A man’s silhouette was in the chair beside me, enormous shoulders and strong arms on the wooden armrests of the chair. He was slumped over slightly, as if he’d fallen asleep at my bedside. I blinked several times before the picture became crisp, before my mind became sharp enough to understand my surroundings. “Benton…?” My voice came out like sandpaper against a rock.
He stirred at the sound of my voice, his eyes opening and instantly clear. He took me in for a breath before he scooted to the edge of his seat and closer to my bed. His blue eyes were hard and pained, a bit broken.
My hand reached for his, and the second I gripped it, I was hit with the most relaxing feeling I’d ever known. Everything was better. All the aches that I’d noticed once I was conscious were gone.
The high was back—the good one.
My memory was blurry, and I couldn’t piece together the events from the night before. I could hardly believe I was alive because the dose I ingested must have been lethal. The last coherent memory I possessed was collapsing at the dining table and asking Claire to call her father. She must have gotten through to him and he came to my rescue. “Claire? Is she—?”
“She’s fine. With Bleu.”
“She didn’t eat any of it—”
He shook his head. “She’s a little scared…but that’s it.”
“Oh…thank god.”
His hand cocooned mine. Warmth radiated to my fingers like I’d been frozen a moment ago.
“What happened…?” My voice still broke, like I hadn’t had water for days.
“When I came to the house, you were gone. You’d wandered the streets for a while. Finally found you in an alleyway. You were a little bloody from hitting your head, had scraped knees and a couple cuts on your arms, and were dirty from falling in puddles along your way. I got you to the doctor, and they pumped your stomach.”
“Would I have died if you hadn’t gotten to me?”
He shook his head. “The doctor said it was a fatal amount to anyone else—but you’d developed a big tolerance.”
“I guess that makes sense…”
“Do you remember anything?”
I shook my head. “Just trees…the demon…images here and there.”
“You didn’t recognize me.”
“Because I can’t see when I’m like that…or at least, can’t see with my eyes.”
He dipped his head slightly, his eyes on the comforter.
“What?”
He gave a subtle shake of his head. “I can’t believe you had to go through that…however many times.”
I squeezed his hand.
He squeezed it back.
“Did…did he come into the house?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t understand—”
“He poisoned your food before you brought it home.”
“How?”
“He poisoned all the meats and vegetables in the store. A lot of people got sick. Some died.”
“Oh my god…” He really was a serial killer. A sociopath. A psycho. “That…makes me sick.”
He stared at our joined hands.
“What are we going to do…?”
He never answered.
I studied his hard face, watched the way he stared at our joined hands. His thumb lightly brushed over my soft skin, petting me. Without blinking, he stared, as if his mind were somewhere outside the room.
I had been happy to be alive a moment ago—but no more. “Benton, we don’t have a choice—”
“Don’t say that again.” His eyes rose, their depths packed with hostility.
“Innocent people died—”
“And I don’t give a fuck if the Pope was one of them. That’s not an option.”
“It’s not worth it—”
“You’re family—so you’re worth it.”
My eyes started to water.
“I will take care of my family.”
When we walked out the bedroom door, I felt weak, just like I had all those other times. It always took a couple days to bounce back, to feel like myself again. The effects of the drugs still weakened my system and dulled my abilities.
Benton was there, his arm around my waist, being the crutch I needed.
Claire and Bleu were in the living room when we walked in, but her stuffed animals weren’t all over the couches like last time. There wasn’t a tea set on the table. The TV was on, but it didn’t seem like she wanted to watch it.
Her eyes settled on me—and it was the same look I’d received every time I’d returned to the cabin.
She left the floor and sprinted to me. “Constance!” She hit me right in the stomach as her arms latched around me.
Benton supported my back so I wouldn’t topple over. “Easy, sweetheart.”
Her face was smothered in my stomach. “Are you okay?”
My arms smothered her with the same ferocity, and I squatted down to the floor so we could embrace each other head on. I locked my arms around her and held her for a long time, my hand cupping the back of her head, taken back to memories I wanted to forget. “I’m okay, honey. Just a little tired. What about you?”
“I’m scared…”
“Don’t be.” I pulled away and cupped her cheeks. “I know that was scary, but I’m okay. Everything is okay.”