Chapter 4
Carson laid Jocelyn gently on her sofa, pulling a blanket over her naked body. She probably needed to go to a hospital, but he would leave that decision to her. In the meantime, he would take care of her the best he could.
He went to bathroom and found the very supplies that she had used on him the night before. Who would have guess that he would now have to patch her up? He got washcloths, towels, and the first aid supplies and returned to the living room, placing them on the floor. He got a large bowl filled with water from the kitchen and placed it beside the couch. He then went to her bedroom to find her some clothes. He found a sports bra, panties, socks, a t-shirt, and sweat pants, hoping that the soft materials would be the most comfortable for her when she awoke. He carried them to the living room as well, placing them on the coffee table before he knelt beside her. He didn’t want to violate her modesty, especially after what had just been done to her, but he needed to get her cleaned up. He didn’t want her to wake up and have to see her body as it looked now.
He left the blanket covering her body, opting to clean her face and neck first. He wet a washcloth and began to gently cleanse the blood from her collarbone and neck, cringing at the bruises that were steadily growing darker. He gently cleaned the blood from her cheek, from below her nose, and from her beautiful lips. The water in the bowl was beginning to turn a sickly shade of pink, and, for once, the smell of blood did nothing to arouse the predator within Carson. He was too focused on the gentle woman before him. He hurt for her in a way he had never experience before as he gently raise the edge of the blanket to the very tops of her thighs. He carefully, gently cleansed the blood from the insides of her thighs, careful not to hurt her worse.
After he had managed to clean most of the blood from her body, he smoothed antibiotic cream across her cuts and scrapes and checked for serious injuries. Her stomach could have internal damage from the hits it had taken, but there was no way for him to tell that. Even now, there were dark purple, blue, and black bruises forming across her middle just below her ribs. It didn’t seem high enough to have broken any ribs, thank God. Her nose hadn’t been broken either, despite the blood, but had been busted. Best as Carson could tell, her injuries should heal without medical attention; but the emotional damage may be much harder to heal.
Carson carefully dressed Jo and tucked her under the blanket, going to the kitchen to get her some water so she could take some pain medicine when she woke up. Then he returned to the living room, took a seat in a chair across from the sofa, and waited, watching her carefully for any signs of distress or of waking, guarding her carefully, protectively.
Jocelyn slowly opened her eyes, forgetting for a moment the events of the night. She moved to sit up and grabbed her stomach as pain shot through her body. With that sharp reminder, the events of the night caught up to her, hitting her all at once and making her gasp for air. She glanced down at herself, wondering how she had ended up in her living room, dressed and tucked safely into her sofa. The last thing she could remember was passing out after the man kicked her hard in the shoulder, finally allowing her mind to shut down as it crossed the threshold of the pain it could process and remain alert. It had been a welcome relief as she was waiting only for more pain and eventually death. How did I end up here? she wondered to herself, grateful but utterly confused.
Then a flash a movement caught her attention from the corner of her eye. She glanced up and saw the image of a man dressed in dark clothing coming toward her. She couldn’t see his face. Her first thought was that they had seen her address on her license in her wallet and taken her home to finish the job. They had been merciless enough to wait for her to wake up, to finish the brutality in her own home. Oh God, it isn’t over, she cried in her mind. Her brain was in overdrive, firing panic neurons faster than her body could process. She wanted to run, but she was tangled in the blanket. She glanced back up to see that the man had moved closer and was standing less than five feet from her now. She was trapped. She did the only thing she knew to do. She screamed, so loud that her own ears rang from the sound. She screamed and cowered into the couch, closing her eyes tight and wrapping her arms around herself to provide at least a little protection.
“Jocelyn! Jocelyn, it’s only me. Please, I won’t hurt you. Please, don’t be scared. You’re okay now. It’s okay, you’re safe. I won’t let anyone hurt you again.” She could feel the sofa dip as the man sat beside her. She stopped screaming, but still cowered into the couch. His voice—she knew that voice. It was deep, soothing, haunted. She felt a cool touch along her cheek, moving her hair behind her ear. It left trails of fire along her skin.
Carson.
She opened her eyes and turned to face him. He was looking at her with concern and compassion written clearly across his face. Without thought, she leaned into his chest, wrapping her arm around his waist, needing the comfort of his strong arms around her. And as his arms wrapped tightly around her, holding her as close as possible, she felt him set tuck his face into her hair as he stroked it soothingly. The tender and protective way he held her allowed her to let go, and the dam holding her emotions shattered. Tears streamed freely down her face and her entire body shook as the adrenaline, the fear, the pain all caught up with her. It was more than her fragile mind and body could cope with in that moment.
Carson held her patiently as she cried, soaking the front of his shirt. She couldn’t figure out what it was about this man, but he made her feel safe. No man had ever done that. She had learned to fear them at a young age. But she trusted Carson, a man she knew next to nothing about.
He whispered nonsense to her as he comforted her and let her cry until her eyes were red and swollen and her heart no longer felt the heavy weight of the events of the night. Numbness set in, but it was a blessing after all her body and mind had endured. Her body was exhausted and wanted to sleep, but she had so many questions for Carson, and her mind wouldn’t rest until he had answered them.
She raised her head slowly, still keeping close to Carson. He kept one arm around her back, holding her to his side and used his other hand to wipe away the tear that had formed salty trails down her cheeks. She closed her eyes and savored the feel of his fingers caressing her cheeks. He laid his hand against the side of her face, softly asking, “Are you okay?”
She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, his cool skin soothing against the heat of her swollen face. She couldn’t speak yet, so she just nodded her head slowly. After a moment she drew a deep breath, her lungs protesting at the motion. She opened her eyes finally, saying softly, her throat not totally cooperating, “I’ve soaked your shirt.”
He grinned and chuckled a little. “Not a problem. I didn’t mind at all. Besides, it was ripped earlier.”
Jocelyn grinned back, sniffing a little. “I suppose you brought me home?”
“Yes.”
“How’d you find me?”
“I heard you scream. I think I showed up just about the time you passed out.”
“What happened to Marty and Stan?” She almost choked on their names.
“I took care of them,” he answered simply, barely above a whisper.
“Did you get hurt?” she asked in alarm, leaning back to look at him more closely.
“No, I’m perfectly fine,” he answered, grinning at her concern. “But I should apologize to you.”
“For what?” she asked, confused.
“I tried to afford you your modesty, but I tried to…to clean you up a little before I dressed you. And I had to go through your personal things to find your clothes. I’m sorry for invading your privacy,” he answered, averting his gaze.
“Carson, it’s okay. You were only trying to help me. I can hardly be angry with you for doing all you could to help me. Besides, I trust you.” He looked up at her when she said this, surprised. “I know; it doesn’t make sense to me either. But…it’s true nonetheless.” She reached up and gently moved his hair from his forehead. “Thank you, Carson. I don’t know what would have happened to me if you hadn’t come along when you did.”
“I’m glad I found you too,” he whispered, cringing at the thought of what could have happened to her and what had happened to her before he had gotten there. “And I got to repay the favor,” he said teasingly.
Jo grinned. “I suppose you did,” she said, glancing at his face to look at his marred perfection, only to find that all of the bruising and injuries had healed as though they had never been there at all.
Carson ducked his head away from her, his hair falling to create a veil between the two of them.
“They’re…they’re all gone… But how?” Jo whispered in wonder and apprehension.
“Jo…”
“There’s something that you aren’t telling me. How could you heal so fast? Is your side healed too?”
“Yes, but let me explain,” he pleaded as she jumped up from the couch, wincing as pain shot through her stomach.
“There’s something that isn’t right about you. You just walked out of here that night after having a broken ankle and being stabbed. And now you’re totally healed. That’s not normal,” she said, realizing she was sounding juvenile and redundant. But it was unbelievable. Why hadn’t she noticed before? She had been too caught up in her own misery.
“Jocelyn, please listen to me. I won’t hurt you. I promise. I would rather die than hurt you. Please, just let me explain.”
“What are you?” she asked breathlessly.
“I’m a vampire.”
“You’re crazy.”
“No, Jocelyn, I’m not. Believe me, we exist. You already knew this. Just remember.”
Jocelyn shook her head at him. Yep, he’s a psycho. The first man I feel like I can trust and he’s crazy. Just as she though this, memories came flooding back, overwhelming her mind and stealing the breath from her lungs. They had had this very conversation before in her bathroom just before he’d left. Why hadn’t she remembered?
“What did you do? Why couldn’t I remember before?”
“I didn’t like the idea of you being afraid of me, so I blocked the memory.”
“So you don’t like invading my privacy, but you have no issues with messing with my mind. Someone has screwed up morals.” Sarcasm coated every word. She wasn’t sure how to deal with this, so she was lashing out at him.
Carson flinched. “You’re right,” he said sadly. “I’ll go. You should take some Tylenol and get some rest,” he added, standing from the couch and heading toward the door.
Jocelyn was confused and more than a little scared. She knew she should just let him leave, but she didn’t want to be alone. And he made her feel safe…which was completely illogical! Then again, when has my life ever made sense?
“Wait,” she whispered as he reached for the door. He heard her anyway and turned around slowly. “Don’t go. I’m sorry.”
“You shouldn’t be apologizing. You’re right. I am sorry, Jo. I just didn’t want you to be afraid. It was still wrong, though. I won’t ask for forgiveness. I don’t deserve it,” he replied, turning back to the door.
“Carson, please, don’t go. I want you to stay.” She paused, and he kept his back to her. “I need you, Carson.”
Carson squeezed his eyes shut and leaned his head against the door, fearing the feeling those words caused. They shouldn’t mean more to him than his next breath…but they did. It had been so long since he had been wanted and needed.
Carson was still reeling from the sweep of emotion when he felt a warm hand on the skin of his back that was exposed by his torn shirt. He sighed, loving the tingles that skittered up his spine at her gentle touch.
“Carson, please stay with me.”
“You aren’t afraid of me?” he asked, still not facing her for fear of seeing the truth in her eyes.
“Yes, I’m afraid. I don’t know how to deal with this. I don’t know what to expect from you or from how you make me feel.” She reached out and laid a finger under his chin, guiding his eyes to her own. “But I believe you when you say you won’t hurt me. I don’t know why, but I do. There is something in your eyes that tells me more than words ever could. Stay with me, Carson. I’m scared to be alone, and you make me feel more safe than I have ever felt in my life.”
Carson searched her eyes, looking for the truth behind her words. Her green eyes were so gentle, but they were guarded. She was afraid, but he didn’t think it was directed at him. There was a fear rooted so deep into her that it had become a designing feature of her eyes. And there was the fear at what had happened and what could have happened to her tonight, a fresh hurt in eyes that were swollen and red from crying. But the look she offered him held only a tentative trust.
“Okay,” he whispered simply, taking her hand in his and gently kissing her palm. Her skin smelled like vanilla, just as her hair had as he had sat and held her while she cried. He inhaled subtly, cherishing the scent that was hers alone. “You should try and get some sleep.”
She smiled up at him, wrapping her fingers around his and pulling him away from the door to follow her back into the living room. She let go of his hand long enough to take some Tylenol with the water he had gotten her earlier. Then she took his hand again and pulled him toward her bedroom. He went to the bed and pulled the covers down for her.
“You first,” she said, unsure how to ask him to sleep in the same bed as her. “Unless you’d prefer to sleep on the couch,” she added, not wanting to make him feel trapped.
Carson grinned, amused at her awkward expression. “Do you mind if I shed a few layers?”
“Not at all, make yourself comfortable,” she replied, still not making eye contact with him as she fiddled with her cell phone before placing it on the night stand.
He removed his torn shirt and his jeans, crawling into the bed in only his boxers. He opened his arms for her as she turned back to him, and she smiled tentatively before turning the light out and crawling into the bed beside him, laying her head on his chest and wrapping an arm around his waist as he wrapped one arm around her waist, tucking her close to his side, and picked her hand up with his other hand, tracing the line of her fingers with his own.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“For what?”
“For everything.”
“You’re welcome, Jocelyn.” He smiled into her hair, pressing his lips to the top of her head, enjoying the scent of vanilla again. “Get some sleep. I’ll watch over you,” he whispered back.
She sighed and snuggled even closer to him. He could feel her warm breath blowing across his chilly skin. It was a pleasure that he savored as much as her slight weight on his chest and her tiny fingers wrapped trustingly around his own. He listened as her breathing slowed and evened out as she quickly fell asleep. She was beautiful in the moonlight, and he marveled at what he could possibly have done to deserve the chance to hold such a magnificent creature. He was detestable. He felt as though his very presence would taint her innocence and her beauty; but he couldn’t bring himself to leave her. She touched some part of his soul that had been unreachable for years. He had been engulfed in ice for so long, shutting everyone out and giving up on life, but she allowed him to feel true warmth for the first time in a very long time and gave him something to live for and to look forward to in the coming nights.
He watched her sleep until he felt the pull of the day-sleep as the sun began its ascent into the sky. He unwound himself from her arms, tucked her tightly into her bed, and kissed her forehead gently. He dressed and then programmed his cell phone number into her cell phone before placing it back on the night stand and dematerializing to the little cave outside the city.
He lay down on the stone and curled into himself, trying to retain the warmth that her body had offered as sleep consumed him just as the sun rose above the line of the horizon.
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