Enoch
I blinked blearily into the darkness of my bedroom. There was a heavy weight on my hips, and I moved my hand, circling around soft fabric and someone’s leg that wasn’t mine. My eyes zeroed in on the silhouette.
Shiloh. What is she doing?
I was still trying to get my brain to wake up when hands crushed my windpipe like a noose around my neck.
Holy fuck.
My hands instinctively wrapped around her wrists, trying to get some of the pressure on my windpipe to release. My heart jackhammered in my chest as her wild eyes glared down at me.
“Where is my daughter?” she seethed. “Where the fuck is she? I swear to God, I will fucking kill you. Where is she?!”
Her hands tightened, cutting off my oxygen completely. My brain was buzzing, hanging onto the singular word.Daughter?I coughed against the pressure, straining my neck backwards into my pillow. I pulled at her wrists. She was fucking strong, but I was stronger. I just didn’t want to hurt her.
“Shi-loh,” I rasped.
“She’s mine!” she screamed with rage, pressing harder against my throat.
Fuck.The lack of oxygen was getting to my head. I prayed I didn’t accidentally hurt her as I easily bucked her off, rolling her onto her back, and her hands released my neck.
I dragged in a shaky breath. Her hands came up to claw at my bare chest. Even without long nails, she was easily doing some damage, and I captured her wrists, holding them above her head, against the pillows. I quickly leaned over, switching on the bedside lamp and we both winced at the brightness.
I turned my head, coughing as I tried to breathe past the burning in the throat.
“Shiloh,” I pleaded, leaning down into her space, so she was staring directly into my eyes. “You’re safe. It’s me. It’s Enoch. You’re safe.”
She blinked, her head swiveling around the room as both our chests rose and fell in rapid succession.
“Enoch?” she mumbled, her face scrunched in confusion. “Is this…are you real?”
My shoulders relaxed. At least she was lucid now.
“Yeah, baby. I’m real. I’m real. You’re safe.”
The door to our bedroom slammed against the wall and I turned my head to find Jae holding a baseball bat, ready to beat the shit out of someone. He stared at the scene in front of him, eyes bouncing between the two of us.
“What the fuck is going on? I heard screaming. And not the good kind,” Jae said slightly breathless like he’d just run up the stairs.
I coughed again, sucking down more air as I faced Shiloh.
She stared at me, the color completely drained from her face, wide-eyed and…afraid. I released her wrists and slowly climbed off of her body, sitting back on my ass, my heart stillthrumming against my rib cage violently. I pulled her into my lap, holding her against my hot chest.
She’d scratched me to hell. I was proud of her for fighting back, but my head was still spinning from the adrenaline and being choked.
“Hello?!” Jae called, the bat falling to his side.
Shiloh startled at his voice. “You’re safe, baby. You’re safe,” I repeated, stroking her hair.
“I don’t know what happened,” she whispered. “I think I was dreaming and…”
Daughter.Did she have a daughter with her ex? I thought she said she miscarried.
I lifted my head from hers to look down at her face.
“Do you remember what you were dreaming about?”
Her brows pinched as she thought about her answer.
