YOURS

Chapter 35

Delia woke up gasping,body thrashing in Keiran's arms,her eyes darting around the room wildly. For a moment,she continued to struggle,her mind still trapped in the bloody scene that had been before her eyes,tears welling up afresh.

"Delia? Delia it's okay. You're safe. You're here,it's okay,"Keiran began,the barest hint of desparation in his voice. She turned to the sound of his voice,eyes glassy,a dazed look in her eyes before a wave of recognition flooded them. Keiran's hand slowly cupped the side of her face,his hazel amber eyes willing, begging her to come out of her trance. Her ragged breathing began to slow down,Shakily,she lifted her arm to place her trembling hand over his on her face.

"K-Keiran? Is...is this real?" She asked,her voice hoarse as it cracked vulnerably. Keiran gingerly lifted her up higher to him,her body leaning on his,her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms even tighter around her as if in reassurance.

"It is Butterfly. It's real. I'm here. You're safe,"Keiran said, stroking her hair gently. Delia slowly wrapped her own arms around his firm torso, sighing in relief when she felt the solid beating of his heart in his chest. It was real. She wasn't back there anymore. She wasn't trapped with him. She hadn't killed Roman. Everything was going to be okay.

Her eyes burned,her throat felt raw and sore. She felt so tired. So,so tired. It was like...like every drop of energy she had left had been squeezed out of her. Already, Keiran's soft caresses were lulling her to sleep. Delia sighed in relief when her eyes fluttered shut for a moment. But as soon as she closed them,an image flashed through her mind. Roman,lying there in a pool of his own blood,his lifeless eyes fixated at her,asking her,condemning her for what she did to him. Delia's body jolted as her eyes flew open,panic already rising in her. Keiran's grip on her became tighter.

"No Butterfly. It's okay. I'm here... I won't let anything happen to you. You're okay baby,"he said,his voice surprisingly gentle as his hand softly combed through her long midnight locks. Delia felt him kiss the top of her head,a gesture that both surprised and soothed her at the same time. Delia buried herself deeper into his embrace,her face fully pressed on to his chest as her arms held on to him tighter. A moment of silence stretched between them.

"I... I'm so tired Keiran. But I can't go to sleep because... because I see his face when I close my eyes. And he's dead Keiran. Roman's...dead,"Delia whimpered,her voice breaking as she said the last part. Something inside of him broke when he heard her voice. She sounded so...broken. And while that would normally bring him a twisted sense of satisfaction,a sense of accomplishment, it only made him feel worse. And when he realized that she had begun crying again,his feeling grew tenfold.

Keiran was at a loss. He didn't know how to handle that kind of tears. He never had. So he held her. He held her and tried to reassure her that everything would be okay,that she would be okay,that Roman was and would be okay, He held her till her crying quieted down to silence,the only sound left was their own breathing. And he held her still.

Their arms tightly wrapped around each other, melding their bodies together as one,each an anchor of the other. Keiran's hand went underneath her chin and slowly lifted her to face him. Delia's back hand was quick to try and wipe away the tears that clouded her eyes and stained her face, determined not to let him see her at her lowest,despite the fact that he had been there for it the whole time.

"I'm sorry Delia,"he began,his words soft and silky to her ears,his eyes mirroring their sincerity."In all honesty,I didn't think that it would be that bad. I only wanted you to face your fears,your demons,so that they won't have as much power over you as they did hidden. I never actually wanted you to get hurt. Not like this."

Delia didn't know what to say to that,so she merely nodded and said nothing. Keiran's hand gently caressed her face again,his thumb running in gentle,feather like circles just near the corner of her mouth. He couldn't help it. Keiran drew nearer and nearer to her,and looked her right in the eyes. Keiran could see everything right there in those blue pools of hers. Her pain. Her anger. Her suffering. Her fear. Her uncertainty. Everything was swirling,battling in her eyes,and for a moment,he hesitated. But in that same moment,Delia leaned forward and placed her lips on his ever so gently,her eyes already fluttering shut,and kissed him.