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Chapter 47 Damien
Eden doesn’t drive. She also doesn’t have any friends or any favorite local hangouts.
There aren’t many places she’d run off to in her current state.
In fact, I can only think of one.
The graveyard located half a mile from Cain’s burning house.
My boots crunch over the grass and little white flurries trickle out of the sky as I pass through rows of graves and monuments.
Black Hallows doesn’t usually get snow in November, but given the events of the night, it’s oddly fitting.
I blow a puff of breath into my hands, then dig them in my pockets for warmth. I’m about to call this a bust and turn back when I hear something a few rows over.
My chest tightens when I turn my head.
Eden’s hugging Kristy’s marble headstone, her small body wracking with sobs.
I should walk away, give her the time she deserves, but it’s freezing outside and she’s only wearing the suit jacket I gave her earlier.
Crouching down, I pry her off Kristy’s grave.
“It’s cold, baby,” I say when she protests.
She claws at my chest as I scoop her into my arms. “I never got to meet her.”
I know.
“I wanted a mom so bad,” she rasps as I begin carrying her to the car.
I know you did.
“It hurts.” A guttural scream rips from her throat. “It hurts so much.”
I know it does. “I’m sorry.”
It’s the first time I’ve ever uttered those words.
It’s the only thing I’ve ever been truly sorry for.
Eden’s shivering so much her teeth chatter as I bring her into the house. I turned the heat on high during the drive, but given how cold she still is, it wasn’t enough.
“Oh my God,” Geoffrey utters when I pass him on the stairs. “I’ll draw a bath.”
“I’ll do it.”
He nods, looking her over. “While you do that, I’ll call a doctor.”
“No.”
He blinks. “She’s bleeding, sir.”
“Get lost or find a new job,” I growl, pushing past him.
Geoffrey is devoted, but there are some situations you can’t trust anyone.
“Don’t touch anything right now,” I tell Eden as we enter the bathroom and I set her down. “Not until you get out of the bath.”
The last thing I need is investigators finding a bloody fingerprint belonging to Eden.
She hasn’t said a word since we left the graveyard. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s seriously sick or in shock.
Probably both.
I turn to her as the tub begins to fill. “We need to get these off.” I place her hand on my shoulder for support. “Lean on me.”
I take her shoes off first, placing them on a bath towel I laid down. The jacket she’s wearing quickly follows.
My pulse speeds up when I see all the blood covering her body until I remind myself it’s Cain’s and not hers.
She winces when it’s time to take off her panties and I soon realize why. They’re damp and smell like piss.
Cain got off too easy.
Once again I swallow my rage as I help her into the bathtub.
I’m not a tender or kind person. Taking care of others isn’t my thing. Never has been. But I do my best with Eden, being as gentle as I can while I wash all the blood off. When the water turns red and she cringes, I drain it and fill it back up. And when she starts to shiver again, I strip my clothes off and get in the tub with her.
“It’s go
“Sir, I’m sorry, but she needs to see a doctor—” Geoffrey starts to say as he barges in. His expression changes when he looks at the pile of bloody clothes and then at us.
Irritation skitters up my spine. “Geoff—”
“I’ll take care of these.” He picks up the clothes before I can stop him. “I already have a fire started in the library fireplace.”
“You tell a soul and—”
“Your secrets are safe with me, sir.” He looks at Eden and his face softens. “I’m sure it was deserved.”
He has no idea.
“By the way,” he says as he walks out. “The governor passed away.”
Oh, how the mighty have fallen.
“Looks like everyone got what they deserved tonight.”
“I didn’t feel anything, Damien,” Eden says, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Wha—”
“When I killed him. I thought I’d feel remorse…but I didn’t. I still don’t.” She draws her knees up to her chest. “How long do you think it will be before the police come looking for me?”
“Don’t worry about that.” I kiss her shoulder. “You should get some rest.”
She tilts her head to look at me. “Cain said there was a bullet with your name on it.”
I’d laugh if she didn’t look so serious. Cain was nothing if not a manipulative liar. “Did he say that when he was still tied up?”
She nods and her expression turns grim. “It was my breaking point. I didn’t want him to take another person…” She shakes her head. “I got tired of him taking everything good in my life.”
He’ll never take anything from her again. His death is her fresh start.
She stands up and reaches for the oversized towel on the sink. “Thanks for the bath. I’ll see myself out in a few.”
I’m right behind her when she leaves the bathroom. She’s not going anywhere. Not until I know the police arrest the right person.
“Don’t leave.”
She fastens the towel around her. “I don’t have a reason to stay.”
I let that shot roll off my back. She’s angry. She’s entitled to it. But I’m still not letting her leave.
“Eden—”
“No.” She spins around. “I already spent time with one dead guy tonight. I have no desire to do it with two.”
Frustration burrows in my gut. I’m trying to do everything I can to help her. “What the fuck do you want from me?”
She shrugs helplessly. “Something I can never have.”
She’s not making any sense. All she has to do is say the word and I’d give it to her. “I don’t know—”
“You. I want to erase the last eight hours of my life so I can have you again.” She balls her fists. “It hurts. But it hurts a hell of a lot worse without you.”
Our gazes lock as she takes a step closer.
“Look me in the eyes and tell me you don’t love me.”
Saying the words will only make things worse.
If we had a chance at a future. If I could change the past…I’d tell her. Hell, I’d scream it at the top of my lungs.
But we don’t.
We never will.
The sun has already risen when I creep into her bedroom.
The news reported the fire at Cain’s house a little over two hours ago. It won’t be long before they get here.
Eden wakes with a start when I crawl into her bed. “What are you doing?”
I crush my mouth against hers. I can’t say the words, but it doesn’t mean I don’t feel it.
“Being selfish.”
Memorizing every single part of her body.
My mouth dips to her neck and I suck the soft skin as I pull off her shorts and panties. I want to go slow and take my time. But I don’t know how much of it I have left.
“Damien.” Her eyes are sad, desperate. “I’m go
My hand cups her cheek. I’m go She parts her thighs and I settle between them, sliding inside her inch by inch until I’m rooted to the hilt. Eden sighs my name, combing her fingers through my hair as I thrust faster. Our breaths mingle in the dark as our hips rock.