Recover: Book 2 of the Magic Mutations Series | ✓

10: Queen of Darkness and Misery

Heeding my warning, he scampered to his feet, eyes wide in fear as he took a long look at me. My threat seemed to have sobered him slightly, allowing him to scurry away from the darkened street.

With him gone, I finally turned to Olivia, who had fallen to the ground, curled into a sobbing heap. Her underwear still lay around her ankles. Her legs trembled as she buried her head into her knees.

"Hey," I said softly as I approached, crouching next to her. "It's just me," I whispered. But would being around another guy be the last thing she wanted after what just happened?

Her watery stare lifted from its place between her legs as she gazed up at me. Bottom lip quivering, she whimpered, "Lukas," before her head fell onto my shoulder.

My heart let out one thump. One squeeze of delight at her touch before my brain immediately shook it away and said, just hold her. As a friend. As a person seeing another person needing comfort.

So, without any ulterior motive, I gently wrapped one arm around her, not wanting to trap her. But then she buried her head even deeper into my chest, her arms coming around me as her body shook uncontrollably from the sobs.

I wanted to get her off the cold ground.

I wanted to help her get her clothes righted.

And I certainly wanted her away from this dark alleyway.

But instead, I waited out her pain until she was ready to pull back on her own.

Eventually she did. Head lifting almost ten minutes later, she looked up at me, lost and disheveled.

"Let's get you home," I whispered, but if she had heard me, I wasn't sure.

Nonetheless, as I got to my feet, hands holding hers as I guided her to a standing position, she complied with my movements. But when she made no attempt to straighten her clothes, I then knelt down and shimmied her underwear upwards for her, stopping at her knees before removing my hands. "You should finish that," I said softly.

Clouded eyes seeming to flicker back with some presence, she turned to look down. Then, with slow numb movements, she bent over, hooking her thumbs around her underwear as she edged them up. I turned away as she started to hitch her skirt, only looking back at her when suddenly she took hold of my arm in both of hers.

Looking down at her small frame, she clung to me like her life depended on it. "Where to?" I whispered.

But she just stared vacantly forward.

"Olivia?" I asked.

She turned to look at me. "I don't want to be alone right now," she said.

"I won't leave you alone," I promised, trying to keep calm and measured for her sake. But seeing the lively woman who had dug me out of such pits of despair seem to become the queen of darkness and misery in an instant was shaking me to the core. My blood was boiling because of that man, and I thought, for his sake, he better be praying that I don't kill him by the end of tonight for destroying my light like this.

She seemed to believe in my words, finally putting one foot in front of the other as she edged herself even closer to me as we exited onto the main street where the crowds of drunken idiots consumed the footpaths. Upon seeing the boisterous streets, she clenched her eyes shut.

One of them had done it to her, I thought, unpacking her response.

I pulled my arm from her grip and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders until she was even closer to my chest. "No one will lay a finger on you ever again. I'll make sure of it," I said to her.