Total pages in book: 58
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 56875 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 284(@200wpm)___ 228(@250wpm)___ 190(@300wpm)
I didn’t want her feeling that way. She’d been through a terrible ordeal, and she needed to know where she was when she opened her eyes.
“Of course. I’ll put it to low. The pills Dr. Barnes gave you will make you drowsy so you should sleep, but I’m right out there.” I indicated the living area. “I’ll leave a light on by the sofa as well.”
I was unsure what to do next. She solved the problem by grasping my hand. “Thank you, Niall. You saved my life. I’ll never be able to say thank you enough.”
“I’m glad we did.” I bent a little lower. “No one deserves what happened to you, Anna. You know that, right? You did nothing wrong. They were looking for easy targets, and they found you. That we were able to get you out makes me grateful I am the person I am. That I have the skill set to defend those who cannot.”
Her eyes were wide as I finished talking. “I’m grateful too.”
For some reason, I bent low and brushed a kiss to her forehead. “Sleep. You’re safe and I’m here.”
“I’m grateful for that too,” she whispered, then rolled to her side, pulling up the soft comforter.
I stared down at her, loath to leave for some reason. Wanting to stroke her pretty hair and talk to her more. Let her feel the safety of me beside her. Assure her that I wouldn’t let anything hurt her again.
I had to step back, shocked at my thoughts. At the fact that my hand was already reaching over to touch her.
She didn’t want to be touched. She wanted a safe space, and that was what I was giving her.
Nothing else.
I turned and walked away.
The suite was quiet for about an hour. I was unable to sleep, tense and agitated. I kept seeing the barn. The darkness. Smelling the blood. Watching the bodies fall. Feeling satisfaction as they did.
I wasn’t a good man. I had no remorse for the lives we’d taken tonight. Knowing that by killing those sorry excuses for humans ensured that we saved others from the same fate as Anna, Una, and countless others brought me a grim pleasure.
The thought of what they would have done to her—to Anna—made me ill. To think that her life would have been nothing but pain and humiliation. That the sweetness of her smile would be erased and her lovely eyes dimmed of all happiness made my anger burn hot again. I had no idea what the future held for her, but it had to be a damned sight better than the hell we’d pulled her from.
I flung my arm over my eyes. I needed darkness to sleep, but I refused to turn off the lamps after promising not to leave her in the dark. I sighed, finally feeling the exhaustion catching up on me.
Then Anna screamed—the sound so filled with terror, my blood ran cold. I was on my feet instantly, running. In my bed, Anna was fighting an invisible foe. Begging, pleading not to be hurt. Crying, thrashing, her fear so real, I swore I felt it in my chest.
Unsure what to do, I leaned close, calling her name. When that didn’t stop her distress, I wrapped my hands around her shoulders, picking her up from the mattress, shaking her a little to wake her. I kept repeating her name, assuring her.
“Anna, mo mhuirnín,” I begged. “I’m here. It’s Niall. You’re safe. I have you.”
Finally, my voice broke through her panic, and her eyes flew open, wet with tears. “Niall,” she gasped, looking around wildly. “I was back there. Alone. You were just a dream. I was back there!” she wailed.
I reacted on instinct, pulling her into my arms. “No, you’re here. Safe. With me.”
She wept into my neck, her tears hot on my skin. “It was so real…”
“No. Feel me, baby. Feel me holding you. You’re safe.”
She shuddered, collapsing against me. I stroked up and down her back, whispering to her. Reciting an Irish lullaby my mum used to croon to soothe me as a child. I didn’t sing, only spoke the lyrics in a soft voice, feeling her relax. But she clung to me, her fingers gripping my shirt as if afraid to let go. Unable to resist, I slid my hand into her hair, the strands heavy and silky in my fingers.
“Don’t leave me,” she begged.
Without a word, I lifted her, then slid onto the bed. I settled her between my legs, her head resting on my chest, and I wrapped my arms around her, holding her close. I surrounded her, her small form fitting me perfectly.
“I’m staying right here. Go to sleep,” I murmured. “I have you. No one will touch you, Anna.”
I felt her breathing begin to even out.
“Ever,” I added.
I woke in the early morning, already exhausted. Anna’s night terrors were constant, even with me holding her. She would stiffen then begin to shake, and if I didn’t start comforting her fast enough, the screaming began. Or the weeping.