Page 51 of Captured

If only I hadn’t taken the surgery for a colleague. If only I hadn’t tried to save a life. If only.

I fisted my hands, pushing them against my eyes, the deep rattle of sadness rushing into my chest. Why now? Why the fuck now?

CHAPTER 15

Emily

The horrible roar followed by a brutal thud drew me out of a light slumber.

I couldn’t jerk up, could only turn over on one side. I was horrified at the noise, wishing that there was a lamp on the nightstand next to the bed. Of course the bastard had planned my kidnapping, keeping anything I could use as a weapon out of reach, let alone locking me in to make it easy for him.

I was shaking all over, the terrible sound one of agony. The bellow had come from my captor, his brief mental breakdown probably caused by something I’d said or done. Did that mean he was going to storm up here and take out his revenge, punishing me in a way I wouldn’t recover from?

My heart continued to pound, the scent of the man and what he’d done to me lingering like a bad omen. I sat up, fighting the urge to cry, forced to face I’d enjoyed his touches, his kisses. And the brutal way he’d fucked me. What was wrong with me?

Still shivering, I rolled over on the one side, tugging at the handcuff again. The house might be a fucking mansion bigger than my father’s, but the sound traveled far too well. When I heard footsteps coming up the stairs, the person taking them far too slowly for what I was used to with Talon, I tensed more than I had in his hold.

When the heavy footsteps reached the second floor, I sucked in my breath, doing what I could to keep from whimpering. I was stronger than this, than allowing him to break me after only one night. My God. I’d been the one to find my mother’s lifeless body, shaking her for a full five minutes before I’d gathered my wits and called the police.

I’d been the one to close her eyelids, more terrified of the vacant look in her eyes than when I’d realized that she was dead. Dead. My mommy was dead, the only person who loved me. The only person who’d protected me.

I squeezed my eyes shut, still holding my breath when I heard the door being opened. Maybe if I didn’t let out a peep, he’d leave me alone. But as the light from the hallway trickled into the room, I knew he was standing right there watching me.

Hungering for me.

It was hard to keep from making a single sound. I was filled with sadness, not only because I was here, away from everything I knew, but also because what he’d said about my father held such truth that it made it sick inside. I hated him with everything I had inside me.

A single tear slipped past my lashes, trickling across my nose as gravity dragged it toward the pillow. I dare not touch it because I could feel the intense vibrations, the current crackling all around us. His body was humming with enough energy I could feel it in my bones.

While I was doing everything to control my breathing, trying to focus on remaining quiet, the sound of his labored breaths shook me to my core. I sensed at this moment the man was like Jekyll and Hyde and his determination of how he would handle me could go either way.

As he started his approach, I kept my eyes half closed, trying to glance to the left in a crazy attempt to see if he had a weapon or implement in his hand. What if he did? There was almost nothing I could do to defend myself.

He came closer, taking his sweet time doing so. I was surprised how stilted his actions seemed to be. Was he merely trying to see if I was awake or determining what horrible thing he wanted to do to me?

When he moved to the edge of the bed, I finally managed to calm myself down, but the tears had already formed in my eyes, just waiting to betray me as everything else about myself had done many times in the hours leading up to this moment.

The monster was in silhouette from the garish light of the hallway, and I dared to shift slightly, enabling me to catch a single look of his shadowed face. If I didn’t know better, I’d say the man was in anguish. Ah, what a shame. What was good for the goose was good for the gander.

Talon sat down on the edge of the bed, immediately dropping his head into his hands. There was such a strange vibe about him, a buzzing that wrapped its long claws around me. Why was it that I wanted to comfort him? It didn’t make any sense.

He was an evil man in expensive clothes.

I concentrated on pretending I was sleeping, my eyes still open a tiny slit. I wasn’t certain how long he remained in the position even as I tried to count off the minutes in my head.

When he took a long, strangled gasp, I almost gave away I was awake. The sound was choked, riddled with the same haunted moans I’d uttered myself more than once.

He turned his body slightly, the creak of the bed adding an eerie noise in the room. I could see he was reaching out, allowing his fingers to dangle over my shoulder. The moment he touched my naked skin, a wash of explosive heat powered through to my core. His sudden silence was more terrifying than when he’d been emotional, the change coming close to freaking me out. For at least five minutes, he used the lightest touch, brushing his fingers down my arm. Almost instantly, his breathing was normal, restful even.

Was it possible he’d needed nothing more than the light touch from me to make him feel better?

“You are so beautiful, so very innocent, Emily. You have no idea what having you in my home means to me.” His whisper was just as dark and ripped with passion and gruffness as it had been before, yet I also sensed his words were heartfelt. I felt calmer than I had before, even close to him, and it was terribly confusing.

I muttered as if in my sleep and he changed the touch, now rubbing the backs of his knuckles across my cheek.

“You’re even more beautiful than I thought, your music humbling in its power. I hope one day you’ll write a song for me. For us. For what we’ve been through. You are… all mine.”

When he suddenly started humming, I was shocked at the sound. It was beautiful and melodic, but a series of shivers shifted all the way to my toes. It was a child’s lullaby. What was he doing? He was mad, completely off his rocker.

---