Sun Catch Her (Book 1: Three Rivers Deep series) COMPLETE

Chapter Forty-One

There is a little-known fact that all of the plastic produced in the last half century is still around today. Over one billion tons. Not one bit disintegrated, as plastic's polyethylene is not biodegraded in any practical time scale. I lay there, naked, on my own piece of plastic, which covered my bed to protect the sheets, not really listening as Micah and Indy argued downstairs. The plastic crinkled when I shifted to put my back to the door, the dark wall spotted with orange factory light. The corrosive, core-deep vibrations had dissipated some time ago, but I refused to reach for the comforter to cover my shame.

A soft sound escaped me when the arguing cut off and footsteps ascended the stairs. Eyes closing, I sobbed inwardly. I didn't want to live this way. Lacking control.

"Aurora?"

I didn't answer him. Eyes closed, squeezed tight, I couldn't breathe. I honestly didn't know what I wanted.

A buzzing sound filled the room, and I flinched, mistaking it for a bee until Micah took out his phone, the ringer set to vibrate. "Yes, I have her," he said.

The other voice—a male—asked something in return, his accent thick with worry. Alex.

"No! You cannot speak to her. As of yet, she isn't even speaking to me. And if she was I still wouldn't allow it. You will pay retribution for this," tone gone menacingly soft. "The female saltwater is under your wing. For every scratch I find on my charge, I will have my reprisal or you will never speak to her again."

Plastic crinkling, I stirred, unhappy with his threat to keep me from Alex.

"Tomorrow evening then," Micah confirmed after a short pause where Alex set a time for this 'act of retribution.' Whatever that was. I turned my face back into my pillow, the protective layer sticking to my cheek, and wished I could hug my Mad Hatter. As Bettihemae had pointed out, I knew next to nothing about the ways of the devvis. Lack of knowledge meant lack of control.

"You better interrogate your so-called security. I want to know why the patrol was on the other side of the valley when she needed help." The phone cut off as soon as Alex assured Micah of his intention to investigate fully.

"Little one?" Micah tried again. He touched my shoulder, running fingers down my arm. "The power seems to have spent itself from your system. Aurora, please talk to me."

"A bee stung me," I mumbled.

He sighed. "The swollen bump on your wrist isn't what's bothering you."

I kept silent. The room filled with the deep rumbling of a tanker truck leaving gate #2 of the oil refinery, laboriously shifting gears in its slow-start struggle to take the rise in the road below the house. During the truck roar, my hearing picked out a separate sound altogether, what may have been a zipper.

Staring at the wall in disbelief, I listened to fabric as it fell. With a couple of tugs, he removed the plastic out from under me and bunched the comforter against my bottom before he joined me on the bed. His taller frame curled around my huddled form to spoon me from behind, his lap soft through the blanket.

He combed fingers gently through my hair. "You can't lie here and feel bad about yourself if there is someone else next to you in the same state," he said against my ear.

My face flushed hot. Although the past week had seen an increase in intimacy between us, we had yet to remove any clothing.

"So your solution to get me to talk is to get stark naked?"

"You're talking. Seems like it worked." He chuckled.

I reached across the bed for my doll, his big top hat with its peacock feather covering my front. "Yeah, I bet getting nude was a real hard decision for you to make," I snapped even though the natural hum of his body pressed to my back was soothing my tension. He always seemed to know what I needed, even when I didn't.