Page 38 of Forever His Favorite
A cold, electric fear ripped through Emily. She was tied to a chair. It looked like an empty warehouse. Her head slowly lifted toward the sound of voices. Two men loomed over her: one short and fat, the other taller, with sun-dark skin and shoes the exact deep blue she recognized like a jolt to the memory. The man in the blue shoes was the same one who had attacked her with a hammer and tried to run her over.
“Hurry up! Bring the tools. Let’s cut her up and toss her off a bridge before anyone finds her,” the thin man ordered.
The tall man in the blue shoes began to step away. The fat man moved closer, a knife flashing in his hand.
“I don’t have much time,” he sneered. “Otherwise, I’d have had my fun with you first before slicing you up.”
Emily trembled in panic, her body shaking violently. She fought against the ropes biting into her wrists, panic lending strength to her movements.
For a heartbeat, the tall man returned unexpectedly, reaching out and undoing the bindings at her back. She lunged and struggled, trying to push him away, but the fat man and his companion overpowered her.
The scuffle turned brutal immediately. Hands grabbed at her arms; a blade nicked her skin as she twisted free, pain flaring sharp and hot across her palms. Blood welled on the surface, sticky and startling. Her heart thundered; breath came in ragged pulls.
Just as one of the men lifted the knife to strike her, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the empty space.
The two men froze, startled by the sudden intrusion, their eyes darting at each other as if to plan an escape. But before they could even think to flee, shadows swarmed in. Sebastian charged forward, fury carved across his face, his men following.
Within seconds, the captors were on the ground, restrained and dragged away.
Emily sat upright on the cold ground, her entire body trembling violently, sobs breaking out of her lips. Her vision blurred with tears, every breath sharp and painful.
Sebastian’s gaze swept over her in an instant—his eyes catching on the angry red marks across her skin, the scratches on her wrists, the terror etched into her face. His chest constricted. In the next heartbeat, he was beside her, scooping her into his arms as if he couldn’t bear the distance of a single inch.
“Don’t worry,” he whispered, his voice rough yet threaded with fierce tenderness. “I’m here.”
Emily clung to him, her fists gripping the fabric of his shirt. He rose swiftly, holding her close against him, her trembling frame pressed to his chest.
His strides were long, fast, carrying her toward the waiting car. His jaw was tight, his expression carved in stone, but when his gaze flicked to Leon standing beside the vehicle, his eyes burned with lethal fury.
“Lock them up. I want answers,” he commanded, his voice a low, dangerous growl.
“Yes, Mr. Graves,” Leon replied grimly, immediately stepping aside to open the car door.
Sebastian slid inside carefully, Emily still in his arms. She curled into him instinctively, her face buried against his chest, her small hands clutching at him. Her tears had stopped, but her trembling hadn’t. His arms tightened protectively around her.
The car shot forward, tearing down the darkened streets toward a hospital. Sebastian lowered his head, his lips brushing her hair.
An hour later, once the doctors had checked her and confirmed she was unharmed beyond the cuts and bruises, they returned home.
Sebastian carried her upstairs to the bedroom. Gently, he laid her down on the bed. But even there, safe and warm, she was still trembling, her fear raw and fresh. Only a few months ago, she had already brushed against death’s hand. And now, it had come for her again. The fear of it pressed heavily on her soul, leaving her fragile, aching, and unbearably weary.
Sebastian sat at her side, his hand stroking her hair back, his gaze fixed on her pale, shaken face. “Take a hot bath, baby,” he murmured. “Then I’ll put you to sleep.”
Emily’s lips quivered as she nodded, tears still streaming down her cheeks. Sebastian brushed them away with his thumb, his touch achingly tender, before lifting her in his arms and carrying her to the bathroom.
He helped her with the bath, his hands steady even though rage still burned inside him. When she was warm and clean, he wrapped her in a towel and carried her back. He laid her down, tucked her in, then slipped in beside her, his bare chest warm against her as he held her close, dressed only in his trousers. His arms wrapped around her, his body a quiet shield against the world.
“Sleep,” he whispered into her hair, his breath warm. “I’m here.”
But Emily trembled, her body shaking as though the memory itself clawed at her. She buried her face into his chest, her voice breaking.
“That man,” she whispered shakily. “The one with the blue shoes. He… he was the same man who tried to kill me months ago. He hit me with a hammer first, then tried to run me over with a car.”
Sebastian’s arms tightened around her. His body stiffened, eyes flashing with fury, but he kept his touch gentle. He stroked the back of her head, forcing his voice low and soothing. “I’ll take care of it, baby. Rest. I’ll stay right here.”
But Emily shook her head, her tears wetting his shirt.
“I don’t want to sleep,” she whispered brokenly. “I don’t want to close my eyes.”
