Page 35 of Fear the Reapers
Squeezing my eyes shut, I braced myself for the pain that I knew was coming. My watery eyes focused on the hazy crowd above me as he violated me. I refused to look at his friends as they watched. If I couldn’t picture the looks on their faces, maybe tonight’s events wouldn’t haunt me. Maybe I’d be able to have a normal life after all of this.
After he finished, I laid there numb, staring off into the distance. Gavin’s icy hand painfully squeezed my jaw, forcing me to look into his eyes.
“I don’t know boys, she doesn’t look broken enough yet.” He hissed, pulling out his silver pocket knife.
“Gavin, come on, bro.” The guy holding my wrists mumbled.
“Dude, Zeke is right, she’s had enough. Look at her.” Argued the guy holding my ankles.
“Fuck off, Derek!” Gavin spat, tilting his head to stare back at my lifeless eyes. “She’s a whore and I need to make sure anyone who ever touches her knows it.”
The swift flash of metal reflecting light caught my eye just before the pain smashed into me. I shrieked in agony as the jagged blade bit into my flesh. My screams were gut-wrenching, and despite my attempts to quiet them, they were unstoppable.
Darkness surrounded me and my body became encapsulated in soothing warmth. I no longer felt the blade piercing my skin or the rough hands pinning my body to the ground.
Did I die?
This flashback came to me almost every night, and it always ended the same. With me cold, broken, bloody, and alone on the hard dirt underneath the bleachers. I’d envision the moment the poor janitor found me and threw his jacket on me to offer me some decency. And relive the painful realization that what Gavin did would scar me for life. I’d see the sad and remorseful looks each officer and medic gave me as they wheeled me into the ambulance. See those same looks on the doctors and medical teams that helped me in the hospital.
“Shh, everything’s going to be okay.” A familiar voice whispered into my ear.
My eyes flashed open, and I took in my strange surroundings. This wasn’t my room. It looked similar to mine, but the color scheme was different. Instead of classic black and cream tones, the room was doused in icy blues and soft greys, almost as if I were in some alternate universe.Maybe I was still dreaming?
I shifted my position slightly, trying to get my bearings, and that’s when I felt it. The warm body pressed firmly against my back.
Where the hell was I and who the fuck was that?
My breath hitched as a heavy arm wrapped itself across my stomach and pulled me closer, enveloping me in the distinct scent of lavender and smoke.Ezra.
“I know you’re awake.” Ezra whispered, snuggling his chin in the crook of my neck. “Go back to sleep, Angel.”
“Wha- where am I?” I whispered, trying to hold back the terror inching up my spine.
“My room.” He explained, in a sleepy voice. “I figured you’d rest easier here.”
Either I was really going crazy or every answer he gave made sense. Still, that didn’t explain why I was naked. I couldn’t feel any barriers between his skin and mine. I had fallen asleep in my sweatshirt, but the only fabric attached to my body was my thong.
“Why are we naked?” I asked.
“You sweat through your sweatshirt and I’m wearing boxer briefs.” He mumbled, matter-of-factly. “It's not like I’m seeing anything you didn’t already show me.”
“I-” I hesitated, at a loss for words. He had a point, but still. He shouldn’t have taken me without asking. “I shouldn’t be in here. I should go.”
I made a move to leave, but his arm gripped me tighter in response.
“Look Angel, if it makes you feel better, this means nothing. I still want to hurt you. In fact, I’ll probably dream about hurting you in the most delicious ways possible, but tonight, you need me to be someone else. Someone safe. I’ll be that man for you tonight.”
I wanted to fight him on it. I wanted to scream bloody murder until one of the other guys came to pull him off of me. But something about what he was offering had me intrigued. His warmth chased away the nightmares that haunted me almost every night, and he hadn’t tried to kill me. Yet.Maybe it would be okay.
I told myself that the only reason I didn’t fight him on it was because he would kill me. But the truth was, there was something calming about his room and the feeling of his arms around me.
I barely slept the rest of the night, but it wasn’t because of the nightmares. The comfort I felt in Ezra’s arms terrified me more than any nightmare ever could.
Chapter 23
Cyrus
“Morning.” Atlas grumbled, sitting in his usual seat at the kitchen table. I gave Tristan a nod as I bit into my toast, and we both eyed our big brother with suspicion. Ever since his reappearance at the tavern last night, he’s been on edge. The shit with Melanie was the obvious reason. Though even she could never usually get him that riled up. That combined with his disappearance the other night seemed so out of character for the man who meticulously planned out nearly everything he did.
