Lifting his head, he stared at the floor.
The dirt covered ground. He moved and cried out at the pain.
The men had done what they had. Used him. Cleaned him up, and tossed him back in the cell.
All hopes of escape fled him. Right now, he’d be glad of anyone killing him, putting a bullet in his head and ending his torture and misery.
What about Skye?
What was the point of them returning home? They were done for.
Any hope of getting out alive was fucking crazy. There was no getting out for them. They were here and trapped with no chance of escape.
Suddenly, the door opened, and Skye was thrown inside.
He turned to watch as she collided with the wall. She caught herself before her head made the impact, and she looked a little happy about that.
The moment her gaze caught his, worry filled her eyes.
“Noah!” She rushed to his side, and he cringed against her touch.
Did she feel like this after he’d done that to her? Did she wish he’d never touch her again and just leave her alone? He felt … disgusting, shameful, weak.
They shouldn’t have been able to touch him, and yet, that was exactly what they had done. They’d touched him, taken from him, raped him.
“Don’t, Skye. Leave me be.” He felt the tears fall down his face, but he made no move to cover them up.
Skye didn’t listen, much like he hadn’t on the day they’d forced him to take her. “I know what they did,” she whispered against his ear. “He showed me what they were doing to you.”
He turned his head to look at her. The pain in her eyes was too much.
“Come on, you shouldn’t be on the floor. It’s freezing, and killing you wouldn’t be on their plans.”
“I don’t want to move.”
“I know. I know you just want to be left alone, and you don’t want any help and to just be left alone, but we promised to be there for each other. I couldn’t help you then, but let me help you now. I would never wish something like that on you. Please, Noah, let me help you.”
He heard the sobs in her voice, the pain. It was raw. It was emotional.
“Skye, please don’t. Okay. I can’t … do this. I’m … no, I want to die.”
“Don’t say that,” she said. She was on his back, holding him. “Please, Noah, I know it’s bad right now. I know you’re hurting and you want me to leave you alone, but I can’t do that. I can’t let them win. Not this, not us. Please, get off the floor. I want to help you.”
He stayed right where he was. Death would be a welcome relief right now.
Skye sobbed. “If that’s your choice, I can live with that.”
She crawled off his back, and he expected her to go to the bed. She didn’t.
Right beside him, she lay on the floor. She touched his hand, and he saw her smile. “If this is what you want, then this is what we’ll have, together. We promised each other. I won’t leave without you, Noah. Never ever. If this is how you want to go, then we go together.”
“Skye, don’t be crazy.”
“I’m not. I’m not even trying to blackmail you. I want to be with you. We’re in this together. If you die, then I’ll die. I don’t want to get out of this without you. We’re going to need each other. You’re not going alone. I’ll always be with you.”
She touched his hand, and it was too much.
Even with the pain, he got to his knees.