Page 10 of Claimed

I’ll get it. Trust I will. On my life and everything I own, I’ll figure it out.

***Raven***

I take a deep breath before I even open my eyes. There’s just something reassuring about his scent. Funny, before today, the hint of his cologne would set my heart racing and arouse me to no end. Now, it’s calming. It’s my anchor in this stormy sea of hurt and confusion. I guess that makes him my ship...andmy captain. He’s the only one who can help me navigate the waters. He’s the only one who can save me.

I can’t hug him because of my bandages. Hell, I can’t even move my arm. A dislocated shoulder. I guess I put up quite a fight, for all the good it did me. I was still raped.

The word sounds so foreign. It still doesn’t feel real. How could this have happened? How could there have been someone in the house with me and I didn’t know? I couldn’t have been that distracted. Who the hell is this guy? How long was he there? God, how long has he been watching me? This must have been going on for a while because he obviously had a well-thought-out plan. How in the hell is Gage going to find him? He could be a million miles away right now. Or not. He could be waiting in the wings to finish the job.

I burrow impossibly close into Gage’s side and feel his chest expand with a deep breath.

“Babe?” he says in a sleepy voice.

“I woke you. Sorry.”

“Baby girl, I’m here foryou. I’ll stay up all night if you want me to.”

“Thank you,” I whisper, even though those words will never be enough to express my gratitude.

“You don’t need to thank me, either. This is where I should be. I feel helpless as fuck right now. If all I can do is hold and console you then that’s what I’ll do.”

“You’re not helpless.”

“Yeah? You got hurt on my watch, and I can’t even find the motherfucker who did it.”

“It’s only been a day.”

“Too fucking long,” he says. “He should have been fish food already.”

“You’ll find him.”

With all my heart, I believe he will. He’s the type of man who achieves whatever he sets his mind to. When he does, I want to be there. I want to watch the light in the man’s eyes go out as Gage drains every drop of blood from his body.

Jesus. What am I thinking?I can’t let this loser drag me down to his level. I can’t let him do it to Gage, either.

“Gage –”

Cindy, the nurse, walks in and interrupts what I was about to say. She gives me a bright smile and places a tray of food on the table.

“Lunch time,” she chirps.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Raven, you need to eat,” Gage tells me.

“He’s right,” Cindy agrees. “You have to try, sweetie.”

“Fine, but I don’t want that.” I jerk my chin at the tray. “Could you re-heat the soup my friend brought?”

“Sure thing. I’ll be right back.”

She takes the tray and my soup and leaves. Gage climbs out of the bed and stretches, placing both hands at the small of his back.

“Sorry,” I mutter. “This can’t be comfortable for you.”

“I’m fine. You need anything?”

“Can you help me out of bed?”