Sea Haven 02 - Spirit Bound

memories for all time.
    Judith swallowed several times, opened her mouth and closed it, gulped air and bunched his shirt in her fists as if she needed him to be her anchor. “The officer pulled out a gun and put it to his head. He shot himself, right there, before anyone knew what he intended. He was standing next to me, one moment reaching down to help me and the next his blood was everywhere and his body fell right on top of mine.”
    Stefan closed his eyes briefly, the sorrow so heavy in his heart that he felt crushed. He knew it was her sorrow, her body crushed beneath the dead policeman. For a man who had lived most of his existence with emotions firmly locked away, he was getting a crash course in real life with a woman a man loved. The picture of lying in her brother’s blood with the innocent policeman’s body on top of hers, was all too real in his mind. For the first time in more years than he could remember, he wanted to weep for another human being.
    Stefan pulled her rigid body into his arms, sweeping away her resistance with sheer strength. He held her tight, willing his body heat to seep into her, to warm her and bring her back from a place of death and despair. His hands slid into her mass of hair, bunching the silky strands in his fist, massaging her scalp with strong fingers.
    “Come back to me, Judith. You’re safe with me now. You can scream if you need to. Cry. But stay with me. There’s no need to be afraid for me.”
    She shook her head, her fear beating at him.
    “I can take anything you feel, the worst you have to offer, il mio angelo caduto . I’m not new at this. I’ve been there, right where you are. You aren’t alone, not as long as I’m in the world with you.”
    Judith spoke seven languages, she couldn’t fail to interpret his my fallen angel spoken in Italian with a perfect accent. She made a single sound of despair that broke his heart.
    Stefan pulled her head back ruthlessly by the hair bunched tight in his fist, no longer asking. He wasn’t that kind of man. His mouth found hers and took possession, driving his tongue deep, commanding her to acknowledge him. Acknowledge that she was safe with him, no matter the intensity of her emotions. He lived in the shadows. He understood battles. He wasn’t new to the game and he would stand for her.
    It took a few moments but she kissed him back, gripping him tight, holding him to her, while darkness and loathing beat at his body, while horror battered his heart and sorrow bruised his soul. Her body lost most of its stiffness, softening, melting into his in surrender.
    Stefan kissed his way down the side of her face, following the tracks of her tears. “I’m here, Judith. I’m not running. Look around you. The house is still standing. I’m in one piece and I’ve got you safe. Do you really want to be alone?”
    “I’m not the perfect woman everyone wants to think I am.”
    Her confession was muffled against his mouth and he kissed her again. “I’m not looking for perfection. I’m not a man who could live with that. I’ve committed a few sins myself, Judith. You’re safe with me. You are. I’ll tell you a million times if you need to hear me say it that often.” He loosened his hold on her hair, allowing her to bury her face against him again.
    “I can feel them both, above and below me, sandwiching me in. All the blood and brains and matter.” She choked, began to cry again. “I hate him so much. Jean-Claude. I know I’m responsible. The counselor and my sisters say differently, but I was the one who ignored the warning signs. I saw what I wanted to see and my brother paid the price. I didn’t control my emotions and the officer paid with his life.”
    She rubbed at her arms, her face buried against his chest, her ear over the steady beat of his heart. “There was so much blood, Thomas, and none of it was mine. It should have been me there, not my brother.”
    “Was Jean-Claude there?”
    He felt the faint shake of her head and he pressed his lips against her ear, tenderness welling up like a fountain from some depth inside him he didn’t know he had. He smoothed one hand down her back, pressing her closer to him.
    “Of course not. He was safe in his little castle waiting for his men to drag me back to him. I went into hiding for two months.” Her voice turned bitter. “I couldn’t even retrieve my brother’s remains and bring him home. Jean-Claude was arrested for running drugs, guns and human