Page 79 of Ethereally Redeemed

“I know, and Draven and I will help you with everything. But stay a little longer, at least until you really have to go. Give yourself time to get better before you have to run again.”

Her words fill me with serenity, pulling me back from the edge of panic. She’s been through this; she knows how terrifying it is to confront your feelings in therapy because she has experienced the same kind of hell. Now, she wants me to heal, too.

With one last hug, she walks out the door, and Grey steps inside, immediately taking me into his embrace.

“It’s you and I against the world for all eternity, little doll. We do as Everlee said. We stay here to let us both recover before we can finally start the rest of our forever together.”

And as he kisses me, he does so with lips full of promises of our future. A love so toxic and poisonous that it takes me into the depths of hell, where I will gladly remain as long as I am with him.

Chapter 30

Naya

The dock creaks behindme, sending my heart racing as I whip around. My breath comes a little easier when I spot Grey approaching, a pair of sweatpants draped over his lower body, along with a winter jacket zipped up tight against the cold.

“You will freeze to death if you stay out here.” Grey’s raspy morning voice brings warmth through me as he settles down beside me.

“I don’t really feel anything,” I answer truthfully, staring unseeingly at the lake.

Dressed in just a T-shirt and sleeping shorts, I’m surrounded by the soft cascade of falling snowflakes on the dock.

The large lake before us stretches far, its water glittering under the first fall of snowflakes for the day, landing on the surface as if it’s their safe place. Trees surround the lakes on each side except for this one, where there’s a small wooden dock. The early dawn brings a cold chill in the air—no one was awake when I left the cottage. It’s a serene desolation in front of me, in which nature’s beauty and winter’s harshness collide with each other in a wondrous moment.

It’s been three weeks since we arrived, and daily sessions with Camila have been tremendously helpful. She’s provided me with coping strategies, like focusing on something other than the urge to pick at my skin, doing something else instead. Hiding at Everlee’s place away from civilization has been a much-needed respite for both of us, but I know our peace is only temporary. Impending doom hangs over us like the snow up in the sky. It has no other choice but to fall, soaking the ground with itssnowflakes. The news channels have gone quiet, and there’s been no mention of searching for the three refugees who started the fire, especially after Emilio’s mysterious disappearance. Still, I know we can never truly be free in the same country where everything happened. It’s too much of a risk.

My feet dip into the cold water, sending a jolt of ice across my body and causing a shiver to crawl over my spine. Yet, I let the water cascade over my skin, allowing the numbing pain to wash over me. It’s my attempt to stop the relentless urge to pick at my skin, even when I desperately need to.

Grey wraps a blanket around my shoulders—one I didn’t even realize he had with him—before he lifts me up as though I weigh nothing. My legs straddle his waist on each side as my back is turned to the lake. My forehead rests against his as he presses his lips to mine, pouring all his agony, fear, and desperation into the kiss. It’s a kiss full of emotions so overwhelming, it will drown us if we can’t control them.

“I tried not to wake you when I left,” I admit, the wind stinging my face with every gust.

“I woke up when I noticed you weren’t beside me.”

A deep sigh escapes me. “I don’t know what to do anymore. It’s like I’m drowning in this lake with no way of ever resurfacing, with no one even noticing I’m gone. I’m fucking drowning, Grey, and not even Camila can save me.”

“Then I will be the lifeline that pulls you up, the wave that pushes you back to the shoreline. I told you, you’re mine, little doll, and you’re not getting rid of me. I will be here even in your darkest moments. Even if you try pushing me away.”

In his eyes, I see a mixture of reassurance and possessiveness, as if he owns and dominates every part of me.

“We don’t know what the future will bring, but I will be here on every step of the journey. We will make it, together, like we always have,” he says.

“Everlee and Draven are willing to help us,” I murmur, trying to steady my thoughts.

“I don’t like him.”

“You don’t like anyone,” I say, smiling faintly at his scowl.

“Except you. Only ever you, little doll,” he says. “Come to think of it, next week is Christmas.”

A deep churning fills me—I haven’t heard that word for years. I stare deep into his sapphire eyes, feeling a twinge of unease in the pit of my soul.

“I haven’t kept track either— Everlee told me. She wanted me to ask if it was okay to bring over two of their trusted friends for dinner.”

The thought fills me with anxiety, but I nod anyway. What’s the worst that can happen?

Before I can dwell on it, Grey lifts me in his arms, carrying me toward a secluded spot by the lake, far away from the cottage. His lips find mine in a slow, gorgeous moment. He pulls away too soon, leaving me shocked and speechless, waiting for his next move. His eyes sparkle with mischief as he gives me a cocky smirk, surveying my body from head to toe, taking in every inch of my half-clothed body.

“Are you going to be a good little doll?” he rasps, causing my cheeks to heat. Nodding, I lick my lips.

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