by Nicole Thorn
Despite what Mom said, she went in with Hadley and left Hale with me in the car. He refused to have any fun with me. A hole in my side is no reason for a dry spell. In my opinion. Not Hale’s.
“I promise I will make it up to you,” he said after he stopped me form getting on his lap.
“Hmm. It’s gonna take a lot to make up for this kind of rejection. I’m wounded for God’s sake.” I played it up as well as I could.
He smiled at the same time his eyebrow went up. “I can do a lot.”
I cleared my throat. “You talk a big game.”
“You’re almost suggesting that you don’t believe me,” he looked offended. “I don’t like it.”
“Easy way to insure my faith in you,” I challenged him.
“Are you trying to trick me into doing something that might hurt you?”
“No. And you wouldn’t hurt me. I’m stronger than you give me credit for.”
He tucked my hair behind my ear. “Trust me, I know just how strong you are. And I know that as strong as you are it doesn’t make you invincible.” His hand went to my damaged side. He touched me so gently that I wasn’t even sure we were making contact. “When you’re healed, Rory, I promise you that we’ll go back to normal.”
I laughed. “Normal? What’s normal for us?” We’d haven’t been together a week yet. There was no such thing as normal.
He moved his hand down to my leg. “You know what I mean. I’d like to get back to a place where I can do what I want to you and not worry that I’m hurting you.”
To lighten the darkness I saw in his eyes I said, “Maybe I’d be the one hurting you. Ever think of that?”
His eyes glazed over just a little. “And you call me a tease…”
“You are.”
“Really? I’m not the one trying to rile you up.”
I held my hands up in surrender. “I’m not offering anything you’re not allowed to take.”
“And I will, you know.”
“Will what?”
He shifted me so that I was nearly on his lap, still facing him. He leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Take you. I don’t want you thinking I don’t want it,” his hand was suddenly on my thigh and slowly moving up and into my shorts. “Because I do. I really, really do.”
“Nothing’s stopping you,” I informed him, because I honestly think he didn’t know. “I love you.”
He removed his hand from the inside of my shorts and touched my locket. He opened it for a second or two and closed it again. The words didn’t leave his mouth but I knew he felt them. The locket itself said more than a thousand I loves yous.
“You are everything, Aurora. And very soon, I’m going to show you in the best way I can.” He kissed me until my family came back to the car.
We got home and Hale carried me in while informing me that it would be how I moved around for the next couple days. I didn’t have a choice in the matter. Mom and Hadley agreed.
We ate in the kitchen and Brom Bones howled at Hadley until she gave him some of her noodles. She was a sucker, as always.
Hale let me sit on his lap on the condition that there was no funny business from me. I reluctantly agreed. We took our time eating while we all talked about nothing important.
After, Mom checked up on my stitches again and said that I didn’t pop any. So I guess that was good. Hale took it as a sign that his method of getting me around was working and I for sure wasn’t allowed to walk anymore.
“I can walk,” I sighed when Hale and I got a few feet from my bedroom door.
“Not important,” he turned the doorknob and brought me in, closing the door behind him.
He set me on the bed and I heard something crinkling under me. “What was that?” he asked.
I moved over and found a piece of paper that looked like it was torn out of a notebook. It was folded in half and had my name on it. I glanced up at Hale before I opened it and read it.
Aurora,
There was nothing I could do. I’m sorry. I thought that this was over but clearly I was wrong. I came by to talk to you. When you didn’t answer the door I was forced to break in and leave this for you.
My father came home last night and I saw his face. I knew what happened and I knew what would come next. He won’t stop until you’re dead. I’m sorry that I started all of this. I never meant for this, I didn’t want to lose the rest of my family. But there’s no going back now and I understand that you don’t have any choices left. The father I knew is long dead. I know that now. So keep yourself alive, whatever the cost may be.
I’ve decided to do the only thing I can think of that would buy you time.
I ran.
He doesn’t know where I’m going because frankly, neither do I. But I’ll run for as long as I can because I know he’ll chase me. I just don’t know how long. The only thing I do know is that he’s not done with you. So use this time I’m giving you to make a plan.
This is far from over.
Dottie
