Liam Black holds a dark secret inside of him. This secret is cold, merciless, and as dark as the night. It flows through his veins and teases his skin, threatening to reveal itself every second he breathes.
It is taking everything for Liam to keep...
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I woke up with a warm thick throw over my body. Frowning, I realized I had shifted while sleeping and was completely naked underneath. I noticed that Liam was no longer by my side. A rush of panic rolled through me and immediately I shot up from my sleeping position to a sitting position. Pulling the blanket around my body, I looked around the small cave.
I found him sitting on a rock. During the time that I had fallen asleep, he had pulled on a plain cotton t-shirt and some sweat pants. He looked up when he heard me moving. Our eyes connected. In those mahogany-colored eyes, I saw a mixture of inner turmoil and an overshadowed ghost. He looked distraught and upset.
"I thought you left me," I whispered but the voice echoed within the walls of the cave.
It was still raining terribly outside but I can see that it was around mid-day already the next day. We were deep in the cave that only a little bit of light entered the cave from outside. He stood up from his seat on the rock and walked over to me. Crouching down, he touched one side of my cheek with his rough calloused hand.
"I'm sorry," he said in a pained voice.
He didn't say what he was sorry for. Maybe he was sorry for leaving me. Maybe he was sorry for hurting me. I reached for him but he dropped his hand and stepped back. I can feel him withdrawing physically again. He was going to leave me.
Desperation hits me like a strong wave and I fought to stand up only to trip over the blanket. Before I could fall flat on my face and possibly injure myself, he had his arms wrapped around me to steady me.
"Don't leave me," I pleaded.
"I hurt you again, Sage," he distressed and tried to right me so that he can pull away again. I grabbed at his shirt and tugged him closer to me. Dropping the blanket that was wrapped around me, I wrapped my arms around his shoulder. The blanket fell to my torso and was held up by the connecting space between us.
I hid my face under his chin. My heart throbbed painfully. I have never loved another person as much as I loved him. I have never cared for anyone as much as I cared for him. This feeling of loss and hurt was unknown territory to me and I was scared.
"I know you aren't perfect, Liam. I knew that when you marked me. I have learned to accept who you are. I'll be here for you. I have never--loved or cared for anyone the way I do for you. When you disappeared on me, I was deeply hurt and worried. You put me through hell by not returning. You left me but you knew where I was when I had no clue where you were," I said weakly, fighting back the tears that were stinging my eyes. I held him closer. Furtively, I WAS comforted by his musky, masculine scent and the warmth of his body.
"I love you fiercely but at the same time, I don't think I am strong enough to feel this way all the time. To feel like I love you so much I have no control over my own actions. To love you so much, my thoughts are consumed by you. I can take the hurt and pain that your beast inflicts on me because I know he loves me just as much as you do but if you leave me again---I-I won't be able to take it, Liam," I admitted the truth.
