Page 32 of Retribution

ELLIS

I finished in the workshop,finished the cradle and rocking chair as the sun sunk below the horizon. It took longer than I expected, but I wanted it to be perfect. She deserved perfection, after all. Each carving I etched, I sanded by hand. I used the finest of brushes to varnish and stain the creases, bringing the imagery to life.

They were the best pieces I’ve ever created. My whole heart and soul poured into the wood as I worked, trying to ignore the world around me, ignore the fact that fate was coming for all of us, and I couldn't stop it. How would we manage with this threat while we held that sweet baby in our hands? Could we save her? Would we? What near impossible circumstances would fate put in our hands and force us to face?

I snuck into the house long after all the lights went out, but I didn’t want to wake Liberty. She slept so little these days that guilt would hit me if I caused her to lose more. Instead, I passed her room and two more doors until I found my own. I never slept here. We all preferred to be close to her when we slept; she was comfort. She was home. She was everything I had ever dreamed of and never thought I could own in this world.

That thought caused pain to ricochet through my heart. But I pushed the pain away, favoring instead to think about breakfast this morning. About the pancakes and freshly squeezed orange juice and the way her blue eyes sparkled as she teased me while I cooked. I couldn’t get enough of her. Enough of her gaze watching me or the soft smile toying on her lips. I never wanted to hear the end of that soft giggle she made as she stole a blueberry from the basket before I had a chance to stop her. I never wanted to be separated from her. From this all-consuming feeling.

I pulled off my dusty shirt, ignoring the tiny pieces of wood shavings that fell to the ground. I tossed it in the hamper as I walked to the bathroom I shared with Sterling. Once I started the shower, I stripped off the rest of my clothes and stepped under the cold spray. I let the water beat against my skin until it went from warm to scalding before I even attempting to reach for the bar of soap.

I scrubbed the bar against my skin, determined to get every speck of dirt off and wash away the feeling of foreboding that loomed over me. Instead, I concentrated on the good. Liberty sleeping. The baby’s soft movement against my palms. Popcorn and whatever chick flick Liberty forced us to watch. The moon reflecting off Liberty’s eyes. And when I had nothing left to think of, and the water ran cold again, I turned off the shower and stepped out.

“You didn’t come to bed.”

“Fates!” I cursed, startled to see Liberty leaning against the door frame in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt that was about three sizes too small. “You scared me.”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.” She pushed away from the doorframe and padded barefoot toward me. “I just missed you.”

My heart thumped. Someone as worthy as her, missing someone like me. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

“I wake up like twenty times a night.”

“All the more reason to let you sleep while you can.” I grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my waist before closing the few feet between us. I kissed her nose. “You’re looking more beautiful each day; you know that.”

“I bet you tell all the overly bloated, pregnant women that.” She laughed, and my stomach tightened.

“Nope.” I shook my head, “Only one.”

“I could twist that to make it seem like you offended me, but the way you’re looking at me right now, I suspect you wouldn’t lie.”

Her hand brushed against my chest, her finger following the water drops as they dragged down my skin. “How am I looking at you?”

“Like a snack.” She laughed. “Probably like I look at cookies and coffee.”

My chest rumbled as I kissed her neck, the words barely audible against her skin. “Definitely how you look at cookies and coffee.”

Her fingers trailed to my hair, the strands parting ways around her fingers. “Did you even dry your hair?”

“I planned on it, but then I saw you, and all logical thoughts vanished.” I let my teeth graze against her shoulder. “You really should work on being less attractive. It’s unfair to other females.”

She snorted. “I thought I was working on it.”

She rubbed her stomach. “You mean this?” I placed my hand over hers. “Oh no, no, no; this only adds to the appeal.”

“You’re too much.” Her fingers found mine, and she laced our hands together before pulling slightly. “Come to bed?”

The thought of not sharing her for the night made me giddy. “Like my bed, or yours?”

“They are all out cold; no one will know that I’m gone,” she said as she tugged me forward until we reached my bed in the center of the room.

We all knew that was a lie. Oak would be straining his senses to find her in no time, but still, she picked me. She sat down and scooted backward, and I stood to watch her for a moment. She looked good in my bed.My bed. Not ours. Not one we shared with everyone. Mine. I took the towel from my waist and dried off the rest of my body before rubbing it against my wet hair, then I tossed it aside without care and followed her onto the mattress.

I settled beside her, grabbing a blanket from the end of the bed, and pulled it over both of us. I turned to my side and gazed at her, not even bothering to resist letting my fingers trail over her skin and through the long strands of hair that covered her shoulder blades. She shifted to face me before she flung her thigh over mine.

We stared at each other for long moments until finally, she broke the silence. “I’m scared.”

Her admission was followed by a single tear that fell from her eyes and landed on my pillow. The sight felt like a fist wrapping around my organs, squeezing so tightly I couldn’t take in any air. I didn’t know what to say or how to give her comfort because the truth was, I couldn’t tell her it would all be okay. I didn’t know if it would.

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