Page 13 of Shielding Aubree

Suffer until he had to confess, needing to fix what he'd done.

But the more time that had gone by, he'd only felt the hunger again. The need to feed the darker side of his nature.

To see the light dying in another woman's eyes.

He wanted to feel that again.

But he had to make sure that Aubree's memory loss wasn't just a story that they were telling.

He wanted to know before he made her part of his... collection.

4

To say that her first day had a rough start was an understatement.

Henley woke her up with a gentle shake.

The cool touch of the bathroom tiles against her skin made her feel like she was back in the hospital.

"Henley?"

"Hey there... I was worried about you. I expected to see you at breakfast."

Aubree opened her eyes and looked around the bathroom.

The whole room was white and brightly lit giving her the feeling of space around her. Space that she needed.

"What... what time is it?"

The sweet expression on Henley's face made Aubree feel even worse. "It's almost eleven."

Aubree started to sit up only to feel a stab of pain in her back.

Pain that took her breath away.

"Okay, breathe, Aubree. Slow. In for two and out for two."

Aubree saw stars in her vision, and she could feel her hands gripping onto Henley's arms like a lifeline.

"In for two," Henley prompted her.

And Aubree followed her cues, but a moment behind the count.

"Out for two."

Her heart started to slow inside her chest.

The frantic rhythm slowing down.

It was only when her heart wasn't pounding like a racehorse that she could put words together and speak with any sort of coherent thoughts.

"I'm... sorry. I... overslept."

Henley spoke to her as she helped her sit up.

"This isn't a test," Henley gave her a gentle smile. "You're not going to lose points if you're late for breakfast."

Aubree moved her legs so that she was sitting on the tile with her legs crossed in front her like she used to do as a child.

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