Empire

Chapter Eighty Two - Cassandra / Raf*

Cassandra ~

My mind was racing, but I forced my feet to move toward the playroom, following behind Rafs massive body.

The muscles in his shoulders and back strained against the thin cotton tshirt he was wearing and for a few seconds my body convinced my mind to follow him to the one place I was terrified to go at the moment.

He disappeared down the stairs and I stalled once he was out of sight. I squeezed my eyes closed and internally scolded myself for the apprehension that had stopped me in my tracks.

Wade's not down there. Neither is Bennett. It's Raf. You trust him.

I ran from my fears and suppressed them as I shook my head, attempting to physically rid myself of the intrusive thoughts that were holding me hostage.

Pushing out a shaky breath, I made my way reluctantly down the steps, noticing Raf had propped the doors open for me.

My heart was hammering against my ribs as I walked down the hall and slipped inside the playroom. My eyes found Raf immediately, bracing his weight on his knuckles against a leather padded bed.

His eyes never moved from my face as he studied me from across the room, giving me the smallest nod of encouragement as I walked inside and closed the door behind me.

******

Raf ~

She was so unsure and scared as she entered the playroom with her eyes fixated on me.

I'm not gonna hurt you Cassie. I'd never hurt you unless you asked me to.

I knew exactly why our sweet Cassie was struggling with intimacy. The trauma she endured at Wade's house was substantial, but instead of facing it and healing, she was trying to repress it. I saw it in her body language every single day, but I knew better than most that trauma doesn't go away, and it can't be outrun or hidden. She was going to have to face what had happened to her, all of it, but she needed a safe space to do that.

"I want you to safe word me if this gets to be too much. Do you understand?" I said firmly, watching Cassie nod her head with her eyes wide.

So fucking innocent and scared.

"I understand." Her soft voice was drained of all its bratty confidence as she slowly approached me.

She stopped moving once she neared the bed and froze in place, so I came to her instead, closing the space between us.

"When you walk into this room what's your biggest fear?" I asked, walking toward her slowly with my palms facing her in a non threatening stance.

Cassie chewed her bottom lip as if she was trying to figure out what I wanted to hear.

"No wrong answers here, Doll."

Don't hide from me, Cass.

She swallowed hard, but never broke eye contact with me.

"I'm scared that I'll relive it all, that I won't be able to tell past from present."

It was an honest answer, one that I was already aware of, but dammit if it didn't set my entire body on fire with anger. Anger that spread through my veins and flooded my senses. I wanted to beat the living hell out of anyone who had ever harmed her, but I had to suppress that rage and focus all of my energy on Cassie, because she needed me.

What I hated most was that she was going to have to face that fear in order to heal, but I wasn't about to make her do that alone.

Placing my hands under her arms, I picked her up and placed her in a seated position on the edge of the leather padded bed.