Dark Promises

Chapter Seven

Iron hot rage fills my body as she sits in the bathtub. I help wash her hair and clean the blood from her skin.

I'm going to kill this stupid fuck. His body will be at the bottom of the river or at the bottom of a deep, deep grave. Either way, he is going to die or end up in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. I will ruin his life for doing this.

Raelynn is beautiful no matter what. Her short black hair sticks to her neck as I pour water down it. Her blue eyes are bloodshot from crying. Her skin was bruised and covered in small cuts. Her cheekbone cut open and bruising deeply.

"What's his name?" I ask before realizing I'm speaking.

Her eyes darken in fear. Her beautiful eyes meet mine for a moment. "No, Liam, don't worry about him! Please," she shakes her head.

I use my finger to force her to look at me. "I'm going to kill him or put him in a wheelchair. He hurt you, and I, as a man, cannot let that slide!" I say sternly.

"Liam, I'm serious. Don't worry about it."

"Love, I already am."

She shakes her head as I sit back a little further. Her eyes stare holes into her bruised wrists. "Do you want me to call Juliette?" I ask as I take her hands into mine. I kiss her wrists softly, awaiting her answer.

"Not right now. She's with Kacey, and I don't want to ruin whatever they're doing tonight. She shouldn't have to worry about me, just like you shouldn't," she says, not meeting my eyes.

I nod, "I won't call. But she is your best friend. No matter what, she will always worry about you. And as for me? I haven't stopped thinking about you since my birthday."

I help Raelynn clean herself up a bit more before she steps out. Wrapping a towel around her body, I kiss her forehead. "I don't know if what you told me is all of what happened, but I promise nobody will ever hurt you again, ok?"

She nods silently before we head back to her bedroom. I helped her bandage her wound before getting her into some new sweats pants and a hoodie. My body towers over hers as she stares at herself in the full-length mirror sitting against her wall. I stand at about 6'5, where she's probably a good 5'4, maybe 5'5. She wasn't short, but compared to me, she was.

I kiss her shoulder, and she flinches. The teeth marks sitting under the hoodie make me want to gag. "Sorry," I say softly.

They were bloody as if he were trying to mark her as his own. Like a wild animal trying to feast upon his prey. Everything about what he did to her disgusted me.

She blinks away whatever thoughts she is thinking and sits on the edge of the bed. I sit next to her and ask, "You want to go to bed, or do you want to talk or something?"

"I can't sleep here."

My brows furrow, "Why not?"

"This is where he had me."

My eyes scan the bed. I see a couple of chunks of rope. Blood stains the bed lightly.

This is where he had her.

It clicks together, and I bite my lip, trying to stop the rage from spilling over. I clench my fists and take a few deep breaths.

"Come on," I say as I stand up. I hold my hand out to her, and she takes it hesitantly.

"To where?"

"You can't sleep here. So we can go back to my place and you can stay there tonight. Tomorrow, we can get you a new bed or whatever you need to get the thoughts of him away!"

Raelynn agrees and grabs a couple of things before we head out. The wind hits my skin, and I let out a sigh. When she called, I didn't think I just did. I left without a shirt on, and now it's pretty chilly outside.

She holds herself against me tightly as I drive us toward my apartment. I lived about ten minutes from her, making it there in about five when she said she needed me.

Once we get inside, I pull a black hoodie over my body. She scans my apartment. It looked similar to hers, but with black furniture and black walls. The only color is the LED lights on the baseboards. "I like your place," she says softly.

I smile, "Thanks." I show her my bedroom and say, "it's kind of a mess. You can take the bed. I'll sleep on the couch. I can check on you as many times as you need, ok?"

"Liam, I really want to thank you. I know we don't know each other very well, but you've been super sweet to me. Thank you," she says with a weak smile playing at her lips. "We can share the bed. I don't want to be alone. Plus it's your house!"

"You sure?"

She nods, "Please?"

I agree, and we climb into my bed. She messages Juliette telling her she may not be home by the time she gets there in the morning. Once she puts her phone down, she settles into the mattress.

We lay next to one another, but don't touch besides our arms. "Aero went to prison for beating me nearly to death," she says into the darkness.

I don't speak. I wait till I know she's finished. She just needed to talk it out.

"He tried to kill me when I tried to leave him. He cheated on me, and I tried to end things. He tied me up and cut me, and he cut my eye open. That's where I got this scar." Her finger drags under her eye, grazing the scar he left behind. "He cut my back up really bad, too. And my thighs. Aero has a thing for knives and blood. He likes to see me bleed."

Reaching my pinky out, intertwine it with mine.

"We dated for almost three years. From sixteen to eighteen. He's been in prison for the last four years."

I look over to see her staring at the ceiling. Her eyes glossed over, but she wasn't crying.

"I'm not trying to compare stories or anything, but I had an ex kill herself after she cheated on me." I spoke softly. I wasn't trying to one up her or anything, but it was how I related and empathize with her. "She cheated, and I caught them. I shot the dude in the leg. He didn't die, but he was definitely hurt. He was one of my friends, so it felt right at the time."

I take a breath and stare at the ceiling as well.

"She grabbed a pocket knife and put it to her wrist after I told her to get out. Told her I didn't want her anymore and that she was a whore. I shouldn't have said those things, but she really really hurt me. Cheating with one of my best friends fucked with my head. She was really emotionally abusive. Come to think of it. She treated me pretty badly. She ended up slitting her wrist, and I couldn't save her."

Without a word, Raelynn kisses my cheek. She lays on my chest, and I wrap my arm around her body. We sit in silence. Both are taking in each other's past.

I watch as her eyes become heavier. Mine do, too, as I watch her fall asleep in my arms. Sleep consumes me as I hold her close to me.