Page 33 of Visions & Shadows

“Sheistaken. Stay away from her, or I’ll end you.” Ryan’s voice is nothing but a low growl, promising misery and pain.

I peek around Ryan’s arm and see a glimmer of fear on Robert’s face while he tries to wipe the blood away from his face with his shirt.

The sight fills me with some satisfaction.

“Jesus. It was nothing,” Robert mutters before he walks to the doorway. “She asked for it.”

The coward quickly leaves the room, and Ryan turns around to face me. When I look up into his smoldering eyes, they’re so alive with anger it sends a shiver down my spine.

My frantically beating heart beats even faster, and my nerves feel frail.

A second later, I’m flooded with embarrassment because of the awful situation Ryan had to rescue me from.

He lifts his hand to my face, and his fingers brush over my cheek, wiping the tears away.

A breath shudders from deep within me.

He takes hold of my chin and nudges my face up to his, but I keep my eyes down. I can’t make eye contact with him right now.

“Are you okay?” he asks, his tone still brimming with anger.

I let out a heavy sigh. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to you sooner.”

I shake my head. “You didn’t know.”

I do my best to regain control over my chaotic emotions, and walking out of Molly’s room, I pick up the sodas before heading to my bedroom.

As I set the bottles down on the dressing table, I hear Ryan shut the door behind us.

“Th-thanks for helping me,” I say.

God, I hope this didn’t bring the stuttering back. It’s something that started after I was found at the waterfall, and it took four years to get rid of it. The doctors couldn’t explain why it came and went like that.

A lost sob shudders through me, and I hate that I cried in front of Robert. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry again, and I wipeangrily over my eyes.

“I should’ve given him the beating of his life,” Ryan mutters. He takes hold of my shoulder and turns me around so I’ll face him.

“I’m so sorry. I d-didn’t mean f-for you to get caught up in this mess.”

“Don’t apologize.” He pulls me against his chest, his arms wrapping tightly around me.

I snuggle against him, and it feels so good to have his arms around me after what just happened.

“None of this is your fault. You did nothing wrong. He’s the animal.”

After the shock passes a little, I pull away and gesture at my bed. “Want to sit down?”

“Sure.”

Once we’re sitting on the covers, I clear my throat and dare a glance at Ryan’s face. He still looks pissed as hell.

He shakes his head, and taking hold of my arm, he pulls me to his side as he lies down and presses my head to his chest.

When I feel him kiss my hair, I close my eyes and let the warmth from his touch spread through me.

“Want to hear a story?” he asks.

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