Chapter 31 I didn't think . I grabbed a candelabra from a wall stand and smashed it against the curtain near the door . The fire caught fast … too fast . The fabric was dry and dust - covered , and in seconds the flames roared up the walls . Smoke billowed . I ducked low , coughing hard , and ran for the nearest door that led outside . My lungs screamed , my legs felt like jelly , and I nearly collapsed again . But I kept going . I had to . I pushed through the back exit and ran barefoot into the woods . The ground was cold and uneven , sharp stones cutting my skin . Branches slapped my face and tangled in my hair , but I didn't stop . The night was brutal . Wind sliced through the thin coat and the cold sank straight to my bones . My vision blurred , and every breath burned . I had no idea where I was going , only that I had to keep moving . I had to survive long enough to tell Ephraim the truth . Then the trees broke open and I saw a narrow road . My legs gave out as I stumbled onto the gravel , and my body hit the ground hard . The last thing I saw before blacking out again was the faint beam of headlights in the distance . I didn't know if they were friends or enemies . But I hoped to God it was him . ** I woke to warmth . Not just the kind that settled on your skin from soft blankets or sun through glass , but something deeper . Safer . My eyes blinked open slowly , the light above me soft and golden . The scent of antiseptic clung to the air , but it was faint , almost drowned out by something else - lavender and cedarwood . Something familiar . Someone familiar . A low humming reached my ears . Gentle . Steady . Then a hand squeezed mine . I turned my head , and there he was . Ephraim . His eyes were swollen . Red . Like he hadn't slept in days . His suit jacket was wrinkled and thrown carelessly over the chair , his sleeves rolled up , his usually perfect tie long gone . He looked nothing like the man people feared and everything like the man I loved . He was holding my hand like if he let go , I'd disappear again . I opened my mouth . The word was barely a whisper . " Ephraim … " He froze . Then his face broke . The smile that trembled across his lips cracked into a sob , and he leaned in , pressing his forehead to our joined hands . " Fuck , " he breathed . " I thought I lost you . Again . " He Left Me for Dead . Now He Beas Me for Mercy 01.09 22:34 Sun , Aug 104 47 % manage was a hoarse breath . My throat burned , and my limbs were too heavy to lift . He lifted his head and cupped my face so gently , like I was glass . His thumb brushed just beneath my eye . " Don't talk . Don't try , angel . Just rest . I've got you now . " His voice cracked on the last word , and I saw it … how much he'd broken while I was gone . He didn't leave my side that night . Even when the nurses came in to check my vitals or when they tried to convince him to go get some sleep in a proper bed , he ignored them . He pulled a chair close , rested his head beside my arm , and wrapped his fingers through mine again . He slept like that . Still wearing my ring on a chain around his neck . Still gripping my hand like if he let go , I'd slip through his fingers all over again . When I opened my eyes the next morning , the sun was just starting to pour through the blinds . Ephraim was already awake . His eyes were still bloodshot , darker from the shadows under them , but his expression had softened . Calmer . Like watching me breathe gave him back pieces of himself . " I thought I was dreaming ," I murmured , my voice raw and slow . " But you're really here ." He leaned in and kissed my knuckles . " I'm not going anywhere . Ever again ." There was a silence , then his jaw clenched , and he sat back , rubbing his palms against his face . " The night you disappeared … " he started , voice hoarse . " The hospital called me too fucking late . They told me you flatlined . And when I got there , everything was wrong . The guards were dead . Poisoned . Your body was missing . They didn't even know how long you'd been gone . " My heart thudded weakly in my chest , and I tightened my hold on his hand . He didn't look at me . Just stared at the floor like it was easier . " I lost it . I called everyone . Hired every kind of mercenary , SWAT unit , hacker , fucking bounty hunter that owed me a favor . I turned this entire country upside down trying to find you . " " You found me , " I whispered . He exhaled hard . " Yeah . Because I- " he paused and looked at me then , ashamed . " I put a tracker in your necklace . When you were in that coma . I didn't want to lose you again , and I didn't tell you because I knew you'd be pissed . " I tried to smile , but my lip just trembled . " I'm not mad . " He nodded once , quickly , and continued . " We got the signal an hour after you were taken . You were in some rotting chapel in the woods . My men breached the place but … by the time they got inside , it was burning . You'd already escaped . We found you passed out on the road , barefoot , bleeding , cold as hell . " Chapter 21 22:34 Sun , Aug 10 ANG TO Wow600G OUT ON Ina rona narn DIGING - 4 / % וו n 5 nn וח D X He ran a hand through his hair , then looked at me , eyes filling again . " Ruby and that witch Massaro hired some guy named to kill you . We got them . They're gone now . But Ruby and Mrs. Masarro escaped . They disappeared before I could crush their skulls with my own hands . " Silence settled between us . The only sound was the steady beep of my heart monitor and the low hum of a machine nearby . Then he dropped his face into his palms and whispered , " I should've protected you . I should've seen this coming . All of it . I let them touch you . I let them take you ." I reached for his face . My hand barely made it halfway before he caught it in both of his . " You came , " I said softly . " That's all that matters ." He shook his head . " No. No , it's not . Because next time , I don't want to be too late . I want there to be no fucking next time at all . " He leaned forward and kissed my fingers , one by one . His voice dropped low . Possessive . Raw . " I'm going to kill them , Therese . With my own hands . And after that ? I'm going to build you a world so safe , no one will ever touch you again . That's my promise . You hear me ? " I nodded slowly , and he rested his forehead against mine , whispering , " You're everything . You always were . " 22:35 Sun , Aug 10