by Lylah James
I stayed in the office for a few more minutes. Pacing the length of it, I couldn’t shake the image of Ayla’s tears.
Fear and worry were instilled inside of me, choking me. When I couldn’t take it anymore, I walked out of the office. I knew Ayla would be waiting for me in our room. Maddie was strictly instructed to bring her back there.
I paused outside the door, feeling suddenly nervous.
Frustrated at the uncertainty, my fingers clenched into fists, and I took a deep breath.
I opened the door and walked inside to find Ayla sitting on the bed. Her head snapped up toward mine, her shoulder tensed. I saw fear in her eyes, but it was quickly gone when she saw it was me.
She stood up, her hand going to her throat. It was nervousness.
Ayla looked at me, her chest moving up and down, her breathing harsh. I took a step forward, and Ayla choked back a sob.
She walked back until she touched the wall. Ayla shook her head several times, and she rubbed at her throat furiously.
I saw her face crumble, and she cried quietly. When I tried to move forward again, she shook her head. Her eyes went wide, and she gasped for breath.
“I…I…breathe…can’t…breathe…”
“Shit!” I swore, moving forward in a rush. Taking her in my arms, I carried Ayla to the bed.
I sat down on the edge, placing her on my lap. “Calm down. It’s okay. Don’t try to breathe too fast. Take it slow. Shh…I got you, Angel. Slow breath. In and out.”
Ayla laid her head on my shoulders, but I heard her taking slow breaths, just like I told her.
When her breathing finally calmed, I heard her crying softly on my shoulder. I kept holding her in my embrace, never once letting go.
Ayla didn’t try to move away, either. No, she had a death grip on my arms.
Her tears made my heart ache in the most painful way.
It was a strange mixture of emotions building up inside of me. Agony and happiness. I didn’t know which one to hold on to.
So instead, I just held my Angel. I let her be my anchor, while I was hers.
When her tears finally dried, I shifted her in my arms and laid her on the bed.
He eyes were closed, but her face was red and puffy from crying. This was the second time she cried since we rescued her. Both reasons had nothing to do with her captivity but everything to do with me.
In that moment, I realized that all my efforts were not going to waste. She knew me. Ayla felt me deep inside her heart.
I had to continue believing in us.
Giving her a final glance, I went to get up but felt something tighten around my wrist.
My eyes widened, and I looked down to see Ayla holding the edge of my sleeve, stopping me from stepping away.
My head snapped up, and I saw that her eyes were open. Our gaze made contact, and we stared. We breathed. A matching rhythm between us.
I saw Ayla swallow several times. She looked down at my hand before staring into my eyes again.
I waited…I didn’t know for how long, but I waited.
Her lips finally parted, and her voice was melody to my ears.
“Can…you…please hold…me?”
The words were softly spoken. She stuttered them but never took her eyes off mine.
My heart leaped and danced. My stomach tightened, and with my heart in my throat, I nodded.
“I’ll hold you, Angel. I will hold you however long you want me to.” Leaning forward until our noses were touching, I said, “And even when you don’t want me to hold you anymore, I still won’t let you go.”
I saw her cheeks grow redder. Placing a kiss on the tip of her nose, I laid down beside Ayla.
Before I could move, she turned toward me and burrowed into my chest. I smiled then.
I wrapped my arms around her hips, pulling her closer. Her stomach was in the way, but I worked around it. When she was firmly held in my embrace, I kissed her cheek.
She sighed in my chest, her arms tightening around my waist. My heart soared.
We were both quiet.
I was almost asleep when she broke the silence.
Her words took me by surprise. Hell, her voice was a shock to me. I didn’t expect her to speak again. But she did.
And I had never expected her to utter those words.
“You are my savior,” she whispered so softly into my chest.
Her arms were a band of steel around my hips. I was her savior. Just like before.
My nose prickled with emotions. It was almost too much to bear, so I could only imagine what Ayla was going through.
“You are my savior,” she whispered again. “Not hers.”
My eyes widened, finally understanding where she was going. The words were filled with innocence, her voice sounding so childlike, almost scared.
“You are not hers,” she continued brokenly, stealing my breath away.
Bringing my hand up, I placed a finger under her chin and tilted her head up. She stared at me tearfully. Her green eyes were glassy. It reminded me of the first time we met.
“You…won’t leave me?” she asked softly.
I shook my head and pressed our foreheads together. “No. No. No. Ayla, I won’t leave you.”
“She won’t…take you…from me?” Her expression was so broken. She looked so hurt and scared.
I brought her body closer to mine. “No, Ayla. I’m never leaving you. I made a promise to you before. I said I won’t ever leave you. I’m keeping that promise. She won’t take me away from you.”
Our lips joined together in a feather-light touch. “You are my Angel.”
Ayla closed her eyes, and I felt the tension in her shoulders slowly slipping away.
“When I…was with…the Devil…you were my savior. You are not hers. You can’t…be hers,” Ayla continued, breaking my heart further.
“Shh…I’m not hers. I’m yours, Angel. Only yours. I was yours before. I am now. And I will always be yours. Just like you are mine,” I whispered in her ears, hoping she would remember those words later.
“Just like I am your savior. You are my beautiful Angel.”
She hummed against my chest. Her eyes were closed, and I knew she was quickly drifting off to sleep.
Smiling, I stared at the beauty in my arms.
I am going to wait for you, Angel. Forever. This is my fucking vow to you.
Chapter 10
1 week later
“Turn around,” I ordered softly. Ayla did as she was told and gave me her back.
“Is the water too hot?” I asked, soaping up her spine.
“No,” she replied quietly.
I smiled at her answer and continued to wash her. I rubbed down her legs and then turned her around. Squeezing some shampoo in my palm, I massaged her hair.
She closed her eyes and leaned toward me. I chuckled and quickly rinsed her off. “There you go. All done.”
Ayla opened her eyes and stared at me, her eyes void of any emotion. “Thank you.”
I kissed her lips and helped her out of the shower. After wrapping towels around us both, I dried her hair.
She sighed almost dreamily before leaning against my chest. “Does that feel good?”
“Yes.” She nodded.
“Do you want me to brush your hair?”
She nodded again. “Please.”
We walked into the bedroom, and she settled on the bed. I climbed behind her and started to comb her hair until it was smooth and shiny.
“All done,” I muttered, kissing her shoulder. “You look beautiful, Angel.”
I saw a small hint of a smile on her lips. It made me giddy, seeing our progress.
“The most beautiful.” The corner of her lips tilted up in a ghost smile. “What about me?” I teased.
I got off the bed and stood in front of her. Ayla stared up at me, her mouth open. I knew I was pushing it. Ayla didn’t speak more than a few words.
Yes. No. Okay. Please. Thank you.
Sometimes
she would speak a sentence if it was something she really wanted to say. But that was rarely.
If she spoke, it was only to me.
It drove Maddie crazy that Ayla wouldn’t speak to her.
Ayla was mostly quiet and observant.
If she showed any emotions, it was because I did something that reminded her of the past. She still hadn’t played a song on the piano.
But I knew being in that room brought her peace. Just like the creek. She always wore a serene look on her face whenever she was there.
Her eyes would twinkle in the slightest way, showing the little bits of happiness she was feeling in those moments.
Ayla cleared her throat, snapping me out of my thoughts. She bit down on her lips nervously and looked down at her lap.
“It’s okay,” I quickly amended.
Holding her chin, I smiled. “You don’t have to say anything you don’t want to.”
Giving her a kiss on the forehead, I pulled away. “I need to go change.”
“You are beautiful.”
My mouth fell open, and I quickly snapped it shut. I almost choked on my breath and had to swallow several times.
She had said it so quick, and now she was avoiding my eyes.
I smiled. She was so precious.
I couldn’t help but smirk when I answered. “Thank you, Angel. Although I wouldn’t have minded if you called me sinfully, deliciously sexy. It would have done great wonders for my already big ego.”
She sucked in a surprised breath, her eyes widening. “You remember that too?” I muttered.
When she didn’t answer, I kissed her lips and pulled away. “I need to take care of some things. You can nap, and we will go to the piano room when I get back.”
Ayla nodded mutely, and I went into the closet. After dressing, I walked out to see Ayla already in bed.
Giving her a final glance, I walked out.
I met Viktor in the gym. “Ayla spoke for the first time when she saw me hurt,” I started.
Viktor stared at me in surprise and then smirked before busting into laughter. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”
“Fuck you,” I growled, landing a punch on the punching bag. My knuckles were bare, and I knew they would be bleeding soon.
“Sorry, not interested. I love wet pussies better,” Viktor laughed, rolling his sleeves up.
I landed more furious punches against the bag, my knuckles already raw and the skin bleeding.
“So how badly do you want me to fuck you up?” he asked, moving closer.
“I thought you said you were interested in pussies?”
“Can I use your spiral knife?”
“No,” I snapped.
Viktor huffed. “Fine.”
I didn’t have time to block his punch. It landed painfully in my ribcage, and I groaned. I bellowed, “You have a death wish.”
“You asked for it.”
“Shit. She only needs to see me hurt a little! Just to trigger her memories.”
“Oops, okay. You should have said that before.” Viktor shrugged.
I glared at him and kicked at his knee. He went down. “You crazy fucker!”
It was my turn to shrug. “Lesson one. Always be on your guard.”
We fought for hours. It turned out that it was more than just trying to make Ayla feel. We fought out our anger and self-loathing.
Our anger toward the men that had hurt Ayla was taken out on each other. Phoenix and Nikolay soon joined us.
“I can’t breathe. I think I broke something,” Viktor wheezed.
“Pussy,” Phoenix breathed through his pain.
“You went down before all of us,” Nikolay reminded Phoenix.
I shook my head and limped out of the gym. I was time to get to my Angel.
I opened the door and saw Ayla sitting on the bed, staring blankly at the wall. Her eyes snapped toward mine. I stayed hidden in the shadows.
“I’ll wait for you in the piano room.”
Without a second glance, I left the room and went next door. Settling in my chair, I waited for her.
The door opened, and I heard a gasp. “Alessio,” she breathed.
I closed my eyes at her voice. The sound of my name coming from her lips was heaven. For so long, I waited for this. For her to say my name.
Opening my eyes again, I saw Ayla coming toward me. She knelt down between my legs. “What…ha…ppened?”
Her voice was soft. But it was her eyes that got to me. She looked at me as if she was in pain.
“You are hurt,” she whispered, looking down at my bloodied hands.
She was feeling my pain.
Ayla searched my face, and she winced when she saw the bruises there. “I was sparring. It’s nothing.”
“But you are hurt,” Ayla said, taking my hands in hers. She bit on her lips nervously before looking around the room.
I knew what she was looking for.
“The first aid box is in our room. First drawer in the closet,” I muttered. Ayla stared at me for a second. Recognition flashed in her eyes before she nodded.
She got up and left the room.
I closed my eyes with a sigh. I was so fucking proud of her.
When she came back, I opened my eyes and saw her kneeling between my legs again. Ayla went through the first aid box, and I helped her pick the antiseptic wipes and bandages.
She stared at my hands for a second, her eyebrows furrowed. Her gaze went up to mine before moving to my hands again.
And then Ayla slowly cleaned my knuckles. Gently and with care. She cleaned the blood off and blew softly over my ripped skin.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Was she feeling this connection too? Did this moment mean something to her?
When she was done, she wrapped the bandages around my hands.
“Thank you, Angel.”
She nodded mutely, still staring at my bandaged hands, confused.
“Does this seem familiar?” I finally asked.
Ayla gave me a sharp nod. “You’ve done this before. In this same room. And just like today, you were hurting for me.”
Her fingers caressed my bandaged knuckles. “You might have forgotten me, but I still remember you. I still remember us. You used to play the piano for me every night. You would read while sitting on my lap. I would play with your hair while working. Sometimes we would go to the creek. You would play in the water. I was always scared that you would fall and get hurt,” I explained, my voice rough with emotion.
She moved closer to me and laid her head on my thigh.
“Your favorite flower is the white peony. But you love the pink one too. You love reading. You don’t know how to dance. I don’t know either. But we danced together. I love your hair down, so you would always leave it down for me. Your favorite food is pasta. You like chocolate, especially white chocolate. You hate dark chocolate—it’s too bitter for you. You would get mad if I didn’t wake you up in the morning when I was leaving. I would get mad if you didn’t kiss me good morning.”
Ayla closed her eyes as I caressed her cheek. “You said I was your peace. Your anchor and your savior. You are my Angel. We are one. I just need you to remember.”
Ayla stayed silent, but I could see the calm look on her face. After a few minutes of silence, I spoke.
“Play for me, Angel.”
Ayla sat up and stared at me. Our eyes making contact. Green to blue.
She let out a resigned sigh. I knew it was harder for her to remember. “Give it a try.”
She got up and went to the piano. When Ayla settled on the bench, I stood up and went to her. Standing behind her, I placed my hand over her round stomach.
When a hard kick pressed against my palm, I smiled. “The little fighter is feisty. He is cheering you on too.”
Ayla placed her fingers on the keyboard, and I waited. She pressed a key. A note played. And then another key.
Two notes and she stopped. Her shoulder dropped in defeat.
When I couldn’t b
ear the dejected look on her face any longer, I leaned forward. “It’s okay, Angel. We have all the time. You can try when you are ready. I won’t push you.”
Ayla stayed quiet, and I kissed her cheek before moving my lips to her ear.
And then I whispered the one thing I had been desperate to say for a long time.
She stiffened, and I saw her hands shaking.
My lips turned up in a smile.
When I saw a single tear trail down her cheek, I kissed it away and whispered the words again.
“I love you, my Angel.”
Chapter 11
The words slipped past my lips effortlessly. I said them without any remorse but full with adoration for the woman in front of me.
A year ago, I wouldn’t have believed those words were possible. But now, it felt like I would suffocate if I didn’t say them.
My chest felt lighter, and I finally could breathe. Ever since Ayla was taken from me, I regretted never saying those words to her.
Maybe it was because I never realized them before. I never thought of loving someone. Hell, I never thought I was capable of loving someone.
The moment Ayla was snatched from me, I realized my mistake.
She was everything and more. I would cherish her for the rest of our lives.
My hand lingered on Ayla’s cheek. Another tear fell, and I trailed the drop with the tip of my finger. I saw her breathing change, and her cheeks flushed beautifully.
Ayla closed her eyes tightly, and she took a deep breath. I waited for her reaction. I waited for her to say something—anything.
When she didn’t respond, I kissed her cheek and leaned back, giving her space. I would wait for her, for however long needed.
Ayla opened her eyes again and stared at the piano. With her fingers resting on the keyboard, she caressed the piano keys gently. She appeared lost in her thoughts. Her eyebrows were furrowed in concentration.
A frustrated sound escaped past her lips, and I saw droplets of sweat start to form on her forehead and neck. When her hands tightened in fists, my heart sank.
Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lifted her up. After taking her place on the bench, I pulled Ayla on my lap. She froze for a moment. I saw her swallow hard before slowly settling against me. She burrowed in my chest and sighed almost dreamily.