Broken Revival

by Autumn Winchester

  “She’ll wake up when she’s ready,” Kaleb sighed as he moved into a more comfortable position. “And she may not want you touchin’ her when she does.”

  “Don’t you dare,” Elijah said, and I could feel the tension between the two sweep over me

  “Stop,” I managed to get out. I wasn’t sure it came out clear, but I squeezed Elijah’s hand as tightly as I could.

  “Oh, Dawn. Thank God,” Elijah said, near tears.

  I slowly forced my eyes open, glad there was no bright light above me. Blinking, I looked over at Elijah first, seeing how tired he looked. His forehead had a few stitches. His eyes were sunken in, and I had to wonder what had happened to him, before remembering we were in the same car accident.

  I turned to Kaleb, who looked just as tired, but not as banged up. “You came.” My voice was no more than a whisper, but I was in awe. He had saved me.

  “Of course, little sis,” Kaleb smiled at me. His smile was filled with love, and I truly felt like he was my big brother.

  “When can I go home?” I asked, looking between both of them. I wanted to be held and never let go. I wanted to see my daughter.

  “Probably tomorrow afternoon,” Elijah said, giving Kaleb a look that said to get lost.

  “And that’s my queue to make those phone calls,” Kaleb said, standing up. “Just yell if you need me, Dawn.”

  “Thanks, Kaleb,” I replied, taking a deep breath and letting go of his hand.

  “Do you remember what happened?” Elijah asked once Kaleb had closed the door behind him.

  “Most of it. I remember the crash, then waking up wherever Morgan took me, and almost everything he did. He drugged me, trying to lessen my pain, but it backfired and made me sick. Then he got me high off pot smoke. He raped me, Elijah,” I answered in tears. “I was able to hide my phone but wasn’t able to call anyone until after I knew it was safe to do it. I was so scared.”

  “Hey, it’s okay. You’re safe now, Dawn,” Elijah soothed me. He touched my face gently, and I let his warmth soak into me.

  “Joan set the house on fire when she heard the sirens, and Kaleb got there just in time,” he went on. “You wouldn’t let the firefighters touch you, or even get near you. They were all trying to get you out first, knowing you were missing.

  “The house was a total loss, due to water and smoke damage. Of course, it wasn’t worth saving, anyway. Joan was high when she started the fire. She didn’t make it.”

  “Morgan?” I asked, needing to know what happened to him.

  “He’s in jail, without bail, on twenty-four-hour watch,” he answered. “The court date won’t be set for some time, but with all the evidence against him, he’ll never make it out alive.”

  “Dawn Ellis, correct?” Said a woman as she entered the room. Her blond hair was neatly pulled back into a ponytail. Elijah slowly moved back, so it wouldn’t seem like he was overwhelming me.

  “Uh . . .” I said, drawing a blank.

  “What can I help you with, Dr?” Elijah asked, sitting up straighter so he wasn’t lying near my arm.

  “I’d like to talk to Dawn alone for a moment,’ she answered.

  “No,” I said, instantly alert. No one was going to take him away again. They couldn’t. “Please, no.”

  “Okay, he can stay, but I still need to talk to you. I’m Dr. Mai,” she said soothingly, taking the chair Kaleb had sat in and moving it away from the bed a few feet. “I only want to talk.”

  At my nod, she began. “Anything you say is just between us, and will not leave this room. I understand you have been through a great deal, and it must have taken its toll on you and the ones you love. I am here to listen if you ever need to talk.”

  “I have Elijah, and Kaleb, and our family,” I replied. Everyone who mattered knew what I had been through.

  “Well, this is what I do, so if you change your mind, just give me a call anytime. Here’s my card,” she said, laying it on the food tray before making her way out of the room.

  “Are you okay?” Elijah asked, scooting back as close as he possibly could.

  “I will be,” I said tiredly. “Hold me?”

  “Always,” he said as I scooted over on the little bed, making enough room for him. I wrapped my body around him, not caring how much pain I was in.

  "Do you want to take a precaution against being pregnant from Morgan?” Elijah asked.

  “There’s no point. He can’t have any kids,” I sighed, closing my eyes. “I love you, Elijah. Forever.”

  Chapter 32

  Dawn

  Getting back into a calm and stress-free routine was easier said than done. That first week after thinking Elijah was dead, killed by the person who’d given birth to me, and finding him alive—a little banged up, but well and alive—I didn’t want him out of my sight. I had to be touching him almost all the time.

  Emily had talked me down from being so clingy with him. She understood why, but she was right. I was afraid he’d disappear at any moment. I finally ended up taking a long, calming bath, knowing Elijah would still be there when I got out.

  Our bruises slowly faded, and after a month, we were back to our original selves. Lizzy was growing, and Kelly and I got together at least once a week so our daughters could play together.

  Joslyn and Vence took care of Lizzy once a month to allow us to have some time alone. Elijah hadn’t gone back to work. He had chosen to stay at home after everything that had happened to us.

  I was finally figuring out who I was, and what I wanted, for the most part, not afraid to state my ideas or ask my questions. Elijah didn’t often challenge me, mostly because we had the same ideas and likes.

  I got back into the habit of cleaning and keeping the house. I knew Joslyn did her own home, and Kelly did hers most of the time, so I decided to do ours. This, of course, led to Elijah questioning me.

  “You don’t have to keep the house anymore. I can hire someone to do that,” Elijah said, watching me dust the entertainment center while Lizzy took a nap.

  “I don’t mind, Elijah,” I said truthfully. “I actually like to clean. It’s soothing. Plus, you like to watch me,” I said with a smile.

  “Yes, I do, but I can watch you just sit, too,” he said with a smirk. “I can find something better for you to do—something more entertaining.”

  “Elijah,” I sighed with a light laugh and shook my head. “Just let me clean. We live together, have a daughter, and hopefully, will have more within the next few years.”

  “Really?” he asked, shocked. I guess I hadn’t really confirmed if I wanted more kids one way or another since the whole Morgan situation. I had finally started on birth control pills to start up my periods again. It was a step in the right direction. I also had to go back into the doctor in five months to make sure I hadn’t come down with HIV or hepatitis, just to be on the safe side. Who knew where Morgan or Joan had been? I didn’t truly think I’d end up with anything, but I wanted to be safe rather than sorry.

  “Yes, if you still want to. It could take up to a year to make sure I’m regular, but yeah,” I said with a happy smile.

  “Of course I do!” Elijah exclaimed. “First, we need to make a change for the better.”

  I hadn’t moved from my spot by the TV, where I was attempting to dust, when Elijah got up with a look of hope and nervousness in his eyes. With a calm face and a deep breath in, he bent to one knee, looking up at me.

  “I want us to be a family, not just by living together, but by becoming one—becoming whole. I love you, Dawn Ellis. Will you marry me?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I answered, not having to think about it. Tears gathered in my eyes as I swung my arms around his neck, kissing him with everything I had in me.

  “I’m sorry I don’t have a ring yet, but I will get you one soon,” he promised between kisses.

  “I’m not picky,” I said happily, as we leaned back from one another, and looked into each other’s eyes.

  “I know you aren’t.�
�� He hugged me tightly again, right as a cry from Lizzy sounded through the monitor.

  The following day, before we went to the family dinner at his parents’ house, we went ring shopping. I found and fell in love with a very simple white gold ring. It had small diamonds around the top half, bright and shiny, while the bottom half was smooth. The entire ring was thin and fit my finger perfectly, so we didn’t even have to wait for resizing.

  To say that Joslyn was surprised was an understatement. She was already talking about wedding plans and ideas.

  “We want to be married in the summer so we can have the reception outside,” Elijah said, bringing me closer as we sat on the couch. “And nothing fancy. Just simple, and short. It will give Emily time to get back in shape, too, after having her little one.”

  “Mandy won’t be happy about that,” Vence laughed. “She’s been planning since she met you, Dawn.”

  “I don’t want to go all out,” I said. “I do have a dress in mind already, so Joslyn, if you and Emily could be in charge of the decorations, maybe?” I asked, not knowing what to do about that part.

  “Oh, I would love too!” Emily said. She was due in two months, so an August wedding would give us plenty of time to figure out the details I didn’t want to deal with.

  “Me too,” Joslyn said, giving me a side hug.

  Most of the talk between us girls was about the wedding and what I thought I may want. I really didn’t care about the colors or the decorations, as long as I got to pick out the wedding dress I wanted. I had seen this wonderful lace dress that was long, and perfect, that would show off my curves. I just hoped to find something in white, instead of the dark blue showcased in the advert.

  After getting back home that night, I brought up a subject we hadn’t talked about since before the accident. I knew Morgan’s trial wouldn’t start until later next month, and I got out of having to face him by giving a detective copies of the journals I had written. In them was all the abuse I had been forced to endure, and enough evidence was written and signed by me to allow me not to have to show up in the courts, as long as Morgan’s lawyer didn’t demand my presence. Even the D.A. was confident that the judge would take my journals and affidavit as my testimony, to save me from having to face him again.

  “Is the offer Kaleb mentioned still up?” I asked shyly as I did the dishes left from lunch. Lizzy was banging on the chairs, walking from one to the next as she held on.

  “What offer?” Elijah asked, tilting his head to the side.

  “Having a scene for us? Well, for me?” I asked, feeling embarrassed at having to ask. I was ready. Knowing what to expect while in the playroom would help me. I needed to let Elijah have some sort of control over something, since he hardly took control of anything else I did these days.

  “I’m sure it is,” Elijah drawled with a lazy smile. “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah.” I said, hoping he’d go along with me and let me do this my way. The idea was thrilling and I really wanted to try.

  “Okay, I’ll set it up the next time that Lizzy goes to my parents’ house,” he replied after a short pause. He looked at me, gauging my reactions before he’d answered.

  “Thank you!” I said, flinging my arms around him, kissing him hard. He easily let me take control . . . for a moment. With Lizzy awake, we couldn't dare take it any further.

  Elijah

  I was surprised Dawn was ready for more action in the bedroom, and I couldn’t deny her more than I had been already. I hadn't wanted to take anything further due to the fact we were still healing, and I just wanted to enjoy the feeling of us together.

  I had called Kaleb later that day and he was all for it, saying he’d call his parents, who’d been bugging them for quite some time to keep Lilly, so it wasn’t an issue.

  I was excited, as it had been way too long since I’d seen anyone scene. The club that I used to go to had different couples who would scene weekly. Since the case took up most of my spare time, and now, I wanted to spend any extra with Dawn and Lizzy, I didn’t want to spend any at the club anymore.

  “Hey girly,” Kaleb said towards my girl as they entered the house later that week. Kelly smiled at us before making her way upstairs to get into sub mode. She always had to take just a few minutes to get into the right mindframe.

  “You can always call red if you want us to stop. This won’t be about our pleasure. It’s about you seeing and understanding how it all works. I will more be explaining what things are as we go along, and how this type of relationship works, than really showing anything at this time,” Kaleb went on as he took a seat by my girl. “If you have questions, I would be more than willing to answer anything, and so will Elijah.”

  “Okay,” Dawn answered, wide-eyed, but with wonder.

  I had never let anyone in my playroom other than myself and Dawn. I hadn’t even let a one-nighter go there, let alone anywhere near my home.

  When we got upstairs, Dawn was holding my hand for dear life, both girls took a seat on the couch.

  “Good, kitten,” Kaleb said as he entered the room behind us. “Just to clarify, we are showing Dawn how certain toys can cause certain reactions—certain pleasures.” He circled his wife, touching her downcast face. “This will give her a good look, an idea of what each thing is. I won’t be using anything that will make anyone cringe, just the basic items that are great to for beginners.”

  He turned towards the bag of items Kelly had placed on the bed. I moved Dawn by the hand to the chair on the other side of the room. It’d give her a chance to look and watch, but not seem like we were intruding on something.

  “Are you familiar with vibrators, Dawn?” Kaleb asked, holding up a similar one to the one I had introduced to her before. He stood on the other side of the coffee table with his bag in front of him.

  “Yes,” she answered in a stronger voice that I expected. I figured she’d be afraid to talk, much less answer anything. I couldn’t help but beam at her.

  “Good. So you know they can bring pleasure in many ways. If, let’s say, you put it on your nipples, it can help bring them to hard peaks. There are many different types. Some are as simple as this one,” Kaleb went on, looking at my girl but holding no lust for her. He was in teacher mode. He held up a jelly vibrator. “This is the simplest of the styles. There are some that have wands attached to the front, which will put pressure on your clit. They come in all types, sizes, and variety. Everyone likes something different, and I’m sure Elijah has a few types you can both play around with to find out which ones you like best. Kelly, on another day, can even talk to you about what she likes and doesn’t like to help you get an idea.”

  He sat down the toy before picking up another thing. One that made me cringe at just the sight.

  “Now, these are nipple clamps. They are, for the most part, all the same, but some vibrate, and some can send a small shockwave. They can bring pleasure and pain at the same time. Not all women, or men, like them, but Elijah loved this particular set,” Kaleb winked, making me to laugh.

  “There’s also all sorts of styles of ropes, and they can each bring on pleasure by being bound in a certain way. Most Doms love to see their subs tied up and helpless, unable to do anything but stay in whatever position they are placed in.”

  “We also don’t always just limit our play time to a playroom. We play at least once a week, sometimes more if we want to. We don’t always bring the submissive and dominant into play—only when we feel the need to. Some couples like to Dom/sub 24/7, while others only during certain times. It’s all up to the couple, and what works best for them,” he went on, letting go of Kelly’s hands. She slowly let them drop back to her sides, but otherwise didn’t move or make another sound. “Do you have any questions?”

  Dawn shook her head. We had agreed they wouldn’t take it too far, since I didn’t want to scare her off. I had been a whirlwind of emotions after first finding out about most of the same items.

  “Good. So there are different types
of punishment, and the same goes for them as the toys. Some of the items like a whip, cane, paddle, and even just a regular hand can bring pleasure. The hand is one of our favorites, and Kelly has gotten that a number of times,” Kaleb said with a smile. “The paddle isn’t bad, either. The cane is the worst, or the belt, which I never use, but you always do warm ups with the hand before using any of those items.”

  “Neither will I,” I said in her ear. “You may end up liking my hand, though.”

  “Once you are up to it, you two will have to go to the club and see a few acts, and just get a feel of what you may want to try someday,” Kaleb said. “If you ever need someone to answer anything, both Kelly and I would be more than willing to try and answer your questions, and so will Elijah. I’m sure the books in his office would come in handy, too.

  “We’d do a whole scene, but it is a lot to take in. The first step is to know what is expected, what the toys are, and how one is able to respond to them. A wonderful Dom will know how far to take it, what buttons to push, and when to back off. A submissive needs to know how to communicate with her Dom at all times. It’s not just about pleasure or pain. It’s about becoming someone who can release each other’s stresses, and helping one another be one together,” Kaleb said.

  “The aftercare is important, and Elijah knows that. That is the time to make sure there are no lasting marks and to make sure to rub or put salve on any tender spots. It also gives the sub time to come back to earth in her own time, so as not to be rushed. Sometimes it takes longer than others. It all depends on what the scene is, and how much pleasure and pain was brought on,” Kaleb went on.

  Kaleb then went on to explain some of the other items in the playroom, like the spanking bench and the St. Andrew’s Cross, and what roles they could be used for.

  “The items for pain can also be used for pleasure, and vice versa. Some Doms may deny the pleasure of coming, or may prolong it, for more pleasure, I know Kelly loves when I do this on occasion.” Kaleb went on. “Sometimes Doms will not allow a sub to come as a form of punishment, but it is wonderful when one finally can, after a few days of being denied.”