Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70417 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 352(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Sean cleared his throat. “If you want to speed it up, we need to hunker down, Cian. We need to be there and monitor everything. Which means…”
“…I have to be alone,” Skylar finished for him.
“Yes.”
“Then do it. I’m fine.” Slipping her hands under my chin, she lifted my head. Her wide eyes met mine, calm and determined. “Stop worrying about me, Cian. I’m warm, safe, and fed. Thanks to Sean, I have drawing stuff and I enjoy it. I’m in a far better place now than I was a couple of weeks ago.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but she pressed a finger to my lips.
“Finish it, so we can start.”
I blew out a deep breath. “Okay.”
She brought my head back to her shoulder. “Okay.”
Chapter 15
Skylar
The house was so empty without Sean and Cian in it. Every noise outside seemed louder, every creak of the roof and walls scarier without their comforting presence. Sean had come back once and been here overnight and most of the day, but he had left again. He only smiled when I anxiously asked about Cian, who had been absent for five days this time.
“He has it all under control, Skylar. It’s all good.”
“Is he okay?”
He patted my shoulder. “He will be. This will be over soon. I promise.”
There was lots of food in the house, as Cian said. Sean had brought plenty of books, puzzles, and even movies for me to watch to pass the time. I was so anxious, though, I spent most of the time staring at the blank phone screen, waiting for the one word a day I would get to know they were okay.
They were funny words that always made me smile.
MacGyver
Sandwich
Ice
Clutch
Kitten
Words only I would understand, so I knew they came from Cian. I kept the phone with me at all times. I slept fitfully, huddled under the blankets on Cian’s bed, hugging his pillow that smelled so strongly of him.
I put on the boots and coat he’d had Sean buy me and walked outside, up and down the driveway every day. I eyeballed the snowmobile but resisted the temptation to drive it into town and walk down the streets just to pass time. Cian was too anxious about me being seen. I tried to eat, but my appetite was lacking. I did spend some time cooking the fresh items Sean had left and putting them in the freezer, thinking Cian would like them when he came back.
Because he would come back.
He promised.
After Sean left again, it occurred to me that maybe Cian could see me via the camera in my old room. I wondered if he ever looked to check up on me. Feeling slightly foolish, I sat on the end of the bed, remembering he had said he could see me there. I looked at the wall I assumed was somehow hiding the lens and smiled.
“I miss you. I made you some food—no drugs—I promise. I’m waiting for you.” I held up my sketch pad, showing him a new watercolor. It was a sandy beach scene with the ocean in the background—the sort you saw on postcards or travel magazines. “I’m imagining us here when this is done. I think you owe me a vacation.”
I started to get up, then sat back down and crossed my arms. “And did you have to take the gray T-shirt, fuckwit? I liked that one. I want it back. Don’t wash it either. I want it to smell like you.”
Then I left the room, knowing if he saw that, it would make him smile.
I woke up, my body on high alert, every sense screaming. Something had woken me—something wasn’t right. I scanned the darkness of the room, holding my breath. I carefully reached for the cell phone I kept beside me, already knowing the sequence to use to hit the emergency number Cian had left for me. I could see nothing in the inky black of the night, but a sudden creak on the far side of the room caused my heart to race. I peered into the corner, unsure if I was imagining things or if there was indeed a figure there. The dark shadow moved, and my breath caught.
I wasn’t alone.
Sheer panic locked me down, and before I could do anything, the shadow moved again.
“Kitten…it’s me, baby.”
A gasp left my mouth, and with a startled cry, I flung myself blindly toward Cian. He caught me easily, his cold arms wrapping me close. “I’m sorry. You were sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you. I was walking away, and the floor creaked,” he murmured into my neck.
Sobbing, I shook my head. “You’re here. You’re safe!”
He held me closer. “I’m here.”
Our lips found each other’s in the darkness, reconnecting us. His breath filled my mouth, his taste overwhelming me. Passion only he had ever evoked filled me up. We fell back on the mattress, a tangled mass of arms and legs, both of us trying to get as close as possible. His nimble fingers delved under the shirt I was wearing, the icy feeling of his skin against mine making me shiver.