Page 89 of Before Broken Vows

My mind flashes through every nightmare I've ever had.

Xander taken.

Xander hurt.

Xander crying for me.

Xander alone, terrified.

Xander dead.

I see him in the bathtub, splashing water and giggling.

I see him eating ice cream, chocolate smeared across his cheek.

I see him sleeping, tiny hands clutching his stuffed dinosaur.

I see him running to me, arms outstretched, eyes bright.

I see him meeting his father for the first time, shy but curious.

This is why I left. This is why I stayed away.

I hadn't been paranoid. I'd been right. They'd found us. Whoever had been sending those pictures, those threats, they'd found us. And now they had my baby.

The ground beneath me seems to dissolve. The sky darkens.

I can't breathe. I can't think. I can't move.

Marlena's blood seeps into the fabric of my robe where I kneel, warm and sticky against my skin.

I should have listened to the warning. I should have run again. I should have never come back to Theo. I should have never let him find us.

My chest constricts, pain radiating outward.

I hear shouting. Distant. Muffled. Like I'm underwater.

Theo's voice. Calling my name. Getting closer.

But I'm falling. Falling into darkness.

The last thing I register is the feel of the ground against my cheek, the smell of earth and blood, and Theo's panicked face swimming above me, his mouth forming my name.

And then.

Blackness…

26

THEO

Stassi's limp body shakes in my arms as I carry her back inside. Her skin is pale. Her breathing, shallow.

I lay her gently on the couch, brushing the hair from her face. My hands flex at my sides. Rage is a living thing just beneath my skin, but I control it. I take out my phone and quickly dial.

I cover her with the throw blanket and stand. I can't sit. I can't fucking breathe until I know what the hell is going on.

He picks up on the first ring. "Theo?"