Fifty Shades Bound

Chapter Seventeen

For some reason I think I can outrun him so I sprint down the dark alley, not knowing where I am or where I should go. I can hear his feet pounding on the pavement as he chases after me, so I pick up my pace and push myself to go further. I round a sharp corner and abruptly stop. The alley dead ends, nowhere left for me to go. I begin to panic, sweat dripping down the sides of my face. I hear his wicked laugh before I see him. He emerges from the shadows and slowly walks towards me as if he's the predator and I'm the prey.

I back away from him, but no matter what, I'm stuck.

"Nice to see you again, Ana."

I shudder just hearing his voice. Please, if there is a god up there, don't let this be the end.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a while now," he continues, smirking. He reaches into his pocket and draws out a shiny object. Even in the dark, I can make out the shape of the revolver in his hand. I back up as much as I can, but soon I bump into the wall, leaving me completely trapped. He walks up to me and presses his body against mine, making me cringe.

"Please don't hurt me," I whimper, closing my eyes when he presses the gun against my head.

"Oh my sweet Ana, I'm going to do more than just hurt you," he sneers. Tears swell in my eyes when he moves his free hand to the waistband of my maternity jeans and slides his hand into them.

"There's no one here to save you," he whispers into my ears as his hand moves inside my panties, down to my core.

"You are now mine," he snickers. I burst out into tears when his finger enters me.

"No!" I scream, sitting up in bed frantically.

I'm breathing hard and can't help but sob. It was only a nightmare, I remind myself over and over again as I hug myself and cry. Seconds later, the bedroom door bursts open and Christian runs in, closely followed by Taylor and Sawyer.

"Ana! Are you okay? What happened?" He says, panic etched in his voice. He runs to my side and moves my hands out of my face so he can look at me. He stares at me for a second before motioning to the others that they can leave. After the doors close, Christian climbs into bed and draws me to him, hugging me tightly.

"Ana, love, it's okay. You're okay. I'm here," he says softly, trying to soothe me. I continue to cry, not able to stop, and cling to him. He runs circles into my back and kisses my head.

"You're okay, baby. You're okay," he says repetitively.

We must have been like that for over ten minutes when I finally settle down and look up at him. He stares down at me, worry covering his beautiful face.

"Did you have a nightmare?" He asks softly.

I nod, allowing one last tear to slip down my face. Christian quickly brushes it away before kissing my forehead tenderly.

"I haven't seen you this frightened over a nightmare in a while," he murmurs.

I know exactly what he's referring to. After the incident with Jack, I had nightmares every time I fell asleep. The doctors explained that I would have PTSD for a while, but I had never expected it to get so bad.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you again," I whisper into his chest. Christian chuckles and strokes my hair.

"You sure know how to distract a man in the middle of the night," he says, making me smile shyly.

"You shouldn't even be working all night. You need sleep too," I say. He doesn't respond and continues playing with my hair. Several minutes go by before he speaks again.

"Was it the alley dream?" He asks so softly I barely hear him.

I don't answer, confirming his thoughts. I've had this dream several times and Christian's anger tends to build up each time I have it. I look up and find him staring up at the ceiling.

"Hey," I whisper, reaching up to cup his cheek with my hand. He looks down at me and smiles, but I can tell it's fake.

"It's okay. I'm okay. We're okay," I tell him. He nods and hugs me tightly. I glance at the clock and realize it's now 5am. I've barely gotten any sleep since the last time I woke up.

"Promise me you'll stay in here instead of working?" I ask him. He smiles and nods.

"Like I would ever leave you again." He moves us onto our sides and spoons me.

"I love you," I hear him say as sleep overcomes me for the third time this evening.

*Still the same night from Chapter Fifteen*