“What can I do, Savannah?” I whisper, crouching ahead of her, “What do you need?”
The shock and trauma of it all will be wreaking havoc on her right now, I doubt she even fully understands everything that is happening. He never should have been able to get to her, even if I weren’t in the picture. I make a mental note to contact Dean to sort the security out. It wasn’t a pressing issue since I am here most of the time but after today, I won’t take another risk.
“Hold me?” She whispers so softly I almost miss the words over the sound of the running water. Reaching over, I switch it off and then lower myself onto the cold tiles, bringing her down with me where she curls up in my lap, tucking her face under my chin. I wrap my arms around her and hold her tight. She is still shaking, her heart beating so hard and fast I can feel her pulse against my own skin.
I don’t know how long we sit there, long enough for the water to turn tepid in the tub and the tiles to take away feeling in my legs but I’ll sit here forever if I have to.
I’ll hold her together and warm her soul and fight every demon.
For as long as she needs me, I will hold her.
Chapter Twenty-seven
Ididn’t expect to be able to sleep after what happened with Adrien. I thought I’d lay there awake, hearing the sound of his pounding steps coming after me but I didn’t.
After Killian and I sat on the bathroom floor until the bath he ran went cold, he drew me another one and stayed with me in the bathroom while I washed the memories off my skin and then he curled me into his body, tucked me in so close every part of me was touching every part of him and fell asleep quickly, I don’t even remember my head hitting the pillow. And it was dreamless.
He made me feel safe. He wasthere.
And it only made me realize he always had been. There hasn’t been a moment where he hasn’t been available when I’ve been at my most vulnerable and even when I’m not. He’s protected me, long before we ever fell into whatever this is between us.
It’s been three days since the attack, and he hasn’t left me alone for more than five minutes. We’ve painted and put together furniture and now we are sitting on my new couch, the smell of fresh paint in the air while the morning sun attempts to remove the chill. The leaves have all turned color, setting fire to the trees on the street, the temperature dipping low enough I’ve arranged for logs to be delivered so I can start to make use of the fireplace.
As I’m taking a sip of my coffee, feet resting on Killian’s lap, there’s a knock at the door. Without a word, he takes my ankles and moves my legs down to the cushion as he gets up, moving to the door to let whoever it is in.
“Well damn,” Dean’s voice booms through the quiet house and my spine stiffens. “Youarealive.”
“So funny,” Killian deadpans, moving to the side to let his brother in. Dean appears a moment later, several boxes balancing on his arms.
“Hey Sav,” He grins at me, a pair of black, thick rimmed glasses on his face. I forget he wears glasses since he always has contacts in, and they make him appear younger and less dangerous. But Dean has always been that way, even when I was growing up, he stood separately to the brute force of the other three. He was quiet but observant, he saw everything alwaysand the man is insanely smart but I’m also not naïve enough to believe he isn’t as much of a threat as the rest of them. He’s just quieter about it. I’ve known him for a long time and yet I don’t know much about him at all.
“Hi Dean,” I squirm, “What brings you by?”
“Kill didn’t tell you?” He frowns, glancing at his older brother.
“Tell me what?”
Killian’s face remains void of any emotion, “He’s fitting a security system.”
There’s no shame in the words, no guilt or remorse for making the decision without me. If what went down with Adrien hadn’t have happened maybe I would have kicked up more of a fuss, but a security system is probably the smartest way forward if I’m living alone.
Granted, I haven’t been alone in the past two weeks but that’s irrelevant.
“Okay,” I swallow hard and nod my head, “Go ahead.”
Killian’s brows twitch, just a little, giving away that flicker of surprise at my submission. But he smooths out those lines quickly, returning to his stoic, normal self.
While Dean works, he remains on the other side of the room, as far from me as he can get without physically leaving and doesn’t even look at me. The littlesafe haven we have been in has made me forget this is actually a secret.
Dean talks while he works, his fingers tapping away at his keyboard, eyes on the screen. I provide conversation back, but my stomach is twisting up. I don’t like the coldness, the lack of affection.
Killian won’t even look at me.
Is this the level we will be stuck at? Trapped in the shadows and destined to only find comfort in each other in the dark?
“And done,” Dean grins triumphantly, turning his laptop toward me, “You should have an email with details for the login to the system, you can set the pin and access the cameras installed outside and in the main areas of the house.”
“Wait, you installed cameras in here?”
