Page 29 of Bound to the Bodyguard

“Someone’s playing a sick game. Let’s just take this one step at a time together.”

Together… The concept felt foreign yet achingly desirable. I wanted her to lean on me. To trust is to risk, but perhaps the gamble is worth it when the stakes are your heart, your life.

My hand tightened around his, a silent pledge of solidarity.

“I won’t stop until we have answers and you are safe.”

In this moment, I allowed myself to imagine the future, one where fear no longer held dominion over her life. Together, we are stronger.

Chapter 19

Raven

My eyes flew open, a gasp tearing from my throat as if I’d been dragged from the depths of the ocean up into the biting air. My heart thundered, its rapid beats echoing in the quiet of the night like a drum of war signaling an unseen danger.

It was just a dream.

But my body didn’t seem to agree. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, leaving my limbs tingling and my mind racing. I blinked rapidly, trying to dispel the lingering images that clung to my consciousness like cobwebs. It took precious seconds for me to recognize the familiar contours of my room as they emerged from the shroud of darkness.

The shadows seemed to press in on me from all sides, each one a potential hiding spot for the threats that haunted my waking hours. I strained my ears for any sound out of place, any hint that my nightmare breached the threshold of reality.

My hand reached out instinctively for the bedside lamp, my fingers fumbling for the switch. With a soft click, a pool of light washed over the room, banishing the shadows to the corners where they belonged. But even bathed in the warm glow, my pulse refused to slow.

My gaze darted from one corner of the room to another. Each piece of furniture was exactly where it should be; the heavy curtains were drawn tight, no sliver of light from the outside world creeping in. It was the same room I had meticulously checked before going to bed, the same haven I fortified against those who sought to harm me.

Safe. Everything is okay.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed, muscles tensing as I prepared to rise. The plush carpet embraced my feet, the fibers yielding softly under my weight. A silent vow coiled within me, a promise to face whatever darkness might try to encroach upon my peace. With each step, my determination solidified, guiding my movements as I crept toward the door. My eyes searched for any anomalies in the familiar landscape of my room. Every shadow became a potential warning, every creak a possible whisper of threat. My hand reached out, fingers grazing the cool surface of the door, my touch as tentative as it was resolute. I listened, straining against the silence, for anything that didn’t belong in the night’s quiet symphony.

Nothing is out of place.

My hand hesitated on the doorknob, pulse a rapid staccato against the quiet of the night. I turned it slowly, inch by inch, the faint click of the latch releasing, sending a jolt through my taut nerves. The door swung open with a soft creak, and I peered out into the dimly lit hallway, shadows clinging to the corners like specters.

Easy, you’re not alone.

“Raven?” Jerome’s voice cut through the silence just before his figure appeared, rounding the corner.

“Jerome!” The name escaped me in a startled yelp, body jerking back at the sight of him. His shadow loomed large against the walls, his formidable form outlined by the scant light filtering in from the moonlit windows.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“Startle me? I nearly had a heart attack.”

“Are you okay?” he asked, stepping closer, the concern evident in his eyes despite the stoic set of his jaw.

“Fine, just... a rough wake-up call. What are you doing up?”

“Routine check,” Jerome answered, though his gaze lingered on my face for a moment longer than necessary, as if searching for signs of distress beyond the initial scare.

“Anything out of the ordinary?”

“Nothing so far. But I’ll keep looking until we’re sure everything’s secure.”

“I don’t know what I’d do without you here.”

“Let’s hope we never have to find out,” he replied, the hint of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

Jerome didn’t miss a beat. His eyes darted around the shadowy confines of the hallway, a silent predator on the hunt for any sign of danger. The intensity that radiated from him was palpable, his military-honed instincts kicking into high gear. It was as if he could cut through the darkness itself, analyzing every creak and whisper of the night with a calm precision that was both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

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