Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(25)
Where was she? I thought she was going to take Liam to his place and then come straight home, but it was approaching midnight. My throat felt tight and I worried that I may have driven her to trust the wrong guy. There was something wrong with Liam. I hadn’t lied when I told her that. Now, I couldn’t stop imagining all the horrible scenarios that Savannah may be placed in.
When I wasn’t worrying over Liam harming her, I was torturing myself with what other activities they might be up to. I never had to worry about Savannah with guys. She wasn’t interested and they naturally sensed that enough to stay away from her. She had been different tonight. Maybe it was her ascension drawing near, but it could have been him.
Lights flashed in the driveway to reveal a black mustang pulling in. A closer inspection revealed that Liam was driving. I pushed my anger back at the memory of Savannah saying she wouldn’t let Liam drive and forced myself to be calm. I desperately wanted to watch out the window until Savannah was safely inside. However, if she realized I was spying on her it would serve as more proof that I didn’t trust her.
I walked to the entryway between the hallway and the living room to wait for Savannah. I knew Liam walked her to the door, because I could hear faint voices through it. My impatience was growing, but I forced myself to take a casual stance against the wall until she was inside. Savannah was transformed by the smile that stretched across her face, but it made me uneasy. She turned away from me to climb the stairs.
“Hey.” Her back tensed at my voice, but she turned to face me with her hand clenched around the railing.
“Is there something you need?”
“I’m sorry. There is no excuse for the way I acted earlier. I was a jerk and I hope that you won’t hold it against me. I may have misgivings about Liam, but I should have handled it differently.”
She looked at me from the third step of the staircase and smiled hesitantly. “I’m still upset with you, but I’ll come around. I do expect you to apologize to Liam too.”
“I take it that means you are seeing him again?” I didn’t like the sound of that.
“Yes, I think I am.” She smiled and turned to go upstairs. I followed closely behind. My mind was working at a face pace to process, what it would mean if she saw Liam again and how I would react to it. The idea of her dating him made me queasy.
Savannah stopped at the entrance to her room and leaned against the door. “You want to come in? We could watch a movie? We haven’t done that in a while.”
There was a very good reason why we hadn’t done that in a while. Lying on her bed watching a movie was not easy for me. After tonight, I didn’t think it would be a good idea to refuse. I could use as many points with her as possible.
“Yea, sounds like a good idea. No girlie movies, okay?”
“Ha! After tonight, I get to pick the movie. I’m thinking Titanic or Ever After…”
I groaned. Three hours of Titanic was not appealing and Ever After wasn’t much better.
“Mmmm, I’m not sure I could withstand the pain of watching either of those.” I feigned a yawn, “I’m suddenly exhausted.” Savannah playfully punched my arm.
“Okay, how about a romantic comedy?” I nodded and followed her into the bedroom. She put on Made of Honor and we curled up on her bed. Her head tucked into the crook of my arm and we relaxed into a familiar routine.
She fell asleep on my chest halfway through the movie, while I lay awake tempted by the scent of her lingering perfume. When the movie reached the last ten minutes, she startled herself awake. Sitting up she turned to glance around the room with a confused expression on her face. Her eyes lit on me and I was entranced by the expression that crossed her features.
“Ash…” The voice that escaped did not sound like my Savannah. She sounded like the frightened little girl she used to be. It was the sound of the lost child, who didn’t believe anyone could love her. Her eyes widened and her voice pleaded, “Ash…” I couldn’t bear the pain that emanated from her. It wasn’t merely her voice or appearance; I could feel her aura calling out for me to heal her. She was back in that metal cage being forced to witness her parents sacrifice innocent after innocent. I could hear her longing, her profound need to be saved. “Ash, please…”
Her hand reached for me, while her eyes remained locked in her mental prison. I circled her wrists with my hands and pulled her to me. I meant to wrap her body with my own and offer warmth, but when I cradled her to me her cheek pressed against mine.
Her hand gripped my skin hard enough to bruise me. It was painful, but not nearly as much as what she was enduring. Every night since she came to live with us, I watched her be torn from the inside out. Her demons ate away at her every day. This was different. Lately, her nightmares had worsened and I didn’t know how to banish them. I wanted to keep her safe, but I didn’t know how to save her from herself.
Her tears moistened my cheeks and my heart broke at the contact. Something snapped in me then. My chest tore in two and I bridged a feeling that until now had been barricaded by as many shields as I could muster. I took her face in my hands and kissed her with the passion of a lifetime. Everything I ever felt for her was in that kiss. My need to protect her, my amazement at her respect for every living being, my love… I couldn’t convey enough, but I tried. None of my emotions could overcome the amazement at the response I received. She kissed me back.