. M. Wilson

  He lets us inside his apartment, kicking the door shut behind him. Elias sets me down gently on the sofa and removes my shoes for me. His hands are a whisper of wings against the sensitive skin on my ankle.

  “Are you thirsty?”

  “Yes. Water is fine, please,” I reply.

  As he heads to the kitchen, I close my eyes once more, trying to gather myself before the inevitable conversation. Elias returns with my water, lifts my legs, then sits down and arranges them in his lap. He starts massaging my calves and feet.

  “You know I want to talk about what happened today,” he states, not giving me a choice. Only forewarning me that he’s about to start and I need to participate.

  I want to hide my head under a pillow. Today was a mistake, and I should have gone to work instead.

  “Yeah, I figured,” I reply, ready to get this conversation over.

  “Let’s start with what’s going through your head.” His fingers flex into my calves as if he’s restraining some emotion he doesn’t want me to see. “You scared the shit out of me when you dropped to the floor the way you did. I should have been paying better attention.” The sincerity in his voice rips my heart out. I can’t believe he’s feeling guilty over this.

  “Please don’t. It’s not your fault. I panicked. I-I feel like it was a stupid idea to try to get the police involved. We should have stayed home, because nothing is going to come of this. It was embarrassing, and you had to witness it.” My eyes fall closed as I drop my head to the cushions behind me and focus on breathing deeply. I need a redo or today needs to be over. “We don’t even know what he’s up to. A silly piece of paper isn’t going to stop him.”

  “Listen to me,” he pauses, waiting for me to look him in the eyes. “This is a step in the right direction. Now everything is documented, and if that motherfucker comes near you again, he’ll be arrested. You don’t need to be afraid. I will always protect you.”

  “I don’t want you to protect me. I shouldn’t need protecting. I—ˮ I don’t finish because Elias cuts me off.

  “You are safe with me. Do you understand that?”

  I nod. I do know that. My head tries to tell me that Elias is dangerous for me, but deep within my heart, I know without a doubt he will keep me safe.

  “Good. Now get some rest. This morning has been draining on you, I can tell. Oh, here.” He fishes out a bottle of Ibuprofen from his pocket. “For your head.”

  “Thanks.” Swallowing the pills with my water, I lie my head back on the couch pillow. Elias continues to massage my legs, and I let myself drift off to sleep.

  ***

  I’m choking.

  He’s squeezing my throat, cutting off my air supply. My eyes bug out of my head as I stare up at his sneering face above me. I start thrashing my arms and legs, scratching at his hands, trying to make him let go of me. I can’t scream, can’t breathe.

  I’m suffocating.

  Dying.

  “If I can’t have you, nobody can, you bitch!”

  I lurch sideways, waking as my body hits the floor. I curl my knees to my chest and let out a strangled cry as I try to catch my breath. The room is pitch black and seconds tick by before I remember where I am. A lamp on the other side of the room clicks on, swallowing the darkness, and Elias rushes to my side.

  “Jesus, Marlee.” He wraps me in his arms, holding me tightly against him. “You’re safe. What’s going on?” I press my face into his neck, whimpering softly, and I breathe in his comforting scent.

  “Nightmare. It’s only a nightmare,” I say, more to myself than to him. I’m sure he already knew that. He pulls my face away from his neck to look into my eyes, searching me for more details.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” I close my eyes, taking comfort in his hands running soothingly up and down my back. His touch is powerfully calming.

  “It was about him…Travis. He was trying to kill me.” My body shudders, the panic welling up inside me once again.

  Elias kisses me on my lips, my eyelids, my nose, and my cheeks. He runs a hand through my hair, brushing it off my face.

  “You’re safe. I promise. He will never hurt you.”

  My breathing slowly stabilizes as we sit wrapped in each other’s arms. I catalogue the sound of his heart beating beneath my cheek, the feel of his fingers dancing soothingly up and down my spine. I take in the feel of his leg resting beneath my palm, and I find it odd he’s still fully dressed.

  “What time is it?”

  “Just after ten. You must have really been tired.”

  “Still am,” I grumble. “What were you doing while I was sleeping?”

  “I was in my room working. I didn’t want to wake you. Come with me. We can both go to sleep in my bed.”

  “Is it okay if we put a movie on? A comedy or something lighthearted. I need to get the images from my dream out of my head.”

  “Sure. Let’s go find something to watch.” He kisses my forehead tenderly before helping me off the floor. It will be a miracle if I am able to get any more sleep tonight.

  Elias takes my hand and leads me up the three steps out of the living room and down the hall. We pass by a bathroom on the right and a second bedroom across from it on the left as we continue to a closed doorway at the very end.

  Elias opens it, revealing a large bedroom spanning the width of the entire apartment with master bath attached. A king sized four-poster bed with a black and gray comforter is centered along a wall of windows. Directly across from the bed is a large mounted flat screen television. Elias heads into the walk in closet and returns carrying a pair of boxers and a t-shirt.

  “Here. You can put these on and climb into bed. I’ll be just a minute in the bathroom to give you some privacy.”

  When I hear the bathroom door shut, I turn and strip out of my clothes. His behavior seems different to me than it did before I fell asleep. When I climb into the bed, I take in the room, noticing the lack of any books or computer lying around. Didn’t he say he was working? He couldn’t have had time to put everything away before coming out to check on me amidst my screams.

  I roll over, situating myself with my back facing the bathroom door. The dream replays in my mind; Travis standing over me, his hands closing my throat, the malicious gleam in his eyes. No matter how hard I try to turn off my brain, it won’t stop.

  The bed dips as Elias climbs in, pulling the covers over us both. I don’t realize my body is trembling until he places his hand on my back. He rubs soothingly, stroking up and down my spine, his rough calloused hands forging a trail of fire along my soft, feminine skin.

  “Everything is going to be okay, sweetheart. Trust me.” He kisses the back of my head while continuing to rub my back. The tension starts to seep out of my limbs, my body becoming heavy. He begins softly singing in my ear, a song I’m unfamiliar with, but it soothes me. His voice rasps the lyrics as my eyelids flutter closed. The last thing I hear is Elias singing me to sleep, easing me into the new world I found myself in this morning.

  CHAPTER TEN

  The following Saturday I’m pacing nervously around my kitchen waiting for Elias. He’s taking me to Sinclair’s to watch him play live for the first time. The thought of watching him play his beautiful music while singing in that deep, soothing voice of his is thrilling. On the other hand, the thought of a bunch of groupies fawning all over him sends hot spikes of jealousy through my blood. He’s assured me it’s not that type of place, so I can only hope he’s not sugarcoating things.

  I fidget with the short skirt of the dress Carly has stuffed me into, trying in vain to make it a bit longer. I called her for a wardrobe emergency earlier, but I should have known better. She will take any opportunity to dress me up and run with it, always so big and bold with her styling choices. I have dresses of my own, but for some reason, I couldn’t choose. Carly was only too happy to help me out. I shouldn’t complain. She does an amazing job at accentuating my best features.

  The dress is a short, black,
halter style, which fits snugly around my hips and lands about mid-thigh. The neckline plunges between my breasts in a deep slit. My feet are dressed in a pair of almost-too-high black pumps. I feel long and slender—beautiful. My eyes are rimmed black, with dark and smoky shadow on the lids. I don’t know how she does it, but Carly always makes me feel lovely.

  A light knock sounds on the door, and I drop my hands from my futile tugging war with my hemline. Taking a deep, calming breath, I reach out and drag the door open. That same breath breezes out of my lungs with a whoosh as I take in the stunning image of Elias. If I begin salivating, I won’t be surprised, because he is truly mouthwatering.

  A small grin tugs at the corner of his lips. He’s leaning on one arm against the doorframe, one ankle crossed against the other. His hair is tousled in that oh so perfect way, as if he just climbed out of bed, blue eyes twinkling in the remaining light of day. My eyes slowly roam down his face to his chiseled body. Tonight, he’s sporting a pair of dark blue jeans and a dove gray button down.

  “Hi,” he murmurs quietly, not moving from his relaxed position against my entryway.

  I have to swallow twice before my throat relaxes enough to speak. “Hi.”

  “Can I come in?” he asks that small grin lifting higher as he tries to suppress a smile.

  Shit, I’m malfunctioning. I swallow again. “Uh huh,” I reply, bobbing my head up and down. I step back to let him into my apartment, my eyes not once leaving his perfect physique. Oh lord, am I a lucky girl.

  He saunters inside, all confident and controlled. Here I am, turning around in the foyer while trying to not trip on my heels.

  “Would you like something to drink?” I manage to stutter. I need a moment away from him to collect myself.

  “Sure,” he replies, still grinning at me as he slips his hands into his pockets.

  I rush out of there and into the kitchen to search my fridge for the bottle of wine I bought earlier. I take my time with the cork, giving the bright red flush in my cheeks time to vanish. Things between Elias and I are…different now. Before it was fun and flirty. Now, it feels more…serious. I’m relieved he has such strong feelings for me, but I’m also afraid of messing this up. My history with men is lacking significantly. I shouldn’t judge my standards by the past. But, maybe I deserve this. I want to deserve this.

  Deserve him.

  I pop out the cork and pour us each a glass of Malbec. Breathe. I’ve given myself enough time to regain some semblance of calm.

  In the living room, Elias is perusing the pictures placed on my bookshelf. I walk up beside him, holding out the glass for him as I take a sip of my own.

  “That’s my mother and my brother.”

  “You have a lot of pictures of them,” he says, taking the glass out of my hand and putting it up to his full, pink lips.

  “They’re the only people I have in my life besides Carly. And you,” I tack on the end, trying for nonchalance.

  The people from the photographs aren’t really in my life anymore. It’s a type of wish fulfillment that I keep their pictures on my shelf. I know in my heart neither of them are coming around.

  Elias nods his head without responding, and I’m thankful he doesn’t pry further. This isn’t the time to divulge the details of my father’s absence. Why I rarely talk to the two people smiling back at me from the picture frame. Tonight isn’t about deep, depressing conversations. It’s about getting out together and having fun.

  “You look absolutely stunning,” he says breaking the silence, turning towards me and taking in my appearance. The dreaded flush is back in my cheeks. “Are you ready to go?”

  I drain the remainder of my wine in one unladylike gulp. “Yes, let me just grab my things.”

  As soon as the doors to the bar open, I feel like I’ve stepped into a different place. Gone is the laid back dive bar with jukebox music playing from the corner. Tonight, the place is animated. All the tables are full, and a group of people is hovering near the raised platform stage.

  “Is it always this crazy when you play?” I shout over the buzz of conversation while Elias leads us to the bar. He has his fingers threaded tightly through my own, and he gives me a gentle squeeze.

  “Usually, yeah. It looks crazy but people behave themselves. They’ll settle in for the music and enjoy the show.”

  I scan the crowd with a critical eye and find that statement hard to believe. While I was getting ready at home, I worried my dress might stick out, but it seems every other woman in this place is similarly dressed. Which means exposed flesh and long legs everywhere.

  We grab a couple bottles of beer, then Elias plants a hand on the small of my back and steers us towards the right side of the platform. Two stools are set up, one occupied with none other than Shelby. Sin stands pressed against her side as they speak closely to one another.

  Elias helps me onto the remaining stool.

  “Hey girl! You’re looking good,” Shelby gushes, turning in her seat to face me. “I’m so glad you could make it.”

  “I am too. It’s a nice change than the private show I usually see.”

  “Hmm,” she replies thoughtfully while looking over Elias with an appreciative eye. “I’m not sure if I’d agree with that.”

  I nearly choke on my beer. Elias laughs and Sin shakes his head.

  “You’re trouble, Shelby,” Elias replies. He gives me a chaste kiss on the cheek. “I’ve got to get up there. See you in a bit.”

  When he’s gone, Sin leaves as well, parting through the crowd with ease.

  Condensation from the bottle cools my hot palms as I fiddle with tearing the label. Shelby’s voice breaks my concentration.

  “I hope you aren’t upset about what I said. I was joking.”

  My eyes snap from the bottle to hers. “Of course not. I know you weren’t serious. Besides, you have Sin.”

  “I’m going to be completely honest here,” she says. She latches onto my left wrist tightly. Why do I get the feeling she’s going to blow my mind?

  “Okay,” I reply carefully.

  “Okay.” Shelby visibly inhales deeply. “I came from a bad situation. I meant what I said before about Sin saving me. I won’t go into details for several reasons, but the biggest of all is because it’s not safe yet.”

  “What do you mean it’s not safe?”

  She gives my wrist another squeeze. “What I mean is, I might be out of that situation, but it isn’t over. And, you haven’t been around long enough for me to share that with you. This is all beside the point. Through this whole ordeal, I fell in love with Sin, obviously. I also became close with Elias as well.”

  “Shelby, I’m not exactly sure where you’re going with this,” I say, confusion coloring my voice. “I really didn’t have a problem with your comment.”

  She sighs, taking a quick sip of her colorful cocktail. “No, I know that. It’s just I like you. I think you seem like a great person, but Elias and I are close. We make jokes like that. We hug. We call one another. I really need us to be on the same page. If it hadn’t been Sin for me, it would have been Elias. We are that close. Do you get what I’m saying?”

  Her words swirl around my head like a windstorm while the music from a keyboard begins to float through the air, immediately hushing the crowd. My attention drifts from Shelby to the steady chords, and I’m surprised to see Elias behind the silver keyboard. I didn’t know he could play piano as well as guitar. Instead of answering Shelby’s question, my eyes fixate on the talented man before me.

  “Hey everybody, welcome to Sinclair’s,” Elias’s velvet voice sounds through the speakers on either side of the stage. The people in front of him erupt into cheers and applause. “Hope you’re ready for a good time this evening. I’m going to kick us off with some Avicii.”

  Once again, the people before him break out with whoops and whistles while the soft chords transform into his own rendition of “Wake Me Up.”

  The sight is completely mesmerizing. His movements
are practiced and flawless as he plays the keys without hardly looking at his fingers. His eyes drift closed when he hits the first chorus; his face transformed into pure passion. It’s as if he’s painting the stage with his soul; the words are bleeding from between his lips in a rainbow of color.

  “Marlena?” Shelby’s voice reminds me we were mid-conversation.

  “Sorry. It’s just, wow. I’ve seen him play his guitar at his apartment, but I didn’t know he could play keyboard as well.”

  “He’s good, right? He played me to sleep once. When I first came here. I was having a lot of nightmares.” Her eyes take on a faraway look.

  My chest squeezes at the etchings of pain on her face. “Hey. I get it. You’re trying to be a good friend. I’m glad he was there for you when you needed him. I won’t step in the way of him being there for you now, if you were to need him again.”

  She smiles gently at me while squeezing my wrist. “Thanks. I knew there was a reason I liked you so easily.”

  “Uh huh. If you like me so much, how ‘bout you get me a drink? I’ll take whatever you’re having,” I say with a wink. She simply laughs and hops off her stool.

  I turn my attention back to Elias as he switches instruments. He slings the guitar strap over his head before strumming and adjusting the knobs on the neck. The confidence and control he exhibits as he walks back over to the microphone excites me. I can’t explain it, only that watching him move with so much power and grace in front of a hundred people is making me hot.

  My eyes scan the bodies milling about the tables while he strikes up a song I’m unfamiliar with, and I almost scream when my eyes rest upon the one person I wish I’d never see again. My blood turns icy beneath my skin causing goosebumps to ripple along my flesh.

  This time, he’s not alone.

  Diagonally across from my position beside the small stage are Travis and Katie. They’re sitting together along one side of a bench seat listening to Elias play. Well, Katie seems to be.