I stop moving my hips, but stay inside her. “Melita?” I ask, cupping her face with both of my hands. “Baby, look at me.”
“Your eyes…bleeding!” she screams. “No! Please stop!”
Her gaze is distant, filled with terror. She’s back in that fucking cave, trapped in that moment.Dammit!I fucking pushed her too far. Panic starts to rise, but I swallow it so I can pull her out of this.
“Baby, come back to me. I’m safe. We’re both safe. I’m here,” I reassure her, resting my forehead on hers. She blinks rapidly, her focus slipping in and out like she’s losing track of where we are. “Breathe withme.” I slowly draw air into my lungs and let it out, waiting for her body to match mine. “Name five thing you can see…”
Her gaze finds my eyes, and she finally speaks. “Amber.”
She reaches up, her fingertips gently tracing my mouth as the strain leaves her face. “Your lips.”
“Stars.”
“Trees.”
Her voice steadies as she keeps going. “You,” she says, a little calmer now.
A single tear rolls down her temple and into her ear as she squeezes her eyes shut. She places her hands over her face, her body trembling as she silently cries.
I sit up, pulling her onto my lap, and tuck her head under my chin. I should’ve been paying more attention. I’m her fucking mate. I protect her. I’m her sanctuary. I don’t put my needs before hers. “I’m so sorry,Melita. I promised you I’d stop, and I didn’t.”
She shakes her head. I can see the guilt eating at her already. “You shouldn’t have to. I’m your mate for fuck’s sake. I’m so mad at myself.”
“Shhh, baby.” I rock her back and forth. “We’ll get through this. It’s only been a few months. I should’ve stopped. I’m so sorry.”
She pulls back, her glassy eyes peering into mine. “I wanted you to keep going. I needed it. It felt so fucking good before…” she trails off.
She doesn’t need to finish the sentence. I know where her mind went, but I ask anyway just to be sure. “Was it the cave, or was it something else this time?”
I know what happened when Dante had her, what Cronus did to her. I quickly clench my fists so she doesn’t see the tips of my fingers turningred, flames itching to come out. Get it together. She doesn’t need me losing control right now. I’ll save that for later.
“I know what you're thinking, and that piece of shit can’t break me,” she reassures me, but there’s a haunted look in her eyes. “And I don’t want to have this conversation again. I just want to move on.”
That’s fine with me. I don’t need words to make him pay for what he did. His death will be slow and painful, and it brings me so much joy.
Frankie crawls off my lap and reaches for her panties. I quickly snatch them up, shoving the small piece of fabric in my pocket. “These are mine.”
She gives me a small, sad smile and reaches for her jeans instead. “What a night, huh?” she says, pulling them up her legs. “First, I almost kill Jess, then I ruin this beautiful night by acting crazy.”
I finish buttoning my pants and grab her hips, pulling her to me. “One, you did not almost kill Jess, and two, I like your crazy.”
She links her hands behind my neck, and gives me a look. “So you agree, I’m crazy.”
Leaning down, I brush my lips over hers. “Baby, you’ve been crazy since the first day I met you.”
A smile tugs at her lips, but it's not enough to hide the sadness in her eyes. “Well then maybe you're the crazy one for sticking with me.”
She shivers, so I pick up the blanket, wrapping it around her. “Let’s go home. I’ll draw you a bath.”
An hour later, Frankie crawls into bed with wet hair and an oversized t-shirt. She looks exhausted. I know I shouldn’t leave her. “Will you be okay here for a bit?”
She squeezes Dino. “You’re going?” The hurt in her eyes kills me. Especially because I’m the one causing it. It’s been an emotional day, and I should stay. But I can’t.
“Just for a little while. I won’t be too long.” I pull the blankets around her, and plant a quick kiss on her head. I gotta get out of here. The guilt is eating at me.
“Just stay at your house tonight, I don’t need you to babysit me.” She turns her back to me.
She’s upset, but I pretend I don’t notice. Gods, I’m a piece of shit. I tried telling myself that I’mtechnicallynot lying because she hasn’t specifically asked me what I’ve been doing, but somehow that makes it feel worse. I shouldn't be justifying my shitty behavior. I should rip off the band-aid and tell her, but she’s not strong enough to handle it yet.
