rogue shifter 05 - caught between Read Online Free Page B
Author: gayle parness
about, but he wouldn't pry unless it was something he considered important.
"I like her. She adores Liam. And she explained about the fae prince thing."
"Ah, the royal connection."
I turned my body toward his and slid my hand across his chest and then down to his waist, snuggling against him. "But how are you ?"
He was quiet for a moment or two, then sighed. "Too many memories. Too many ghosts."
"Even on this lovely balcony?"
"Eleanor liked to drain her prisoners to just short of unconsciousness and then dangle them over the side of the terrace to hear them beg. She always dropped them."
His voice had taken on that flat tone that I hated because it meant that he was lost in sorrow somewhere far away. I couldn't stop myself from shuddering, so he wrapped his arms more tightly around me and rested his chin on top of my head. "Pardon, mon ange. I'm not behaving as you'd hoped."
I sat up and shook my head. "I don't expect you to pretend that nothing terrible happened here. This is incredibly hard for you. The worst thing in your entire life happened here."
"I can hear them, " He sighed. Shocked, I watched his eyes glaze over as he started to lose himself again in horrific memories.
"Garrett." My voice brought him back to the present, his expression etched with pain. "None of it was your fault." He started to protest, but I interrupted. "Shh." I ran my finger over his mouth and I watched his eyes pop with tiny silver dots. "I'm here. I love you. You had no power to change what that bitch did to you or anyone else. And anything you feel is okay. If you want to smash something or curse at the heavens or cry, then do it. No one will judge you, especially me. You saw what I was like after Kennet—after he took me."
"It's not anger anymore, it's more regret. Especially now that you and Charlie are in my life. I think about my family because I have one of my own, and those thoughts lead me back here." He shook his head and twisted his mouth in irritation. "It's been over one hundred years since they died. I don't know why I can't let them go." He raked a hand through his hair, one of his 'tells' when he was stressed out.
I took that same hand in mine and pulled him out of the chair and over to the railing. The stars were spectacular. I pressed my back against his chest and wrapped his arms across me so we could look at them together. "Think about your family's energy floating around out there in the universe, at peace and together for all time. You're the one who's had to live with what Eleanor did to them and to you and to all her other victims.
I put one of his hands on the railing, covering it with mine. "This is just a terrace and a railing, not a torture chamber. Not anymore."
I spun my body around to face him, still cradled in his arms, then rose up for a kiss. His mouth met mine in a rush of warm affection, his soft lips parting so our tongues could explore the now familiar terrain of our mouths. He tasted like the sweetest forbidden fruit, comforting yet terribly exciting, making me press myself closer.
When we pulled apart, his eyes had lost their pain and he was smiling. "You are a miracle, still, to me." He stroked my face and then kissed both of my palms. "You're wrong about the worst thing that happened to me. It was when Kennet took you and I feared that he might kill you."
"You got back two for the price of one." I rubbed my belly. As horrible as the experience had been with Kennet, I'd grown to love my tiny son and looked forward excitedly to his official appearance.
"And now I'm twice as happy." He leaned over and kissed my belly then picked me up like I weighed nothing at all and carried me into the bedroom. We spent the last couple of hours before dawn making love and whispering sweet endearments, chatting quietly about Charlie and what life would be like after he was born. As Garrett brought me more joy than I thought possible, I wished again that I could find some way to heal this pain he'd endured
"I like her. She adores Liam. And she explained about the fae prince thing."
"Ah, the royal connection."
I turned my body toward his and slid my hand across his chest and then down to his waist, snuggling against him. "But how are you ?"
He was quiet for a moment or two, then sighed. "Too many memories. Too many ghosts."
"Even on this lovely balcony?"
"Eleanor liked to drain her prisoners to just short of unconsciousness and then dangle them over the side of the terrace to hear them beg. She always dropped them."
His voice had taken on that flat tone that I hated because it meant that he was lost in sorrow somewhere far away. I couldn't stop myself from shuddering, so he wrapped his arms more tightly around me and rested his chin on top of my head. "Pardon, mon ange. I'm not behaving as you'd hoped."
I sat up and shook my head. "I don't expect you to pretend that nothing terrible happened here. This is incredibly hard for you. The worst thing in your entire life happened here."
"I can hear them, " He sighed. Shocked, I watched his eyes glaze over as he started to lose himself again in horrific memories.
"Garrett." My voice brought him back to the present, his expression etched with pain. "None of it was your fault." He started to protest, but I interrupted. "Shh." I ran my finger over his mouth and I watched his eyes pop with tiny silver dots. "I'm here. I love you. You had no power to change what that bitch did to you or anyone else. And anything you feel is okay. If you want to smash something or curse at the heavens or cry, then do it. No one will judge you, especially me. You saw what I was like after Kennet—after he took me."
"It's not anger anymore, it's more regret. Especially now that you and Charlie are in my life. I think about my family because I have one of my own, and those thoughts lead me back here." He shook his head and twisted his mouth in irritation. "It's been over one hundred years since they died. I don't know why I can't let them go." He raked a hand through his hair, one of his 'tells' when he was stressed out.
I took that same hand in mine and pulled him out of the chair and over to the railing. The stars were spectacular. I pressed my back against his chest and wrapped his arms across me so we could look at them together. "Think about your family's energy floating around out there in the universe, at peace and together for all time. You're the one who's had to live with what Eleanor did to them and to you and to all her other victims.
I put one of his hands on the railing, covering it with mine. "This is just a terrace and a railing, not a torture chamber. Not anymore."
I spun my body around to face him, still cradled in his arms, then rose up for a kiss. His mouth met mine in a rush of warm affection, his soft lips parting so our tongues could explore the now familiar terrain of our mouths. He tasted like the sweetest forbidden fruit, comforting yet terribly exciting, making me press myself closer.
When we pulled apart, his eyes had lost their pain and he was smiling. "You are a miracle, still, to me." He stroked my face and then kissed both of my palms. "You're wrong about the worst thing that happened to me. It was when Kennet took you and I feared that he might kill you."
"You got back two for the price of one." I rubbed my belly. As horrible as the experience had been with Kennet, I'd grown to love my tiny son and looked forward excitedly to his official appearance.
"And now I'm twice as happy." He leaned over and kissed my belly then picked me up like I weighed nothing at all and carried me into the bedroom. We spent the last couple of hours before dawn making love and whispering sweet endearments, chatting quietly about Charlie and what life would be like after he was born. As Garrett brought me more joy than I thought possible, I wished again that I could find some way to heal this pain he'd endured
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