Page 36 of Scarred Sacrifice
I finish my drink and then remove my pants before sliding into bed beside her. Laying there watching her sleep, with her dark hair splayed along her pillow is fucking with my head. I lean over and place a kiss on her lips.
“Hmm, asshole,” she mumbles in protest, still fast asleep. I smirk. Even in her sleep the woman has her walls up fighting. I close my eyes, pull her to me, and fall asleep.
I’m woken by a crying, panicked voice. I blink a few times, just to make sure I’m not dreaming.
“No, no. Stop.” I turn and see Valentina thrashing around in her sleep, her body covered in sweat with tears streaming downher cheeks. I reach for her, trying to gently stroke and pat her cheek, but it does nothing.
“Shit,” I mutter. Getting up, I walk around to her side of the bed, and as I bend down, I scoop her up my arms. She is still crying, pleading. I sit on the chair, holding her, cradling her to my chest, stroking her hair, trying to soothe her. Slowly, her crying stops and her body relaxes into mine. “Shh, it’s okay. I’ve got you, Sparky.” I assure her. I put my feet up on the footstool and reach for the blanket, draping it over us both before drifting back off to sleep.
“What the fuck?”I hear her breathe out.
Keeping my eyes closed, she shifts on my lap, causing me to groan. “Sit fucking still,” I mumble.
“Why am I on your lap? Oh, my god, did we? Oh shit, did we have sex last night?” she asks.
I open my eyes to see her looking mortified. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to fuck with her and tell her we did. “No, we didn’t. If we fucked, you would remember it the next morning,” I say, stretching my arms above my head. “You were having a nightmare,” I tell her.
Her face falls. “Oh.” She pauses. “Was it bad?” she asks.
“It wasn’t great,” I say honestly.
She nods. “Sorry.” She climbs off my lap, still in her black dress, her hair a mess. “Oh god.” She winces, holding her head.
“In the fridge there’s water, and in the cupboard there are some painkillers.” I smirk as I get to my feet. My back screams in protest from sleeping on that chair for half the night.
“Yeah, I’m blaming Edna,” she states. Pausing with the bottle mid-way to her lips, she blinks.
“What is it?” Her eyes come to me, and that’s when I see it. Her shutters come crashing down as she looks from me to the camera.
She takes a sip of the water. “It’s nothing. I’m having a shower.” She walks past me and straight into the bathroom. Well, it was fucking something.
I leave her to shower in peace, too tired for a battle this early in the day. A knock comes from the door, alerting me. “Yeah?” I call out. The door opens and Penny, Valentina’s assistant, walks in, pushing a trolly full of breakfast, fresh coffee, and some orange juice. “We were coming down for breakfast soon,” I tell her.
“Nyx, it’s after eleven.” She points to the clock on the wall.
I look over and sigh. “Shit. She was drinking late with Edna,” I explain.
“Anyway, here is your food,” Penny says with a sharp tone.
“Hey,” I protest, grabbing her arm. “What’s with the attitude?” I ask. We used to be friends working here together, along with Paul.
She yanks her arm from my grasp. “Quick to turn on the only people that were there for you. Shit Nyx, I don’t even blame you being offered this chance, but you know as well as I do that as soon as this weekend is over, he will have you back running around after him like the good little boy you are,” she whisper-hisses, knowing full well the cameras are watching.
“He won’t,” I state. “I...” I pause. “Just trust me,” I plead.
She searches my face for a moment before she sighs, giving me a brief nod. “Fine, but from where I’m standing it looks a lot like you’re buddying up with one of the enemies and getting distracted,” she hisses, her eyes looking to the bathroom.
“I’m just playing the fucking role I’ve been dealt. She fucking caught me in the library. Henry fucking caught us. What the fuck was I supposed to do?” I whisper back.
She grinds her teeth. “I don’t know. Just get what we need and get out, or we will all be dead.” She turns and leaves.
I run my hands through my hair. Fuck, this is all going to shit. I can’t lose focus, not now. They are relying on me. I need to find out what Valentina knows. Did Edna say something to her? Fuck, if she knows who I really am, then it could blow everything. Henry would dismiss me. Permanently.
The bathroom door opens, and she walks out in a robe, her hair wrapped up in a towel. She looks at me, then at the cart of food and drink. She strides past me and pours herself a coffee, moaning as she takes her first sip. Her eyes close and her tongue trails over her bottom lip, savouring every drop.
I’m caught from admiring her when she opens her eyes and scowls at me. “So, what are today’s games? Bowling down the elderly? Or maybe its baby basketball. No wait, my mistake. Maybe its puppy fucking polo,” she snaps, her voice dripping with venomous sarcasm. “Oh no, wait, silly me. Maybe its hunting down activists. You know, those annoying people that get in the way of all the rich drilling for oil,” she adds.
“What is it that you know?” I ask her directly. There is no point dancing around the issue. I need to know. To protect myself, if nothing less.
