A shiver runs through my spine, imagining Phoenix’s body falling over the rail, her eyes closed and peaceful.
“But even then I wasn’t granted it. The one decision I made for myself and it didn’t work.”
I understand her frustration for a moment, her need for the pain to stop.
“But I guess everything does happen for a reason,” she says, a small smirk coming across her face. “I can’t regret that now.”
Wrapping my arms around her again, I hold her tightly.
“I would have found you anyways, Seraph,” I say into her ear. “We were meant for each other. You belong to me and you always will.”
Shimmying us both so that we are both laying on the bed, we face each other, the heaviness of both our words weighing down on us. Once she calms down I lean forward putting my lips in hers, my fingers running through her hair, finding the back of her head.
We kiss in the darkness of her room and I realize this is where we both belong. She is my home now. I would die for her. After a few minutes she pulls back, her body shifting so that it is on top of mine. I can feel her hot center on me and I try not to think about it as she leans down and kisses my chest. Leaning up I wrap my arms around hers, planting kisses on her neck, my fingers going underneath her shirt in the back. I hear a moan escape her lips.
“Yes,” she breathes out.
I trail my fingers up the length of her back, feeling raised skin every so often. We both start to breathe hard and I pull back from her, our eyes meeting.
“Braeden, I want to…” she starts to say.
My heart rate spikes.
“I don’t know if I can, Seraph,” I admit. “It’s going to hurt, I don’t know if I can live with that.”
“Please?” she begs, her voice desperate. “I know that you would never hurt me intentionally. For the first time in my life I don’t feel alone and scared. I need you, Braeden.”
I contemplate it for a moment but I know I could never deny her. Reaching up I lift up her shirt and slide it off, her creamy skin exposed. I place my lips on her chest while I reach around slowly and unhook her bra with one hand, her beautiful breasts coming into view.
“You are beautiful, Seraph,” I say into her skin.
Shifting my body so that she is now underneath me I continue to kiss, my tongue landing on her breasts, both of them standing at attention to me. When I encircle my lips around one peak I hear another moan leave her throat, her way of telling me it’s OK. I continue down her torso until I come to the button on her jeans. I stop and look up at her, silently asking her if I may continue. She gives me a nod. With shaky hands I reach for it, sliding the zipper down slowly. At this point I am rock hard as much as I don’t want it to. I want this to be all about her, about the pleasure she deserves.
As I get her jeans off I pull myself off the bed. Phoenix’s eyes turn to worry.
“It’s OK, baby, I’m not going anywhere,” I explain.
I start to undo my button and zipper, my pants falling down to the floor. Phoenix’s eyes find it immediately, her eyes widening. Reaching down to the floor I pick up my t-shirt and walk over to the bed.
“Lift your hips, baby,” I say softly.
She does as she is told and I slide my shirt underneath her hips before she lowers back down. I take a deep breath, my whole body buzzing. I had slept with a few women, but none of them meant this much to me. Knowing that I will cause her pain only makes it worse. Sliding my underwear off I keep them in my hand as I climb back on the bed, hooking the string of her underwear in my finger tips and slowly slide it down.
Placing one finger in between the folds of her lips I can feel her wetness seep around my fingers and I twitch with sensation. I gently slide one inside her, her hips bucking while I do. A loud moan escapes her lips and I pray to god that my father isn’t home at the moment. After I pump a few more times I pull out, Phoenix’s eyes still locked on mine.
“Are you ready?” I say through shaky breath.
He bites her lip and then nods. Grabbing myself with my hand, I line myself up and slowly run the tip of it through her slit, before pushing inside her slowly. I hear her gasp and I withdraw a little.
“No,” she says through gritted teeth. “It’s OK.”
I resume to pushing slowly as I watch her fingers grip the sheets beside her. After a few more thrusts I am all the way in, all the pain leaving her face, a small smile coming across her face. Just when I thought I couldn’t love her more she lets me worship her body, letting me take something so important to every woman. The rest of it was a blur but after some time we both reach our climax, mine coming into my boxers. Watching Phoenix’s orgasm come from my touch is my new favorite vision and I know it will be replayed in my mind for days to come. I go to slide off of her but she stops me, our eyes interlocking.
“I love you, Braeden,” she says softly, a blush creeping across her face.
At that moment my heart explodes into a million pieces.
“I love you, too, Phoenix,” I respond. “I think I have since the moment I first saw you.”
Chapter 44
Phoenix
“No, please don’t,” I choke out, his grip on my neck getting tighter as each second ticks on. I can feel the tears starting to well up.
“You think that you can get away with this?” his voice growls, his mouth mere inches from mine.
My eyes shift to a figure in the corner. Her hair matches mine but her eyes are cold, her mouth turned up in a devilish grin. This person is not here to help me. With his hands still around my neck, he pulls me off the wall and I instinctively put both my hands around his arm, trying to pry it from my throat. It doesn’t budge and he slams be back into the wall, this time so high that my feet dangle off the ground. My eyes shift to the female figure in the corner again, her hands reaching deep inside her pocket and pulls something out. The small light in the room shines from the silver of the blade. I instantly start to flail, trying everything I can to get away from them but the fingers around my neck tighten, my wind pipes completely cut off. The female form takes long strides towards me and the two figures are now side by side.
My eyes shift between the both of them, a wicked grin begins to sprawl across their faces and then things move so quickly. The feeling of warmth flows down torso and I feel around, the handle of the dagger flush against the skin on top my ribcage, an eruption of pain coursing through every inch of my body. When I look back up the figures have vanished almost like they were a figment of my imagination. But the pain and blood is all too real.
Without the support of his fingers around my neck, my now weak body crumbles to the floor, my back flush against the hardwood floors. The only thing in my sight is the handle of the dagger. With my blood-soaked hand, I wrap it around the etched wooden handle, but as soon as my skin comes in contact with it, the dagger thrusts deeper into my skin. I scream out at the top of my lungs, my vision no longer clear due to the tears falling down my cheeks.
I don’t know how much time passes, the pools of blood on either side of my body growing with each second. I feel my eyes starting to become heavy and I know it will only be moments before I am taken from this world. But instead of the sense of calm that is always hoped for, it is replaced with dread and longing. I lay there staring at the wall, feeling so lost and alone. But then a soft light starts to fill the room and I lean up to see another female figure standing before me. Her facial features are soft, her presence instantly comforting me. She walks over to me on what I swear is air, never seeing her actual feet touch the ground. I remain lying still on the ground, only my eyes moving. The figure makes it to the side of my body and slowly leans down, her hand hovering over the dagger.
“NO! Please,” I cry out. “It will kill me.”
She doesn’t listen and continues to reach for it, her fingers never actually touching it. The dagger then slowly starts to ascend from my body, drops of blood dripping from its pointed tip. I squint my eyes, noticing a dark tar-li
ke substance wrapped around it. I remain still, still afraid to move. The dagger spins slowly underneath her command before it completely disappears before me. Her eyes find mine and I inhale sharply, the blue in her eyes is so vibrant that I swear they glow.
“You may sit up,” her voice echoes through the room.
I hesitate for a moment but start to raise my head. As I do, I see the blood pools traveling back towards my body, a series of small rivers retreating back to the stab wound. Once in the blood returned, the wound starts to heal itself and, soon, there is no evidence of where the dagger was once immovable.
When I get fully seated upright, the figure only smiles at me before reaching out, her fingers close to my skin. I can feel every hair on my face and neck stand on end, but her touch is warm.
“You are safe now, my dear,” she speaks again.
I go out to touch her, knowing she must just be another figment of my imagination. Much to my displeasure, my fingers go right through her arm but the same sensation that was on my face is now flowing through my fingertips.
“Who are you?” I ask nervously.
“I was sent here by someone who desperately loves you, Phoenix,” her velvet voice explains. “You have many people who deeply care about you, both walking on this Earth and those that aren’t.”
“So, are you like, my guardian angel?” I ask, my voice shaking.
A smile comes across her lips, a smile that seems all too familiar to me.
“I will always protect what is important to my family,” she explains. My heart beat quickens.
“You’re…are you?” I mutter, not knowing what to say.
Her head slowly starts to nod.
“I’m so sorry, for everything you had to experience…” I cry out, suddenly feeling her pain.
“Shhh,” she hums. “You are now what is important to him. He shouldn’t grieve over me anymore.”
The warm tears start to flow down my face, a few of them entering my mouth, the salty taste on my tongue.
“He has what he needs now,” she continues on. “You both do. You both should live the life you always deserved and never look back.”
She then puts her hand over my heart and I feel a jolt through my body, my back arching off the floor from the force.
~
I snap my eyes open, the feeling of warmth sprawled across my stomach. The room is bright, being the complete opposite of my dream. Shifting my body so that I am now facing him, I find myself only being able to stare. Stare at the heavenly creature next to me. My mind becomes a jumbled mess of visions from last night and my dream. Had we really bared our souls to each other?
I had never talked to anyone about my father before, not even when my mother would pretend to care and ask me. Not even to the psychiatrists at the hospital, most of them were always blinded by the cuts and bruises. And then those bright blue eyes come across my vision and my heart rate spikes. I hastily pull down my shirt a little to look at my upper chest, a sigh of relief coming over me when I don’t find anything there. But what I do find is that a feeling of something inside me is gone. The once dark hatred that haunted me has vanished. I see Braeden stir, his eyes opening slowly, confused by the severity of my movements.
“Seraph?” he says sitting up, noticing my confused state. “What’s going on?”
My face changes, a smile coming across my lips.
“I’m…happy,” I say, almost confusing myself.
He returns with a smile.
“Can I ask you a question?” I blurt out suddenly.
His fingers find mine and they intertwine. “You never have to ask if you can ask me a question,” he says softly.
“What color eyes did your mother have?” I ask, already knowing what the answer is.
“A very light blue,” he responds. “Why?”
I smile even wider while looking down at our hands intertwined.
“She’s OK, Braeden, I want you to know that,” I start. “She is happy and so proud of you. Of us.”
I see his eyebrows crunch together.
“It’s a long story.” I laugh.
Instead of continuing on, he tugs on my arm gently and I push my body into his, both of his arms around me tight.
“That was the best night of my life,” he whispers into my ear.
I can feel the burning growing in my cheeks.
“It was mine too,” I say softly. “It was better than I could have ever imagined.”
We both collectively hear the garage door open, it pulling us out of our serene moment. My body goes rigid, almost forgetting about Dr. Harris. I go to try to pull away, scenes of Dr. Harris finding us here together going through my mind. I then hear Braeden laugh.
“Stop squirming, you’re ruining the moment,” he kids.
“But what if he finds us?” I ask.
“He won’t come up here, he wouldn’t want to invade your privacy like that,” he explains.
“That’s ridiculous, it’s his house.”
“He doesn’t come up here much,” he says sadly, and I instantly understand why.
I go back to face him and he plants a kiss on top of my lips before letting me go.
“Why don’t you go take a shower and get dressed, I’ll head down and make us some breakfast.”
I just smile and nod. His fingers reach up and gently graze my cheek, my skin responding the same as it was in the dream.
“I love you, Seraph.”
My heart skips a beat.
“I love you, too.”
After placing another kiss on his lips I bounce out of bed, grabbing my towel on the way out.
Chapter 45
Braeden
I pull myself from the bed, silently cursing in my head. I want nothing more than to stay in this bed with her the rest of our lives. Just she and I, the rest of the world could stop spinning for all I cared. Fumbling around on the floor for my zip up, I slide it on, my t-shirt no longer wearable. Pulling open the bedroom door I can hear my father walking around downstairs, wondering if he was coming or going. When I reach the bottom of the stairs my father immediately notices me, my presence making him stop dead in his tracks.
“Braeden,” he states, his face looking the most exhausted I have seen in a long time.
“Long night?” I ask, already knowing the answer.
“Like you couldn’t believe,” he says shaking his head.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” I ask, concerned that he is always taking on too much.
“You know I can’t talk about patients,” he says almost sternly. “But I do need to talk to you about something else.”
My heart skips a beat, wondering what it could be. I now notice that he has a brown paper bag in his right hand. He closes his eyes and lets out a deep breath.
“I know that this situation is…different,” he starts. “And I have prescribed this to a lot of women but I don’t want her to feel uncomfortable having that talk with her.”
I stare at him confused for a moment until my brain decides to play catch up.
“Oh,” was all I blurt out.
He hands the bag out towards me and I take it from him.
“Uh…thanks,” I say, suddenly feeling uncomfortable myself.
“I know that you two are serious, but I am way too young to be a grandfather.” He laughs.
I crack a smile.
“You don’t have to worry about that anytime soon,” I respond.
We silently realize our conversation is done and both make our way towards the kitchen. “Hungry?” I ask.
“Famished,” he calls out behind me.
Opening the fridge I am shocked about how much food is in here, a clear difference from just a few days ago. Pulling out some eggs and vegetables I quickly make a scramble for the three of us, portioning it out between the plates, setting one down in front of my father.
“Thanks, son,” he says with a sigh while picking up his fork.
“Anytime,” I say, my eyes catching a figure in
the doorway.
“Good morning, Phoenix,” my father says, a smile across his face.
She smiles back but I can tell she is nervous, or embarrassed. I leave the table side and wrap my hand around her lower back, placing a kiss on her forehead.
“Morning, Seraph,” I call out.
A loud clanking sound fills the room and I turn around to see my father had dropped his fork, his eyes on us. It’s only now that I realize what I had said out loud.
“Is everything OK?” Phoenix asks, clearly confused by the change of atmosphere.
I look over at my father, a tight smile coming across his face.
“Everything is fine,” he assures. “Both of you eat before it gets cold.”
My eyes find my father’s and I apologize silently, his eyes telling me it’s OK. We both grab our plates and sit down at the table, all three of us eating in silence. After a few minutes my father finishes up his plate, gets up from the table, placing his dirty dishes in the sink. He then walks back over to the table, both of our eyes looking back at him.
“I’m heading into my office to do some paperwork,” he starts. “Phoenix, when you are finished there is something I need to give to you.”
“OK,” she says softly, her face looking instantly nervous. He then steps out of the room and I instantly wrap my hand around hers.
“Don’t be nervous, I’m sure it’s just nothing,” I assure her.
“I know,” she admits. “Still, gotta get used to being able to trust people,” she shrugs, putting another forkful in her mouth.
Leaning over I place my lips on hers, the fire running through my body, still amazed at how the simplest of touches sends my body into a frenzy. When I pull back I spot the brown paper bag on the counter. Releasing my hand from hers I get, grabbing it I suddenly feel embarrassed.
“My father, uh,” I start, realizing how uncomfortable my father would feel talking about this with her. “He thought this would be a good thing.”
I hold the bag out to her and she reaches up, taking it from me. She slowly unrolls the bag, her eyes sort of widening as she goes over the contents.
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