Page 24 of Dark Consequences

Raphael shifts and raises his head like he senses I’m awake and watching him. Groggy, sleep-hazy amber eyes meet mine before a lazy smile pulls on his lips. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” I whisper back, my voice small and cautious.

“How are you feeling?” Raphael sits up, and I brace myself for him to let go of my hand, but he surprises me instead by keeping a firm grip, and I don’t resist his touch.

“I’m fine,” I instinctively reply, the words slipping out without a second thought. How come is it so easy to talk to him? “Why are you here?”

“You fell asleep outside last night.”

“I did?”

“Yes. Want to tell me why?”

I steal a look at our still tightly clasped hands. It doesn’t seem like either of us is ready to let go.

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Why not?”

“I had a nightmare.” Partially true. My dream started out lovely enough until it shifted into something worse.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

A trace of hope lines his question. I want to tell him, but I also remember calling out his name before the man between my legs turned into Xiao. My face heats at the memory. No. I can’t tell him.

I shake my head. “Not right now. How did I get back inside?”

A brief look of disappointment flutters across his face, but it’s gone within a heartbeat, and he doesn’t push the issue. “Mei woke me up when she couldn’t find you.”

I glance over my shoulder, expecting to see my daughter behind me, but the bed is empty. “Where is Mei?”

Raphael gestures with his head toward the pullout couch across the room where my daughter’s small body rests. Her arms and legs are spread wide like a monkey, and her mouth is open in the cutest little “o” with Mr. Cuddles beside her.

It must have been terrifying for her to wake up and find me gone, and then have to explore a strange place on her own to find help... If there’s a Worst Mother of the Year award, I definitely win by a landslide.

“We found you passed out on the terrace. You were freezing and shaking. Even your lips were blue.” I notice a subtle trace of disappointment in his tone.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to burden you.” Dropping my eyes, I try to extract my hand from his, but he refuses to let go.

Raphael’s hold is just strong enough to prevent panic from setting in. If I really wanted to, I could still pull free…but I don’t. His thumb ever so slightly brushes over the top of my hand, and surprise comes over me at the calming feeling his touch brings.

“You’re not a burden.” His voice is firm and confident, but doubt still lingers in my mind.

Out of the corner of my eye, he extends his free hand and lifts my chin with two fingers. Warm amber eyes search mine, pulling me in like a bee to his honey trap as he continues. “Look, Lily, I know you have no reason to trust me, but you need to know my family is not like Xiao. I’m not like Xiao. I hope you can see that or will one day.”

His words echo Rose’s. All I’ve ever known is pain in this dark world he lives in. It would be insane to trust him, insane to believe what Rose said, but I guess that makes me insane.

Because…

“I’m trying to,” I whisper and draw my bottom lip between my teeth. It’s a bad habit of mine when I’m nervous. Raphael’s eyes flick to them and something predatory flashes across his face. When he looks back up at me, honey transforms into a darker shade of amber. Heat skirts down my spine, pooling between my legs.

Before Dr. Rodriguez, before Xiao and the years of torment and abuse, I enjoyed sex. A lot. As any red-blooded woman would. That all changed the first time I was raped. But God, how I want to go back to the woman I was before. And she’s there. For the first time since my hell started six years ago, I can feel her hovering beneath the surface, trying to break free. And I think it’s because of Raphael. For whatever reason, she trusts him to save her. Again, that stupid heart of mine.

Raphael clears his throat and drops my chin. He releases my hand, and I miss the contact immediately. He sits back, looking ashamed, if that’s even possible for a man as bold as he is. “If we’re being honest here, I have something else to confess.”

“What is it?”

“Your clothes were cold and a little damp from being outside. I had no choice but to change you.”

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