Page 7 of Their Scarred Mate
A white-haired lady appeared at the window, attracted by the screams.
“Heavens, Tara!What happened?”
“She fainted!She’s on the floor!”
With surprising agility for a woman her age, her grandmother appeared at her side within seconds, grumbling under her breath about the pain in her hip.
“Oh, she’s really on the ground.Quickly, try the door.”
****
The door was boundby a chain.A fickle resistance against the fingers of the older woman, who groped until she triggered the mechanism that would open the door.
“Stupid lock...”
The young woman was passed out on the floor, with her note in her hand and the pie on the floor next to her.
“Heavens!Tara, get me some water.”
Mentally noticing the absurd amount of clothes the young woman had on, Evelyn kneeled beside her, gently patting her face, frightened by the absent air in her open eyes.The woman wasn’t unconscious; she was having a flashback.
Evelyn knew those all too well.
“Come, darling.Come out of it.You’re not there, anymore.You’re safe.Come back to us...”she muttered, only half noticing her granddaughter loitering around the kitchen, bringing her a glass of water.
Dipping her fingertips in the water, the old woman sprayed the young woman's face, murmuring in a low voice, trying to bring her back from the nightmare she had plunged into.
“What’s wrong with her?”asked Tara anxiously.
“She’s almost passed out.Be a dear and go to my room.Bring me the bottle with the rose liquid within, please.”
“What?Nanna!”
“Now, Tara!”
Her voice was firm, with the hardness of steel.Tara had learned long ago not to discuss withthatvoice.Jumping to her feet, she was out of the door in seconds.
“Come on, little one...”she pressed, but the young woman’s eyes were fixed on the past.On the painful past, if she were to guess.“What did they do to you?”she muttered, her heart already feeling protective of this young, damaged girl.
Tara was back, cradling the precious bottle in her hands.Evelyn opened it and deeply inhaled the essence, feeling calmer already.She made the young woman smell it, relishing when she blinked.
“Come on, little one ...back to us...”she muttered, seeing her blinking, disoriented.“There you are...”
****
Freya was blinkingthe disorientation away.She felt, more than she saw, the caring hands that gently caressed her forehead, the hands that softly stroked her head, the soft whispers that brought her out of her nightmare.
She blinked once, twice, and then she moved out of her memories.She wasn’t in the woods anymore, trying to escape Lewis’s claws ...she was safely back home, her home, a gift from Mace.
And who was this white-haired woman, who so tenderly caressed her?
Opening her mouth, she let out a blood curdling scream.
“It’s okay, dear, you’re safe now...”cooed the woman, still caressing her head.
“Who are you?”She managed to croak, crawling away.
“You’re safe with me, dear...I’m Evelyn, I live next door”
