Someone comes to the door and he lets him in. My head lolls, and I don’t even look to see who it is. Another man’s voice. He enters the room and speaks to Tiernan.
Then finally, finally, to my utter relief, he actually gives me what I need.
There’s a pinch, and a needle slips into my vein. I cry with relief. Warmth overcomes me, and I settle into a deep and dreamless sleep.Chapter 7Tiernan“Likely opiates, among other things,” Sebastian says, sharing a drink with me in the living room while Aisling rests. “They’d frown upon my methods in a detox clinic, but it’ll do the trick.”
Sedation, he said.
I nod and give him a grim smile. I clink my glass to his. “They’d frown upon mine as well, but it’ll get the bloody job done.”
He snorts. “Spanked her arse, then?”
I shrug. “Gave her a good smack to settle her down, but no full punishment or the like. Threatened it, though.”
He snorts. “I’ve seen worse on these grounds.”
That he has. The interrogation room in the basement’s been used for everything from questioning to execution so many times I sometimes wonder if the screams of our victims have permeated the walls. He’s seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. Births of babies and pregnancies, miscarriages and illness, the flu and the common cold, as well as knife wounds, bullet wounds, and several near-death experiences.
Sebastian’s been the Clan doctor since I was a young lad here. He tends to everything from the injuries we sustain to the sedation of prisoners. Sworn to secrecy, he’s trustworthy, and before I even came here, there was nothing he hadn’t seen.
“What’s the plan, then, doc? Can’t very well sedate her for the next however many days, now, can we?”
He shakes his head. “That’ll do for tonight, to get her to sleep, and it’ll appease a fraction of the symptoms, but after that, you’ll have to help her.”
“Aye,” I say with a wry snort. “Keenan put me on this.”
He nods. “Heard the story. Could be worse, lad.”
“Oh, aye.”
“She’s a fucking looker, isn’t she?”
Christ, but she is.
I nod and give him a wary look that makes him shake his head.
“Now, Tiernan, I bloody well know she’s yours, lad.”
I grunt. “What can I expect over the next few days?”
“Tonight, likely wasn’t just her symptoms that caused her to behave the way she did. She was angry and scared, no doubt.”
I nod.
“And it’s not always as dramatic as all that. She will have some shaking and anxiety. Will talk in her sleep and maybe have a hard time with even that. I can give her something to help her sleep, non-habit forming so we don’t complicate the situation.”
“Aye.”
“Most important thing is to cleanse her body of the toxins. She won’t want to eat, but it’ll help the symptoms if she does. Get her into a regular habit of eating and drinking, showering a few times a day.”
“Showering?”
“Aye. She’ll perspire in withdrawal, but the water will also be soothing for detox, will ease some of the symptoms of withdrawal.”
“I see.”
He frowns. “She may hallucinate.”
“I think she already has.”
“She’ll talk in her sleep and will beg you to give her a fix.”
Bloody hell. I snort. “Sounds like a bloody cakewalk. When does it get hard?”
He laughs and bumps his fist to mine. “Atta boy, Tiernan. She’ll be out of this… better, anyway… in about three days.”
After talking me through it, he leaves.
I stand and run my fingers through my hair, watching her in her slumber. She’s so peaceful, it’s hard to imagine she’s the same lass who writhed and screamed like she was possessed with demons just an hour ago.
I sigh. Bloody hell, that’s exactly what’s possessed her.
I walk in the room and lean my hip against the doorway. Watching. She’s as peaceful as an angel when she sleeps. It’s hard to believe the beautiful woman who lies slumbering on my bed’s the same girl my sister grew up with.
I shake my head.
She was pretty when I knew her.
She’s fucking gorgeous now. I turn away and head to the shower.
I strip off my clothes and welcome the scalding water. I remember what it was like being in here with her, when she offered herself to me the way she did. I hate that she feels she can use her body as a weapon. My hands clench into fists. She shouldn’t tempt me. I was fucking half a breath away from taking advantage of her.
I groan and stroke my cock at the memory of her, trembling and naked while the water caressed her body. I stroke harder and faster until I come, but it doesn’t bring me the relief I crave. I feel empty and vapid.
Tonight’s changed everything.
I tug on a pair of boxers and crawl in bed next to her. Thanks to Sebastian’s medication, she’s dead asleep and doesn’t even stir. Wish I had some of that myself. I toss and turn, until I finally roll over and drag my arm around her. It’s to keep her safe, I tell myself. I eye the metal cuffs at her wrists and frown. Can’t be comfortable. How will she get away if she’s tucked against me?