Page 68 of Tortured Souls

“Like one big, happy family?” I smile at him, and all he does is nod again.

“Do Saint and Sage know? How do they feel about it?”

“They keep asking me when the move in date is.” I think about it for a long moment. Do I want to move in? I mean, I am always there anyway, but I don’t want to intrude on Sage and Saint’s personal space too.

“What if?—”

“Don’t do that. Don’t you let that pretty little head of yours create fake scenarios as to why you shouldn’t move in. Sage and Saint have their own wing of the house, while we will have ours. Shit, the house is big enough for twenty people to live there.” I watch as his eyes soften as he looks me over. He’s waiting for my response, and it looks like he’s nervous. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth.

“Okay, I’ll move in with you.” I smile down at him, and his mouth spreads into one of his rare full smiles I love so much. His lips crash to mine as he flips us around on the bed so he’s on top.

“Do you have any idea how much you mean to me, Sky?”

“I think I do, but I never tire of hearing it again,” I tease him. A grumble vibrates up his chest, his lips kissing all over my face until he pulls back and gazes at me once again.

“When I was little, I had this recurring dream. A dream I only ever told my mother about.”

“What was it?” I whisper as he brushes back a strand of my wet hair. His fingers lightly dust my cheek, sending a shiver throughout my body. We settle into my bed, lying beside each other and getting comfortable. Resting his body on his elbows, he frames my face with his hands, lightly playing with my hair as he speaks.

“I was little, and I went out behind the house to the top of the hill beyond the trees. There’s a meadow out there that not many people know about. Hell, I don’t think anyone really knows about that place.” He lets out a chuckle as if he’s finally realizing he’s the only person aware of this secret spot. “At the bottom of the hill, purple extends across the meadow and only stops when it hits the forest line again. Lavender grows there in the spring. Beautiful, tall, and fairytale-like plants, brightening the earth’s floor with its rich color. It’s truly something special. Anyway, in my dream, I would go there and sit at the top of the hill, looking down at the lavender. I would watch as this woman with long chestnut-brown hair would sit in the center of the field and play with the tips of the lavender plants. Almost like she was tickling the branches ever so gently as to not hurt them.”

He takes a deep breath, his eyes meeting mine.

“Who was she? The girl in your dream?” Smiling, he leans down and kisses my forehead.

“Back then, I wasn’t sure. I never saw her face. It wasn’t until I told my mother about it that she made me understand. She told me the girl in my dream is who I need to go to. Who the heavens created just for me and Zeus was blessing me with a glimpse of my future. She loves Greek mythology. The person that was created by my subconscious to love and cherish for all my life.” I smile at him. Oh, how I wish I could have met his mother. She sounds so lovely, so gentle and soft. A mother you could only wish to have as your own.

“I thought she was just trying to make sense of a dream I was thinking too much into. I was so young, and love was the furthest thing from my mind. Now I’ve realized how right she was. It was you, Sky. The girl in the lavender field was you, and I finally found you.”

My heart explodes into a million pieces, floating around in my chest, patching and filling the cracks and crevices until they’ve all been mended by his love. His passion, his tenderness, and all the ways a person can love another, he’s shown me. If I’m the girl in the lavender field, he was my black knight hidden in the shadows of all my nightmares. Reminding me that a future was possible. A life beyond the terrors was coming—I just needed to hold on. I needed to fight and survive to reach it. To reach him.

When everything in my life felt like an atomic bomb going off around me, something always called to me. The day I ran from my family, I had never visited Golden Heights before, but there was a voice inside screaming for me to escape and find refuge there. Yelling for me to run, so I did. I ran and ran and ran until I ran into none other than Saxon Wilder himself. The dark knight watching, observing, and silently protecting me from my evils. Although I didn’t know it at the time, I had finally reached him.

I found him.

ONE YEAR LATER

SKYLAR

I have never in my whole life been as nervous as I am right now. I knew this day was coming, but I never imagined the size of this event would be this grandiose or magnificent as it is. Today, the Kings’ Aces are holding a ride event to bring awareness to domestic violence in our area. When Saxon brought up the idea, I was beyond hesitant. I didn’t want everyone and their motherto know the story of my past life. I feared the eyes that would land on me everywhere I went, and thinking about the whispers or chatter about me scared the shit out of me.

When talking with my therapist, she said the idea sounded amazing and bringing awareness to this topic would not only be empowering for me, but would help other women like me seek help if they are in a difficult situation. After that day, I told Saxon the ride was a great idea. If I could be a part of something that could help or stop another woman like me from getting hurt, I’m all in.

We went back and forth about what to call the ride since I didn’t want my name front and center. We decided on the slogan: No Fear, We Are Here. The club also announced that if anyone were ever in a situation that they needed saving from, they could seek refuge at the club. Granted, the local PD didn’t like that idea. They felt it would create violence towards the abusers, but the club didn’t care. The doors were open at the garage and at the club should anyone need their assistance.

Looking out into the parking lot of Capital Vice, there are over three hundred motorcycles and riders waiting for the ride to start. My heart is pounding so hard, I fear people will hear it if they stand too close to me.

“Are you okay, tesoro?” His lips are touching the shell of my ear lightly. Taking a deep breath in, I turn to face him. The man that settles the pounding in my chest with just his words.

Thick brows are pinched together, and his dark eyes are on me, scanning my face as he tries to decipher my mood. I give him a gentle smile, nodding.

“Yeah, I’m okay. I just never imagined this many people would come.” Wrapping his arm around my waist, he pulls me to his chest. My hands rest on his pecs as I look out into the crowd again.

“All these people are willing to fight to end this type of violence. Either they’ve experienced it firsthand, or they know of someone who has. Domestic violence affects everyone involved. They’re here to show their support. Just like I am.” I look up into his dark eyes.

“I love you, Saxon.” Rising to my tiptoes, I kiss the man that has my whole heart. My heart that he’s possessed and carried with him wherever he goes. My heart he’s been protecting from the demons and shadows that lurk in the distance. My heart that beats with so much love that I fear it will burst one day, and a million heart-shaped butterflies will litter the air around us. Cupping my face with his hands, he pulls my face to his, kissing me softly.

“I love you so much, Skylar Wilder.”