Page 43 of WITSEC

“Shiloh, it’s not real!” a voice yelled right behind me. “Wake up, baby!”

All it took was a blink and I knew I was awake. The sun was up. The hall that Mr. X had disappeared down was no longer dark and Creed was standing in front of it. I looked to the left and saw Colt and Knox standing in the living room. All three of them were wide-eyed and held panicked looks on their faces.

I was on the ground in the same exact spot I had been in my dream. The thing that had been restraining me hadn’t been a thing at all, but someone on the ground right behind me. By process of elimination, I knew it was Keelan. His legs were hooked over mine and his arms were wrapped around me in a rear bear hug hold.

I was breathing heavily. Rage and fear were riding on the back of my adrenaline as it still surged through my veins.

“I think she’s awake,” Knox said.

I did my best to relax in Keelan’s hold. “Did I hurt you?” My voice came out calm, but my tone was a different story. It had a sharp edge to it, revealing how mad I was. I didn’t think I’d ever been so angry. Since I’d really started buckling down and working with Dr. Bolton on healing, I’d been getting tastes of anger. This was different. What I was feeling now was a six-course meal. The magnitude of it was altering. I had felt a shift in me coming after what had happened to Isabelle. At first, I hadn’t understood it, but I did now. I was done being the victim. I was done being afraid. I was truly done.

If Keelan hadn’t stopped me, I might have really tried to kill Mr. X in my dream. I had been so angry I might have followed through on my threat and cut his heart out.

The sigh of relief Keelan let out pulled my attention back to him. His legs lifted off of mine and his arms fell away. He then scooped me up and turned me around to sit facing him. “No, you didn’t hurt me,” he said as his golden-brown eyes bounced all over my face. “Did I hurt you?”

I shook my head.

Keelan nodded and cupped my face. “Good, because you fought hard.”

“He was going to kill Creed.” My tone was still angry.

He gave me a tight smile. “So it was my brother you were going to cut X’s heart out for.” It was obvious that he was trying to lighten the mood.

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was more than likely dead in my nightmare. Remembering the blood all over Mr. X made me downright murderous.

Keelan’s forced smile turned genuine at whatever he saw in my expression. His hands dropped from my cheeks, and hewrapped an arm around me before flipping us. Next thing I knew I was on my back on the floor with Keelan on all fours above me. My legs were bent to frame his. Cold air hit me right between my legs, bringing to my attention that I wasn’t dressed like I had been in my nightmare, but was only wearing Knox’s shirt.

“I’m flashing everyone my vagina,” I deadpanned as I laid my arms out on the cool floor.

“No one in this room is unhappy about that, Shi,” Creed said.

Keelan gave me a mischievous grin. “With how loud you were moaning last night, I wouldn’t be surprised if Knox took your panties as payment.”

Knox didn’t correct him. So I didn’t, either.

Keelan stroked my cheek with a finger. “Not a single blush.”

“I’m too angry to blush.”

“I can see that,” he said and sighed. “I wonder what I can do to bring back my blushing girlfriend.”

I wanted to tell him to not bother. That he was wasting his time. I didn’t feel a beginning or ending to what I was feeling. I was lost in the smoke as my rage burned all around me. I had never wanted to kill anyone before. I had wanted Mr. X dead, but I had never reached a point where I wanted to do it myself.

“Do you want to have sex or do you want to spar, baby girl?” Keelan asked, making me realize that I had gotten lost in my thoughts.

“Why are those my only options?” I asked.

He stroked my cheek again. “Because you need an outlet for that anger.”

I debated, but I quickly realized that there wasn’t anything to debate. I without a doubt did not want to spar with Keelan when I was angry. I didn’t want to risk testing my anger like that. Not with him.

Mind made up, I shifted underneath him and rolled us. He let me pin him on his back without resistance and just grinnedup at me. I leaned down and gave him a quick kiss before climbing to my feet. “I want to take a shower,” I said as I started walking toward the hall.

Creed had moved into the living room and was sitting on the loveseat. Knox was standing by the couch we had been sleeping on and Colt was standing by the fireplace. They watched me as I approached the hall.

Before I walked down it, I turned and looked back at Keelan, who was still on the floor looking flabbergasted. “Aren’t you coming?” I asked him.

Keelan had always been the quickest to process and recover from things and right now wasn’t any different. He shot to his feet and rushed to me, but paused as he was about to pass Knox. Keelan stared across the couch at him. “Last night put me in a competitive mood.”