My stomach twists with both dread and a strange thrill. I'm stepping into something even more dangerous than whatever burns between Liam and me, but this feels inevitable somehow. I need to find out what secrets Joe kept. I can't explain why, but tomorrow night on the Velastra's dock feels like destiny pulling me toward answers I'm not sure I'm ready to find.
The scream jolts me awake. A deep voice echoes through the walls, carrying pain and fear across the room.
Did Liam catch my stalker and torture him?
My pulse races out of my chest as I throw back the comforter, startling Fiasco, who’s been curled against my stomach. He blinks up at me with accusatory eyes.
“Some guard dog you are,” I whisper, unsure if I’m in immediate danger outside of Joe’s bedroom.
What time is it, anyway? It must be three in the morning. I finally fell asleep semi-peacefully after that poker game invite, and now I’m sweating, swallowing hard at the loud yells.
Then they halt. I get up, open the door, and creep down the hallway. The house is dimly lit by moonlight and the village nightlights. There’s no one in the living room or kitchen. I walk slowly, holding my breath, barely daring to look out the windows — God forbid I lock eyes with my stalker, who may have slipped inside.
Then the scream comes again, vibrating through the walls, and I realize it’s coming from Liam’s bedroom.Oh no.My heart drops. The thought that someone’s hurting him in his sleep, when he’s most vulnerable, makes me ill… scared for him. He’s no saint, and I’m still unsure what he does or why, but I know he has enemies.
I scan the kitchen for a weapon, and there’s only a knife or a mop. I grab the latter because with my luck, I’d end up dead from my own defense tool. I’m really not made for this life.
Stepping toward his door, I fling it open, prepared to confront an attacker with a deadly mop readied, but only find Liam writhing in a nightmare. His face contorts in agony. My chest aches at the sight of him and at the mercy of whatever demons haunt his sleep. This man, untouchable, vicious at times, soft at others, is now helpless.
Before I can think, I’m at his bedside. My feet carry me there on their own accord, drawn by some need to repay him for the times he’s watched over me.
His arm slams the empty pillow beside him. I reach toward his face and whisper his name. Too quietly, I suppose, as he remains trapped. His skin radiates heat beneath my fingertips.
“Liam,” I try again, louder. “Liam… please.”
I shake his shoulder and suddenly his eyes snap open, scaring the crap out of me. His hand shoots out, fingers clamping around my wrist. My stomach drops as I stare into those empty blue eyes and realize my mistake.
My voice trembles. “Liam…it’s me…”
Before I can finish, he lunges forward. My back hits the mattress with a thud. His weight pins me down, forcing the air from my lungs.
His eyes are wild and unseeing, boring into mine as if I’m some faceless threat. This isn’t the calculating monster I know. It’s worse. Liam isn’t here behind those eyes, and somehow, I need to call him back. I struggle to breathe beneath his weight. My thoughts scatter like marbles, but beneath my racing pulse, I know he won’t hurt me. For all his flaws, Liam isn’t the predator I’ve made him out to be. He’s becoming my sanctuary.
“Liam,” I whisper again, steadier, as I cup his face. “It’s just me.”
His gaze holds mine, pupils dilated and alert, but the stare stays uninhabited. I’ve been there myself stuck in that limbo between nightmare and consciousness where reality blurs.Finally, recognition flickers in his eyes, and waves of emotion surround me because I thought he’d look at me with a gentle gaze. But his stare only holds anger, and his grip pins my wrists above my head.
“What the fuck are you doing?” His deep voice stirs a darker entity within me, and I can’t find words.
I plead with my eyes for him to never show this side of him ever again, my heart sinking. He slams my wrists harder against the mattress. “What the fu—”
“You were having a nightmare,” I manage. “I just—”
“And you thought what, Sara? That it’s a brilliant idea to get yourself killed?” His jaw clenches, anger barely masking the panic in his eyes. Now morphing into vulnerability.
“No, I…” I swallow. “I couldn’t leave you like that. I wanted to help.”
“I could’ve fucking killed you.” His expression softens, rage melting into anguish as he buries his face against my neck, his breath warm against my skin. “I could’ve hurt you.”
“But you didn’t,” I mumble. His weight presses me into the mattress, but instead of feeling trapped, I feel sheltered. Protected. I want to crawl into his soul, wrap my arms around his pain, around his heart, and help him see he’s not alone anymore. His grip on my wrists loosens.
“Fuck, Sara…” His hand lowers to my collarbone while the other curves around the small of my back, pulling me closer to his body.
I’ve craved his touch, awakening my body to tremble with need.
I cup his face in my hands, forcing his gaze to meet mine. A single tear runs down his cheek, and the sight cracks something open inside me. I know this man will only carve deeper wounds into me.
“I know you wouldn’t hurt me, Liam. I trust you.” His jaw tightens.
