The women began to hum like bees trapped in a hive.
Gotta teach you a lesson, don’t I? You never learn.
“I’ll kill you. I killed you before.”
Did you? He grinned, and she’d have sworn his teeth were fangs. Then I’ll just have to return the favor. Daddy’s home, you worthless little cunt.
“Stay back. Stay away.” When she lifted her weapon, it was only a small knife held in a child’s trembling hand. “No. No. Please, no!”
She tried to crawl away, away from him, away from the women. He reached down, as casually as a man might reach for an apple in a bowl. And snapped her arm.
She screamed, a child’s terrified and baffled scream, as the white-hot pain flashed and burned.
There’s always more of them. There’s always more of us.
And he fell on her.
“Eve. Wake up. You wake up now.” Her face was bone white, and her body had gone rigid when he’d rolled her over to gather her in. An instant before she’d screamed.
An icy tongue of panic licked up Roarke’s spine. Her eyes were wide open, blind with shock and pain. He wasn’t completely sure she was breathing. “I said wake up!”
Her body arched, and she sucked in air like a drowning woman. “My arm! He broke my arm, he broke my arm.”
“No. It’s a dream. Oh, baby, it’s a dream. Come back now.”
He trembled as much as she did as he rocked her. Catching a movement, he snapped his head up as Summerset rushed in. “No. I’ve got her.”
“Is she injured?”
He shook his head, stroked her hair as she wept against him. “Nightmare. A bad one. I’ll take care of her.”
Summerset stepped back, then stopped at the door. “Get a soother in her, whatever it takes.”
Nodding, Roarke waited until Summerset went out, shut the door behind him. “You’re all right now. I’m right here.”
“They were all there, all around me in the dark.”
“It’s not dark now. I’ve got the lights on. Do you want them brighter?”
She shook her head, burrowed into him. “I didn’t help them. I didn’t stop him when he came in. Like he always comes in. Her arm was broken, the little girl’s arm was broken, just like mine. And he broke mine again. I felt it.”
“He didn’t.” Roarke kissed the top of her head, eased her back even when she tried to cling. “Look here now. Eve, look here. Your arm’s fine. You see?”
Though she tried to cradle it against her body, he drew it out, ran his hand gently from wrist to shoulder. “It’s not broken. It was a dream.”
“It was so real. I felt . . .” She bent her arm at the elbow, stared at it. Echoes of that phantom pain sti
ll rolled through her. “I felt it.”
“I know.” Hadn’t he heard her scream? Hadn’t he seen the glassy shock in her eyes? He kissed her hand, her wrist, her elbow. “I know. Lie back down now.”
“I’m okay.” Would be. “I just need to sit here a minute.” She looked down as the cat wormed his way between them. Her hand wasn’t quite steady when she stroked along his back. “Guess I scared the shit out of him.”
“Not enough to make him bolt. He was with you, banging his head against your shoulder. Doing what he could, I’d say, to wake you.”
“My hero.” A tear plopped on her hand, but she was beyond being embarrassed by it. “I guess he rates some fancy fish eggs or something.” She breathed deep, looked up into Roarke’s eyes. “You, too.”
“You’re having a soother.” Even as she opened her mouth to argue, he cupped her chin in his hand. “Don’t argue, and for Christ’s sake, don’t make me pour it in you. We’ll compromise this time and split one. I damn well need it as much as you, or close to it.”