Saving Calen

23.

Calen's POV

I must've passed out because the next thing I know, I'm waking up face down on a table in the safe house my family owns.

A scream rips it's way out of my throat as my head feels like it's being clamped between two vice grips.

"Hold him!" A voice yells.

"I'm fucking trying." Cole grunts with effort.

It's as though my body is trying to escape the pain by any means necessary. I push up off the table but am quickly slammed back down.

"Calen, stay fucking still." Caden says. He pins my head down to the table and I scream.

"Make- make it fucking stop, please." I say between gasps.

"Sorry, dude. We don't have strong enough pain meds for this." Archer says from somewhere above me. Another round of intense pressure passes through me. I lurch off of the table and grip my head.

"Hold him! He'll tear right through the stitches."

"I'm fucking trying, he's stronger than I remember."

"Where the fucks Aylah?"

"Showering."

"Go get her!"

"No! There's a reason we decided to do this while she was distracted."

The symphony of voices all sound jumbled as pain ravages me to my core.

"Do not fucking get her." I grunt. My knuckles turn white with the effort of trying to stay still.

"Put me out, Caden." I plead.

He looks down at me, contemplating, but then he shakes his head.

"No, it'll make your concussion worse."

I grit through the pain. My body eventually starts to shake and my breath comes out in spurts.

"How is he?"

Aylah stands above me, wringing out her hair in a towel. She smells like vanilla and I breathe in the scent as though it's the only thing keeping me from careening off the edge.

"Fucking look at him." Caden spits. I'm about to say something before Aylah walks around the table and slams the palm of her hand against the back of his head.

"Shut the fuck up." She snaps. Pride swells in my chest. You tell them, baby.

Caden raises both of his hands up.

"Okay, okay. I saw what you did to that guard. I didn't think you had that in you."

Questions fill my mind. Aylah's face goes blank as she suddenly finds the small pieces of lint on her sleeve all too interesting. Without another word, she pulls up a chair and lays her head down by mine.

"Hey, there." She whispers.

"Hey," I say through clenched teeth. She runs her slender fingers through my hair and gently starts massaging my head. My eyes shut in pure bliss and my body relaxes.

"There we go." Archer says. "Now I can actually do my job."

He continues patching me up, muttering something about 'fucking idiots' under his breath.

"Better?" Aylah asks. I nod.

"Much."

...

I wake up to darkness. I carefully lift my body up off the table. I swing my legs over the side and tentatively stand.

I walk slightly hunched as my ribs are still incredibly sore. A soft snore makes me jump. Caden sits in a chair by the table, slumped over.

"Caden." I shake his shoulders and he shoots to a standing position.

"It's fine. Go to bed."

He looks me over, scanning my body to see if I'm stable enough to be left alone. He nods slowly.

"Okay, but I'm right down the hall."

He shuffles off to bed, leaving me extremely confused at the softness he's showing. I pad to the bathroom but notice the light already on. Sniffling comes from behind the door.

I knock, "Aylah?"

It's a minute before the door swings open and her puffy eyes meet mine. I reach for her face and wipe a tear as it falls.

"What's wrong, beautiful?"

She sobs harder.

"Don't call me that."

My eyebrows scrunch in confusion. I rack my brain trying to figure out what I could've done.

"Did I do something?"

She lets out a bitter laugh before shaking her head.

"God, Calen. No. You didn't do anything. I'm rude to you and your first reaction is to see if you've done something to deserve it."

Anger is seeping off of her. It's not normal anger, it's cold and bitter and something else I can't put my finger on, but recognize all too well.

"What happened."

She turns her back to me.

"Aylah," I reach out and gently grab her arm. She shakes me off.

"I killed someone."

I stand in shock.

She turns to face me.

"I can't be the girl you want. The soft, gentle one you met. Because I killed someone, and I have no remorse. He was an awful person and I don't regret what I did for a second."

She covers her mouth as though she can't believe the words left her mouth.

"I'm an evil person. What's wrong with me?"

Her hands shake as she looks at herself in the mirror. Before I can catch it, she flings her fist forward and smashes it into the mirror, sending shards flying. She backs against the wall and starts sliding down.

"Oh, baby." I whisper as I catch her. I sit with her in my arms and we stare into nothing.

"I've changed." She says, voice void of emotion.

I nod. "So have I."

She turns to straddle me. She takes my head in her hands and kisses me. Deep and passionate. I can't help but grab the back of her head, forcing her to kiss me deeper. I lick her lips, asking for entrance. She opens her mouth to me and I swipe my tongue against hers. She rolls her hips against mine and I groan.

"Fuck, Aylah, don't do that."

"I'll stop if this hurts too much or you don't want it or something, baby. Say the word." She reaches down and grabs my thigh "I want to feel good. I want to make you feel good." The words come out in breathy little spurts that drive me insane.

My eyes glaze over as what little common sense I have goes flying out the window.

She leans forward and nips my bottom lip.

"Help make me feel good?"

...