Page 14 of Embracing My Nightmare
Chapter 5
Elise
Ispent all night inDevlin’s arms. Every time I would try to roll away, he would pull my naked body back against his and engulf me in his strong embrace. I felt safe and cherished as I laid in the dark room and listened to the sounds of him sleeping. Questions ran through my head, but he promised me answers tomorrow, so I tried to push down the nerves.
I finally dozed off and when I woke up in the morning, I found myself alone in bed. Sitting up quickly, I listened for sounds of Devlin in my apartment. Realizing I was alone, I flopped back onto the bed and questioned if he was real or if my mind had finally splintered.
Running my hand down my naked body, I felt the tenderness between my legs and smiled, knowing he had really been there. I reached into my drawer to grab my trusty vibrator but found it empty. Sitting up, I found a note inside the empty drawer.
Elise
If you need to come, just call my name.
Devlin
I read the note again and shook my head.Could it really be that easy?
“Devlin?” I called into the apartment.
After a moment of not hearing anything, I got out of bed and handled my morning bathroom routine. I found my sleep shorts and t-shirt tossed onto the chair next to my closet, and after getting dressed, I went in search of coffee. Walking into the living room, I looked for another note from him. Finding nothing, I sighed into the empty apartment and started the coffee.
I took my cup and settled on the patio while I watched the boats gliding across the lake. Sipping the hot coffee, I let my mind drift. After talking with Chuck last night, letting some of the pain and humiliation purge from me, I felt better. He and I had similar pasts, and I hoped one day, he could find his brother and reconnect with family.
Family.
Chuck and Blaire were amazing to me, but they had always been more like older siblings than parents. Questioning where I came from had always been a dead end. No one reported me missing, and I didn’t even know my name when I was found.
Who were my parents and how did I end up in that church, close to starvation, calling out for a mother who neglected me?
Why was I adopted by Roger and Sally if they didn’t want me?
Why did Devlin kill them?
Why didn’t anyone ever come for me?
Someone did come for me—Devlin.
I went back into the apartment and rolled myself a joint, refilled my coffee, and grabbed a lightweight blanket before settling back into the overstuffed chair on the patio. The sun was coming up behind my building, filling my living room with sunlight, but my patio was in the morning shade with a cool breeze blowing in from Lake Pierce. I loved the time I had on my patio, the quiet of the lake was a peaceful respite from the demons who liked to nip at my heels during their chase.
Demons like Devlin.
He was scary sexy and intense to an unrealistic degree. He was also dangerous, and I had given my body to him last night, hoping to satisfy the craving I’d had for him for so long. The only thing last night accomplished was scrambling my brain with amazing sex and confusing me with misdirection.
The glass door was closed behind me and I took a deep draw off the joint, exhaling into the sky. I chewed on my lips, forcing myself back in time as I rolled through memories, searching for any clue to who I was, to who Devlin was. All I could remember was pain and fear and a shiver ran down my spine. The past was a jumbled mess of foster homes, beatings, and mistrust.
