35
Salem
Good Girl
R ayne slept for nearly twenty-four hours.
But every few hours she would flinch, startling awake with a cry, sweat pouring down her face.
She would look at me with panicked, half-asleep eyes and I would talk her down, hold her hands, and kiss her cheeks.
It broke my heart to see her thrash in her sleep, her mind unable to rest, her fingers gripping the sheets like there were enemies all around her.
I didn’t leave her side, other than to tend to Loki’s needs and answer the radio when Andy called in a panic.
“Thank God you’re alright,” he said when I answered his frantic call and explained what happened. “I about had a heart attack when I woke up and found you gone. You need anything? How’s she holding up?”
“She’s still sleeping,” I said. “Dr. Hale is going to try to make it out to the house today, when the snow lets up.”
“You give me a call if there’s anything you need,” he said. “In the meantime, I’ll go out and have a look for the ATV, see if I can get it hauled back to the house. I don’t want to leave you without transportation.”
Knowing Andy was looking out for us eased some of my worry. I’d barely slept since finding Rayne, and hadn’t managed to stomach even a bite of food. It would be a relief to have Dr. Hale finally take a look at her.
I spent the next few hours at Rayne’s side.
Her brutal nightmares had finally stopped, and she lay still.
The worry fell away from her face; her mouth softened.
I lay beside her, resting my aching body.
I watched her, memorizing the subtle lines at the edges of her eyes, counting the freckles on her cheeks.
My chest tightened with the thought of how vulnerable she was.
We both were.
Last night could have so easily gone differently.
If I’d hesitated for another second, or if Rayne had, or if Loki hadn’t been there, one of us would be dead now.
It made my mind run in circles, an endless what-if.
With every cycle, I ran into the same wall: Either we would fight to survive until spring came, or. .. we’d put an end to the beast.
But I was no hunter. I wasn’t a fighter. I could barely even stand to kill a spider. When I charged the angel and jabbed that knife into it, I’d been running on pure panic and adrenaline. What could I hope to achieve that Rayne hadn’t?
Together. We had to do it together, we had to find a way. And, perhaps, that way lay in the bizarre photos I’d found, photos that Rayne still hadn’t seen. The thought of showing them to her made a cold pit grow in my hollow stomach.
Eventually, hunger drove me out of bed. Rayne had numerous supplies stockpiled in the pantry, and even more in the kitchen’s massive walk-in freezer, although I didn’t dare open the door for fear of somehow locking myself inside.
I settled for a cold bagel with cream cheese and a cup of chamomile tea.
My anxiety was too high to risk giving it any caffeine for fuel.
Regardless, my adrenaline spiked through the roof when I heard a distant knock, then the alarming chime of the doorbell ringing through the speakers in the kitchen. Loki was instantly on his feet, growling as he trotted from the room.
Seizing a large knife, I headed for the front door. Loki was already there, nose to the crack, tail wagging slowly. But I felt no relief until I looked through the peephole and saw a familiar face.
I cracked open the door, smiling tiredly to see Andy standing there, bundled up in a coat with snow in his beard. He was carrying my backpack.
“Thought you might be wanting this back,” he said, handing it over.
Loki nudged his way out to pee in the yard, and my heart was in my throat the entire time. Even though it was daylight and Andy was there, armed with a rifle, having the front door open made me sick with fear.
“I found the ATV,” he said as he folded his arms against the chilly wind. “One of the tires burst and it’s a little banged up, but it’ll still drive. I got the tire changed out, and a full tank of gas in it.”
“Thanks, Andy.” I sighed with relief to have the vehicle back. “I really appreciate it. You didn’t have to do all that...”
“Neighbors have to look out for each other,” he said, giving Loki a pat as the dog came back inside. “Rayne has always gone out of her way for me and my girls.” He stared at me silently for a moment, a look I didn’t entirely understand.
“No one has taken care of her, you know,” he suddenly said.
“Not since her mom was killed.” He rubbed his hand over his face, as if to wipe away an unwelcome memory.
“I’ve known her since she was young. She was a serious kid, wasn’t interested in games.
She wanted to be out in the woods, or in the garden.
Wanted to sit with the adults and hear them talk.
She was lonely. Never really got to be a kid. ”
To my surprise, he hugged me. I squeezed back until he let go and patted me on the shoulder. “You’re a good woman. She’s been moving like a zombie for years, Salem. But not since you got here.”
The snowfall stopped by noon. Although the weather was still cold, Dr. Hale reached the house swiftly, arriving on horseback.
“You can never underestimate the value of a good horse,” she said, stomping snow off her boots before entering the house. The bay mare she’d arrived on was sheltered at the base of the hill, beneath an awning connected to the shed. “She’s gotten me through worse weather than any vehicle!”
Rayne barely stirred as the doctor looked at her, examining her wound with a frown.
“You did good work,” she finally said. “First time?” I nodded, and she said seriously, “Did you vomit trying to do it?” When I shook my head, she laughed gently. “Then you did better than me the first time I stitched someone up. I used to have a senstive stomach. Not anymore!”
She left me with ointment, extra bandages, and a bottle of antibiotics.
“Try to make sure she actually rests,” she said as she zipped up her coat and prepared to leave.
“I know she’s stubborn as hell, but she’ll tear those stitches open if she goes right back to working.
” She looked up at the house, eyes narrowed.
“I see she got the windows boarded up. That’s good.
Keep the lights on too. Damn thing doesn’t like the light. ”
When she left, the house felt too quiet.
I paced in the hallway, uncertain what to do with myself until Loki whimpered for food.
As I fed him, the subtle creak of footsteps began upstairs.
Pacing, back and forth, slowly up and down.
Could Rayne possibly be walking around already?
Trepidation slowed my steps as I made my way to the third floor, expecting to see a red glow at any moment.
But I made it to the bedroom without incident.
Rayne was out of bed, half dressed in an unbuttoned white shirt and gray cotton underwear.
She had braced herself against the liquor cabinet in her room, legs trembling as she tried to hold a bottle of whiskey under her arm to uncork it.
She tossed the cork to the floor and sucked in her breath as she tried to hold the bottle steady to pour.
It slipped out of her grasp. The amber liquid sloshed and the bottle nearly fell, but I managed to catch it just in time.
“Are you okay?” I said quickly as Rayne sank into the chair at the foot of the bed, rubbing her head. “You should have called me. Are you in pain? Do you need water? Your stitches—”
“Easy, girl,” she said gently. “I’m fine. It’s all fine. Can you, uh... will you...” She cleared her throat. “Whiskey. Will you bring me whiskey, please? Not the shit in your hand. It was the only bottle I could reach.”
Putting that bottle aside and grabbing another glass, I said, “What’s your preference?”
“I’m a sucker for spunky femmes and short-haired brunettes—”
It was a relief to see her smirk as I rolled my eyes at her. “I meant whiskey, you ass.”
“Blanton’s. Look for the round bottle.”
There was no ice, so I simply poured a couple fingers. When I turned around, she was watching me. Chin resting on her palm, elbow positioned on the arm of her chair, legs splayed wide. Even injured, she exuded an air of confidence and authority that made my belly quiver.
She took the glass from my hand without breaking eye contact. She still stared as she brought it to her lips and took a slow sip.
“What are you looking at?” she said. It wasn’t accusatory. It was curious.
“You’re just, uh... you look...” So goddamn sexy, even scraped, bruised, and wrapped in bandages.
She leaned back in her chair, and winced slightly in pain before swirling the liquor in her glass. “I look like shit. I feel a little better though. Thanks to you.” She took another sip, a bigger one this time.
She’d been entirely helpless in bed for the past twenty-four hours, yet she still made me feel like the tiniest squirming mouse when she spoke to me, in the best kind of way. “I’m glad to see you awake. I missed you.”
“You missed me?” She repeated the words in a whisper. There was sincerity in the quiet, and I nodded.
Her voice dropped, and hit a shiver-inducing guttural tone as she said, “God, I fucking missed you too.”
She pulled me down onto her lap, but I was already coming closer. Straddling her on the chair, it took a conscious effort not to be too rough, too desperate. I wanted to grab her, grip her, hold her tight so she’d never leave again.
“I thought I might lose you,” I said, my voice catching.
She paused as she looked at me, cupping my face with one hand. She swallowed hard, and I was surprised to see emotion clouding her eyes.