Shattered Hearts ~ Hearts Intertwined Book Two

Chapter Thirteen

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Recap;

I had no oxygen left and I was tired of trying to breathe.

I know I am about to die, I knew it.

I tried to fight it, but this guy was too strong for me, and just as I give up, relax my body and succumb to the darkness, I heard Holten's deep voice far away and then close by as I drift off into darkness.

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Chapter Thirteen

I woke up it was dark and quiet inside my one-bedroom house, too quiet.

What happened?

Suddenly memories of the events that unfolded before I passed out flashed in my mind and I spring up in my bed, wide awake and take in the dimly lit room.

"Samson!" I call out, tears well up in my eyes and spill down my cheeks

"Hey, it's okay." Holten is on the bed beside me, and he grips my shoulders in his hands, rubbing his thumbs over my skin, comfortingly.

I take into account I feel nothing but underwear touch my body and a small tank top, meaning I was only wearing undergarments.

Granted Holten hadn't been anywhere near me when I woke up, I still felt a blush rise to my cheeks knowing Holten had undressed me and put me to bed.

"Is Samson okay? Please tell me he's not dead." I say.

I realize I can't stop the tears that flowed from my eyes and stopped holding them back as I let out all the fear and over-imploding anxiety from the events.

I wince as I feel my throat subconsciously tighten and feel the resounding bruises that the man left behind.

Samson had been with me for so long, I shouldn't know what to do without him.

"No, Trainwreck, he's not dead. He's at the emergency vets, he had surgery yesterday and right now he is in recovery." Holten says, his deep voice soft and light, but also holding a dark tone to it.

"Yesterday? How long have I been out?" I ask, half of my face starting to throb and get hot.

"Four days, I had a doctor come in and visit you, you've been in and out for a while and even woke up a few times calling for Samson." Holten says.

I don't turn to look at him and instead choose to stare down at my lap, my shoulders slumped and I just cry. I cry for myself, I cry for Samson.

He must have been so confused, he had no time to react or gather his bearings, the man had grabbed him from behind and inflicted one of the worst pains you could on an animal.

The man had done something before stabbing him in his leg, but it was on his back end, so I didn't know.

"There is, uh...Something that had happened to Samson though." Holten says, very slowly and carefully.

"What happened?" I asked, fearful.

My heart raced faster and faster as the second ticked by that Holten was silent.

"Before the guy stabbed Samson, he had made an incision, on his backside, severing him. The veterinarians tried all they could to save his tail, but it needed to be removed, and the man had ultimately fixed Samson." Holten says.

My head whirls around and finds Holtens light green eyes.

"What!" I scream out, my face screws up in horror and my lips tumble open in shock.

I scramble on the bed and throw my legs over the side, "I need to go see him-"

"No! Raven, the doctors were very clear, we need to give time to let him heal." Holten replies.

"I think I can see my dog in the meantime of him healing, he needs me in the process of feeling better." My heart crumbles in my chest and I'm already up and pulling clothes out of my dresser drawers.

"Raven..." Holten says, his hands coming out of nowhere and wrapping around my fingers, halting my quick and jerky movements.

"What!" I said, impatient.

"Samson is...how do I put this." Holten mutters softly.

"Just say it, what is Samson?" I ask, my eyes desperately searching his for any kind of indicators as to what was going on.

"Samson is different, something happened inside of him Trainwreck, it made him fearful and ugly, he's not the same dog you had a few days ago." Holten replies sadly.

"What the fuck, so, I'm not allowed to go see my own dog, because he's traumatized this happened?" I said, blinking up at Holten speechless and clueless as to really what to think.

"Essentially, yes. They're holding Samson and they're going to evaluate him they said, they need to deem he is fit to return back into society and won't be a danger."

"Samson isn't a danger to socie-so, I can't do anything? They can't withhold him for getting hurt and lashing out because of it, that shouldn't even be legal."

"I don't know, but as soon as you're feeling better you can do down to the establishment to see and figure it out maybe." Holten says.

"I need Samson, he was the only one who could protect me, I'm the only one who can protect him, he needs to be here." I say, I wrench myself out of Holten grasp and sit down on the edge of the bed.

"You can protect yourself, I've seen you, Raven, you're a spitfire," Holten says and chuckles, earning a small smile from me.

But that smile wipes off my face quickly.

"I appreciate it Holten, but I can't protect myself, hence why I got attacked, but I need to learn to protect myself. Can you teach me some basic self-defense and offensive moves?" I ask, picking my head up.

Holtens eyes widen, and turn a shade darker, "Trainwreck, I closed that door on my life a long time ago. I don't want to reopen it."

I nod my head and cast my eyes down toward my lap, "Okay."

"But you and I both know somebody who can." Holten says, sitting down beside me and curling me into his chest with one arm around my shoulders.

Caiden.