Page 7 of Hold Me Down
He laughs and ruffles my hair with his hand before placing a kiss on the top of my head.
“You haven’t eaten in a while, so Carter and I are going to make everyone dinner while Ser and Derek talk to you, alright?”
“Who’s keeping an eye on Victoria?”
“Alex is. If I do it, I’ll kill the bitch.” He smirks and walks away. I just shake my head, but then another thought crosses my mind, and no matter how much I hate it, I can’t ignore it.
“Actually, Zeke?” I call out for him before he can walk out of the room. I can’t see him with the angle I’m sitting in, but I hear his steps come to a halt.
“Yeah, Ash?”
“Will you ask Alex to bring her back here with Serena and Derek? I want to know exactly how to treat Damien’s injuries. If anyone knows what he went through, she does.” He groans lowly at my suggestion, like even the thought of her anywhere near us will send him into a frenzy. But then he huffs, like he lost an argument with himself.
“Fine.” His steps pick back up, a little more forcefully, and I focus back on Damien. It’s taking everything in me not to crawl into bed next to him. I need to breathe him in again. Those few minutes on the floor weren’t enough. I’m not sure there’s any amount of time that would be. I don’t want to waste any more. He’s back where he belongs, but it’s not in bed alone. It’s beside me. I know we’ll get there again, but I want to be selfish and have it right now. Zeke makes a good point, but that doesn’t mean I hate it any less. Until he’s lucid and has control of his own body, we need to do this right. If he were to hurt either me or the baby by accident, it would kill him.
I just need to focus on what Icancontrol. Our baby girl is okay, and I can feel her move excitedly in my belly, like even she knows he’s home. He’s breathing and touching me like he’ll never let go again. We have a long road ahead of us, and a lot of obstacles to hurdle, but as I take a deep breath in, everything finally feelsokayagain.
He’s home.
Chapter 3
Damien
The Next Day
‘Hold On’ – Chord Overstreet
Time has finally stopped. The voices have quieted down to only a whisper as they wade on the surface of my mind. I can hear her again. Ashia. She’s here. Isawher. I was finally worthy of viewing her perfect face. I want to believe it’s real so badly that I refuse to move. What if I try to steal another glance too quickly? What if she fades away because I was too greedy? Her hands felt like heaven. My skin still tingles from her caress, and I can feel her essence course through my veins. She’s trying to heal me.
It’s not as cold anymore. The table feels warm and soft now, like I was laid upon the clouds as a reward. Gentle, warm touches swipe against my face and chest, and it’s relieving. The angels are attempting to wash my sins away so I can appear asethereal as my wife. It’s like they’re preparing me for our forever, and I’ve never been more ready.
I can still feel and smell her, like she’s right next to me. She promised she wouldn’t leave. I believe her. Her aura surrounds me like a protective shield, and it makes every breath easier. My hand is pressed against something warm and firm, yet it feels unsteady with little waves and rolls. It’s soothing, somehow, like I’m floating on the ocean’s surface. My nerves pulse with every faint movement, and I find myself desperate for another beat.
There are a lot of voices nearby, but they’re all familiar. IknowI recognize them. Even as the demons try to claw their way back in, they don’t prevail. It’s like those surrounding me are hovering, though. I don’t know where they’re coming from. A part of me wants to try and open my eyes just so I can pinpoint them, but then the fear tries to break the surface. It’ll all go away if I peek. If I seek out the things that weren’t given to me, they’ll take it all away before I have the chance to grasp them. I saw Zeke and Carter as well. Maybe that means I’ll see Alex, too, if I listen. Would I be so fortunate enough to see them all? Maybe they’ll even let me see my mom and—
Dad.
I can’t see him again. He wasn’t with Emma. I didn’t see her either when I opened my eyes. Her voice is gone, too. Where did I come to? Where have they taken me? I never left…did I? This is a test. I’ll fail. All of the good feelings start to fade, and I gasp, trying to take in her vanilla aura as much as I can. I want to drown in it. When the chlorine inevitably floods my mouth, I want it to be coated in her spirit.
The heated feeling across my body turns into a sharp sting the moment I think of my father again. The angels wipe in the wrong spot, and all of the pain comes back. My body starts to prickle with goosebumps, and the warmth starts to fade. A cold wave ascends and crashes upon me, causing me to shutter. I press myhand into the soft ripples a little more, trying to hold onto that feeling for as long as possible. It can’t go away. I earned it. This couldn’t have all been a tease.
Unworthy…
No. Go away.
Traitor…
Where is she? She’ll make them go away…
She promised she wouldn’t leave. Iheardher.
Sinful…
My stomach starts to heat up, and I can feel the bile trying to rise in my throat. The cloud I’m on has sucked me in and I can’t move again. A ghost of a touch moves across my forehead, and the moment I can feel my hair move from my face, I try to jerk away. I don’t want the water. If I can’t breathe, I can’t smell her.Please. I don’t want it again.
I feel like I’m being thrown as I’m rolled over. The motion only forces the acid further, and I gag. It burns. My throat is being torn to shreds as the demons claw their way up.
“It’s okay, baby. Let it out.”
