Page 72 of Hostile King

Hours later and my blood pumps through his arteries, imprinting all my hopes and dreams into every cell within him. We’re fused together on a magnitude neither of us anticipated. I can’t hide my unabated fascination for him.

My body talks for me, and my heart repeats the echo of his untamed pulse. A pulse that had slowed to such a fatal pace that I swear the stressed tempo of my own would kill me too.

Tired from the day's events, my eyelids creep closed. I sigh slowly, sleepily aware of my head lolling. Eventually the sun would shine on our complex situation. We’d have to face the truth and figure out what happens next. Until then, we both need time.

Him to mend and heal.

Me to replenish blood cells, cortisol, and build the courage to decide how my next chapter begins.

I close my eyes and let the exhaustion drag me under.

* * *

My body jolts.

I’m jerked out of an unsettled sleep. Sweat sticks to my skin, and my muscles brace in defense.

A firm hand covers my mouth to stop the scream trying to escape from my parched throat. The muffled wail is trapped under a leathery glove clamped across my face. It takes me a second to focus on the moving shadow.

My heart gallops, slamming against my ribs with a fight or flight decision to make. I swallow hard and meet dazzling glassy eyes lit up under a silver streak of light.

A set of eyes I recognize.

The man crowding me over the rocking chair is dressed in black, his lean physique towering over me. He quickly positions his index finger to his lips, motioning for me to stay quiet, which I willingly do.

With his eyes fixed to mine, he takes a stealth step backward. His narrowed gaze cuts to Tomás and then he silently points to the door and beckons for me to follow.

I pat my lip, feeling the weight of this moment in my bones, right through to the marrow. There are consequences for everything.

The soles of my bare feet pad over worn floorboards until the cool midnight air tingles my salty skin and showers me with a flurry of goosebumps. It’s both energizing and exhilarating. Something I’ve felt a lot lately.

And now that I’ve tasted it, I never want to be that unhappy little girl again. A tortured child who’s past had chipped her edges and made her too rough to get close to.

I want to be adored.

I crave it.

I damn well deserve it.

From the corner of my gritty eyes, Shane lingers on the porch, broad arms crossed over his dirty T-shirt. He wouldn’t clean up on the off chance we were ambushed while he bathed. An uncertain scowl slashes his unfriendly moonlit expression.

“What’s going on, kid? You didn’t tell me your brother was coming in the middle of the fucking night.”

Sal’s hands clench into unforgiving fists. I creep further into the earthy breeze, tiptoeing closer to the man whose unconditional love has been my savior. The brother who made it his mission to fix his damaged little sister.

“Sal?” I say softly, altering my tone to warm the icy temperature of his glare directed right at Shane.

He marches the breadth of the decking, back and forth, not speaking, only inhaling and exhaling with forced control. I let him pace, my heart thumping louder than the restless wildlife in the surrounding forest.

A natural orchestra of singing cicadas and hooting night owls plays in the background, their familiar melody reminding me of home. Of family. Of the two men who’ve played such a monumental role in my life.

“It’s time to go, Cari,” he finally orders.

My brows snap together. “Wait…you said we’d talk?”

“Now's not the time to talk. Let’s go.” He turns away and drops to the top step, stomping heavily onto each plank until he’s on the pebbly pathway. His boots crunch gravel as he pivots, fully expecting me to follow him.

Shane steps into me, his jaw set and his expression serious. “You think you’re leaving him?” The tone he offers is hoarse, almost regretful, but most definitely harsh in its deliverance. “If he wakes up and you're not here…he’ll be fucked up like never before. I don’t need to tell you what he’ll do. You know we’ll find you eventually. There’s no hiding from Tomás Souza.”

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