The Hidden Crystal

Chapter 61

It happened again.

Iris was lying in the tub, soaking away the sweat and grime from traveling and trying to get a handle on her roiling emotions, when tearful blue eyes flashed through her mind.

I'm sorry, Iris. I love you.

She sucked in a breath.

She felt her mother's kiss on her forehead, as real as the hot water lapping at her skin. She heard the whispered words in her ear.

And then the vision changed.

The blue eyes were smiling now. Bright. Sparkling. Happy.

She was laughing—both of them were laughing. A smile pressed a dimple into her mother's left cheek as she cooed and tickled Iris. Small, chubby hands waved in the air, hands Iris knew were hers, and when her mother picked Iris up and held her over her head, Iris knew the little legs that didn't quite work yet were hers, too.

Her mother pulled her in close for a hug and kissed the top of her head.

You're the best thing that ever happened to me, Iris.

And then Iris was alone in Char's bathroom.

She lowered her hand to the water. She didn't know when she'd reached out, but she knew tears were streaming down her face again, silent tears this time, tears for a girl who'd given up everything for her rapist's baby.

How could she say that?

How could she say Iris was the best thing to happen to her?

Iris splashed her face with water. She saw a white glow in her peripheral vision, a glow she knew emanated from a strange ovoid translucency in the center of her chest, just beneath the skin.

She'd have to tell Char about that eventually.

She ducked under the water to rinse her hair and clear her head, and then she pulled the plug from the drain and stood, reaching for a towel. The glow was already fading. She avoided looking at it as she dried herself, and she only looked in the mirror after she'd donned her nightgown to ensure the white fabric was thick enough to hide the crystal. It was—at least, when the crystal wasn't glowing. She had no way of knowing when that would happen again.

Well, she'd be under the blankets all night. Char didn't have to know. Not yet.

She felt a little guilty about asking him to sleep with her. She knew how much he struggled with his attraction to her, and she knew sleeping together wasn't proper, but her mind and heart were too ragged and worn to care about propriety. And the thought of sleeping alone scared her.

If she were alone, there would be nothing and nobody to distract her from her thoughts, from Micah, the poison who wouldn't work his way out of her system.

But she felt safe with Char. And she knew he wanted her to feel safe.

She padded out of the bathroom. Char was already in bed, lying with his back toward the open bathroom doorway, but he rolled onto his back when she pulled back the covers and climbed into bed. He lifted his arm for her, and she cuddled up to him, feeling immediate relief and security in his embrace.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a hushed voice.

She hugged him tight and gave him a shy smile. "When I'm with you."

He grinned. "Good."

He brushed her hair back to kiss her forehead, and then his fingers wandered. She felt his lips press against her skin, felt his fingers combing through her damp hair, felt his thumb stroking her cheek and then tracing the outline of her lips.