Never Let Me Go (Derek Hale Fanfiction Book #3)

Chapter Fifteen: The Sun Also Rises

                    The jarring impact of her hug knocked me back against the Camaro, the back of my head bumping forcefully against the metal as my arms came around her instinctively, my mind reeling at the utter shock and incomprehension of what I was seeing with my own two eyes.

“Erica? Erica, it’s really you?” I whispered, and when her head tipped back to look up at me, tears welled in my eyes. Erica was grimy and bloodied and looked like she’d been through hell, but I held her against my body like she was my own flesh and blood. It’s really Erica. Erica is here, alive. Erica is alive. She’s alive.

                         I let out a strangled sound of a happy sob, my heart thudding as I buried my face against Erica’s ratty nest of coarse blonde hair and stroked her back slowly as she clung onto me, her tears leaking through my sweater. I felt Derek’s warmth press against my side, his strong arms coming to wrap around both me and Erica, and standing there, the tears of relief and happy surprise falling down my cheeks, I let my eyes close and my shoulders untense. Erica’s alive.

                             We quickly drove to the apartment, allowing Erica some time to organize her thoughts on the way. When we got home, I led Erica upstairs and showed her where the shower was, and laid out some clothes for her to wear once she was all cleaned up. Erica’s arms and chest were covered in deep, painful looking scratches, her hair matted with dirt and blood, and her face coated in grime. Her clothes were nothing but rags, stiff with dried muck and gore, and I dumped them in the trashcan as I came downstairs.

                               “How is she?” Derek asked, rising from the couch and taking my hands in his anxiously. I could see in his green eyes that Erica’s survival was his second chance; he’d failed Cora and Monica and Isaac, but he had another chance to save Erica. I can’t believe she’s alive. 

“She seems fine, at least physically. Her wounds will heal with time, I’d imagine, but...whatever she went through for those three months won’t easily be erased, Derek.”

“I know, but Chris...Erica’s alive!” Derek cried, wrapping me up in a tight hug as I laughed genuinely and allowed him to swing me around the living room. It was the best news we’d gotten since I’d found out I was pregnant; it was a true blessing, a miracle from God that Erica was alive and not dead as we’d thought.

“I know,” I murmured in his ear, biting on my bottom lip as I smiled at the happiness brewing in our hearts for the first time in weeks. Erica’s alive.

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                          Two weeks later, I was just arriving home after three hours of working at the Thaitanic when I found Derek waiting outside of the apartment for me, hands clasped and eyes swirling with unspoken emotion. It was now late November, and the cold spell had passed, leaving it refreshingly cool and sunny out. I had taken to wearing rompers now, and as I approached Derek, his eyes flickered briefly over my deep purple patterned romper and the tiny bit of cleavage that showed through the outfit, before his eyebrows furrowed again and his frown returned.

“Hey babe, what’s wrong?” I cooed softly, my hands flying to either side of his face as I tried to figure out why Derek looked so miserable. Ever since Erica had returned to us, our lives had gotten much happier, but also much more difficult. Erica had told us how the Alphas had held her captive, separate from Cece and Dean, and beat her unconscious for days on end. That’s why when Isaac had gone to rescue them, and seen Erica lying unconscious and bloody, he’d assumed she was dead. But Erica had been tortured and abused for months by Deucalion, Kali, and Ennis when he’d still been alive. All for the sake of using her against Derek. Finally though, in the past few weeks, the beatings had lessened. The abuse had ceased. Aiden and Ethan had stepped in and told Deucalion that they wouldn’t stand for it anymore, and they had fought off the Alpha pack to set Erica free, days before Derek had killed Ethan and Deucalion had killed Cora and Monica. Since then, Erica had been stumbling around town, trying to heal and figure out how to find her way back to us.