Synching With the Devil's Son

Chapter 21

Bella's P.O.V

I cannot recall a time when I've been more exhausted. All the adrenaline that coursed through me tonight has left me with an empty tank. When Lucien offers to carry me back, it sounds divine, but my rational side thinks how absurd that would be. Yes, he's strong, and I can see how fit he is, but we're a long way from our campsite. I have visions of him stumbling and tossing me off the mountain cliff, or at the very least landing on me, turning my body into a sled that he uses to navigate down the path. "You can't carry me all the way back," I tell him reasonably, and then I'm surprised when he says, just as reasonably, "Of course I can, you're a tiny little thing."

Tiny?

I guess when you're six foot four inches tall, my five foot six inch frame may seem small, but tiny? And I'm no wilting flower, I pack a punch at 130 pounds. But the next thing I know, he is lifting me the way a man would carry his new bride over the threshold of their home, and I find myself putting my arm around his neck and my head against his pectoral muscle, right above his heart. In a few moments, the steady beat of his heart and the undulating movements as he walks, rocks me into a deep sleep and I don't remember anything else.

Lucien's P.O.V.

Bella is completely relaxed and asleep, and I have to adjust the way I'm holding her so she can remain that way. The trust she put in me to carry her back starts to fill in some of the cracks I wasn't aware I had in my soul. I think about how she is affecting me, and wonder why I'm allowing her to do so. Do I have any jurisdiction over what is happening here? She is kindness personified, her beauty and gentle mannerisms make my breath catch in my throat. I look down at her, asleep in my arms, and I realize with absolute certainty that I have no control over the feelings she evokes in me. If I am being honest, I do not want to lose the fragile faith she has entrusted in me to get her back to camp safely, so I speed up my pace and we make it back in under twenty minutes. I unzip our tent and gently carry her inside. I silently curse after glancing at her bed where I haphazardly tossed all her toiletries. Was that just earlier tonight? I place her gently on my sleeping bag and gather her things, putting them neatly against the tent wall. Then I unzip her sleeping bag, fluff her pillow and look over at her curled up on my sleeping bag. She's still out cold. I stop to consider if I should try to change her into something less filthy and more comfortable. Probably a bad idea considering how somebody took advantage of her, overpowered her and used her for their own pleasure. If she woke up in fresh clothes, I'm not sure any words would convince her I only wanted her to be comfortable. So I take my towel, place it in her sleeping bag to collect all the debris she will shed throughout the night, and then gently lay her down on top of it. I take off her shoes, and leave her sleeping bag unzipped. I will have to use my powers to keep the tent warm enough that she won't need to be covered. I glance at the prescription bottle of Lexapro near her pillow. Should I wake her and get her to take it? No, she needs her sleep. I climb outside to extinguish the small fire Ryan left as a beacon and look around our campsite. Now that I know there are bears here, I don't want them attracted to any of our food or garbage, so I take the tarp I keep on my bike in case an unplanned tryst with a willing girl happens to occur, and I start piling our food into it. As I'm working and thinking about the woman I just carried down the mountainside, I realize I don't want any more random encounters with the female persuasion. I want Bella. That revelation brings a smile to my face. She doesn't seem adverse to the idea either, and I'm still smiling when I return to our tent after cleaning up camp and hoisting our food over a tree branch. She hasn't moved, so I put on a clean shirt, take off my shoes, socks and jeans, and climb into my bag. Since I don't need as much sleep as everyone here, I spend a good hour watching Bella as she lays there in blissful relaxation, adjusting my body temperature to keep her warm.