3. Chapter Three #2
She nodded, but when she slid off the stool, she swayed slightly on her feet. Without thinking, I scooped her up into my arms. She tensed immediately, her whole body going rigid.
"I'm too heavy," she protested, though her arms had instinctively looped around my neck.
"You've lost too much weight," I almost growled, already carrying her back toward the bedroom, dreaming up some nutritious menus. "But you're exhausted, and you shouldn't be on your feet."
She stayed stiff in my arms for a few more seconds before gradually relaxing, her head eventually coming to rest against my shoulder. By the time we reached the bedroom, her breathing had slowed, and I thought she might have fallen asleep again.
I laid her gently on the bed, pulling the covers up over her small form. "There you go. All tucked in."
Her eyes fluttered open, suddenly alert. "I'm not a baby," she said, though the words lacked conviction.
"Never said you were." I smoothed the blanket, careful not to hover too much. "Try to get some sleep. I'll be in the room down the hall if you need anything."
Emily nodded, already burrowing deeper into the pillows. "I'll be fine on my own. I always am."
Something in her tone made my chest ache, but I respected her boundaries. "Goodnight, Emily."
"Night," she mumbled, eyes already closing.
I whistled softly, signaling Anubis to stay with her while Hades followed me out. I left the door ajar, just enough that I'd hear if she called out.
In the guest room, I stripped down to my boxers, then added an old t-shirt and climbed into bed, though I knew I'd be lucky to get any sleep.
My mind was racing with everything that had happened, everything Emily had told me.
The pieces didn't quite fit together yet, but the picture they were forming was ugly.
Foster kids disappearing. Emily discovering a pattern. Someone powerful enough to orchestrate her abduction and brave enough to attempt it again, even after we'd rescued her the first time. Rice being involved didn't surprise any of us, but Emily's father was a complication none of us needed.
I must have eventually drifted off, because the next thing I knew, a scream tore through the silence of the house. I was on my feet before I was fully awake, grabbing my gun from the bedside table and racing down the hallway after Hades.
Emily's screams had turned to whimpers by the time I burst into the bedroom. She was tangled in the sheets, thrashing weakly, her face contorted in terror even though her eyes were closed.
"No, please, not again," she begged, still caught in the grip of her nightmare. "Don't put me in there. Please."
My heart twisted at the raw fear in her voice. I set the gun down on the dresser and approached the bed slowly. Anubis was standing at attention, looking for threats.
"Emily," I called softly. "Emily, sweetheart, you're dreaming. You're safe."
She didn't hear me, still trapped in whatever horror her mind had conjured. I sat carefully on the edge of the bed and touched her shoulder. "Emily. Wake up. You're safe."
Her eyes flew open, wild and unfocused, and she jerked upright. For a moment, she didn't seem to recognize me, her body tensing to fight.
"It's Dion," I said, keeping my voice low and steady. "You're in my house. You're safe."
Recognition dawned slowly, and she collapsed against me with a sob, her small body shaking violently. Both dogs crowded the bed.
"I'm sorry," she gasped between sobs. "I'm so sorry."
"Shh, nothing to be sorry for." I gathered her close, one hand cradling the back of her head while the other rubbed soothing circles on her back. "It was just a nightmare."
But we both knew it wasn't just a nightmare. It was a memory.
Emily clung to me, her fingers digging into my bare shoulders as if afraid I'd disappear.
I held her until the worst of the trembling subsided, murmuring reassurances against her hair.
It was almost like Emily was two different people.
Her strong, independent warrior persona battling for the kids and for those women in that auction.
Reports from those that had been rescued told us how strong Emily had been.
Often putting herself between a terrified woman and one of the guards despite how scared she must have been herself.
Then there was the Emily I held in my arms while she cried, and I thought back to the way her parents had refused to support her, simply because she didn't share the same vision as them.
Who did she have to talk to?
"It might help to tell me about it." I tried again when her breathing had steadied somewhat.
She shook her head against my chest.
"Okay," I soothed, and wondered if she might talk to a therapist. All the women had been given counseling, but it had only been a month since her rescue, and she was back at work.
I was betting she hadn't spoken to anyone.
I was also betting she thought she was going to deal with this on her own, just like the rest of her life.
Good thing she had me whether she liked it or not.
I started to pull away to reach the tissues, but her grip on me tightened frantically. "Don't go," she whispered, her voice small and broken.
The vulnerability in those words cut straight through me. This wasn't the independent woman who had insisted she was fine on her own. This was someone who had reached the end of her rope.
"I won't leave you," I promised, grabbing a tissue and instead of passing it over I wiped under her eyes then her nose. "I'll stay right here."
Relief washed over her face. She scooted over, making room for me in the bed.
I hesitated, suddenly aware that I was wearing only boxers and an old t-shirt, and that was only because she was in the house, but Emily's pleading eyes made the decision for me.
I slid under the covers beside her, careful to maintain a respectful distance.
Emily had other ideas. As soon as I was settled, she curled against my side, her head finding the hollow of my shoulder as if it belonged there.
Her arm draped across my chest, and she released a shuddering sigh.
Settling instantly, both dogs curled up on the floor but positioned themselves between the bed and the door.
"Is this okay?" she whispered.
"More than okay," I assured her, wrapping my arm around her shoulders.
We lay in silence for a while, her breathing gradually slowing to match mine. Just when I thought she might have fallen asleep, she spoke.
"They kept me in a closet," she said, her voice so quiet I had to strain to hear it. "Between... training sessions. It was small and dark, and I couldn't... I couldn't breathe."
My arm tightened around her instinctively. The urge to hunt down every person involved and make them pay was overwhelming.
"They soon worked out that I wasn't going to cooperate, but then they just threatened the others if I didn't behave."
"You're not there anymore," I said, fighting to keep my voice steady. "You're here with me, and I won't let anyone put you in a dark place ever again."
She nodded against my chest, her fingers curling against my skin. "You make me feel safe."
The simple admission filled me with a fierce protectiveness I'd never experienced before, even during my years of military service. I pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the faint scent of my shampoo in her hair.
"Try to sleep now," I murmured. "I've got you."
She nodded, her body slowly relaxing against mine. I stayed awake long after her breathing had evened out, my mind cycling through everything I'd learned.
Emily had stumbled onto something big—something that involved powerful people using the foster system to traffic children. And she'd been brave enough, or perhaps foolish enough, to try to expose it on her own.
Well, she wasn't on her own anymore. She had me now. And soon, she'd have my entire team behind her.
I looked down at her sleeping form, so small and vulnerable against me. In sleep, she'd tucked her thumb near her mouth, though not quite in it. The gesture was so innocent, so telling.
"I've got you, little one," I whispered, even though she couldn't hear me. "And I'm not letting go."
With that promise echoing in my mind, I finally allowed myself to drift off to sleep, my body curled protectively around Emily's.