Page 28 of Blade
My eyes are heavy, and I drift into sleep, the warmth from Blade’s body keeping the chill away.
Distant voices in my head rumble like background noise, and then a cruel whisper gains volume.
‘Delilah.’
I see him. Standing in my way as I come out of the bathroom. I have a towel wrapped around me and my hair is damp from the shower. Terror strikes me deep as he glares at me from the open doorway. The devil, dressed in a sharp suit, his evil glare pinning me, frozen in fear.
‘You’ve been a naughty girl.’
‘I–I–’
My mind scrambles to remember what I’ve done, but I already know he makes it up as he goes along.
‘Please.’
I fall to my knees, and the towel slips. I’m on all fours, my heart racing as I plead with him.
‘I’m sorry.’
‘You will be.’
His shoe connects with my body, causing a sharp pain to spear me from inside. As I fall to the floor, another kick in my ribs causes me to bite my lip to prevent me from crying out.
He doesn’t stop.
I attempt to curl up into a ball, but the blows rain down on me like a hail of bullets, and when he has enough, he stops.
‘Don’t do it again.’
He turns and leaves me panting on the floor, too scared to groan, too afraid to do anything but be grateful I’m still breathing.
“Delilah.”
A different voice, a safe voice, interrupts my dream, and as my eyes flicker open, Blade whispers, “It’s okay, darlin’, you’re safe here.”
“It was him.”
Blade pulls me closer. “You had a nightmare, darlin’.”
“My life was a nightmare.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I really don’t, but for some reason I want to tell him.
“It was Gideon. We were in our bedroom, and I had just gotten out of the shower. He returned home from work and obviously had a bad day because he took it out on me.”
“Fuck!”
Blade’s anger whips around me.
“He used to take pleasure in beating me for no reason. Telling me I had done something bad and deserved my punishment. I remember it all now. The terror I felt when the door slammed. His footsteps on the stone floor, the soundof him approaching. It never ended well for me. That’s all I can remember. Pain, humiliation, and degradation, but I can’t remember how I got there.”
I turn to Blade and note the anger in his eyes, and for some reason, I smile. “Don’t be angry, Blade. I escaped. He can’t control me anymore. I just need to figure out a way to fight back in my nightmares. Perhaps I can learn that skill at the Reapers.”
“You’re never going back to him.”
Blade cups my cheek in his huge hand and stares into my eyes with a promise. “You have me now, darlin’, and I don’t rate his chances.”
