Love me till the end

Chapter 8

Charlie lay there for a moment listening for a repeat of the sound that had roused her from a deep sleep. The cabin was bitterly cold, indicating the fire had finally burned out. She burrowed beneath the mountain of blankets Luke had given her.

It was pitch dark but her position on the sofa and her view outside the window revealed there was a full moon in a star-studded sky. Luke had offered her his bed but she'd insisted on sleeping on the couch. He was too tall to sleep comfortably on it anyway and two months was a long time to put him out of his bed. He'd done enough for her. It had taken some persuasion but in the end he'd finally seen it her way.

Shivering, she tightened the quilt beneath her chin when she heard it again. This time she was certain a noise had wakened her and that it was coming from inside the cabin. She sat up and waited patiently to hear it again, feeling some relief that Lady wasn't sounding an alarm from where she lay next to the hearth. If the wolf wasn't worried, she wasn't worried.

The next time she heard the noise she was able to determine that it was coming from the loft. The sounds indicated Luke was in the throes of a terrible nightmare. His moans were low and agonized as if he was in pain. Several times she was sure she heard him call out someone's name. She didn't know why, but her eyes filled with tears thinking about his admission earlier that evening and recalling the deep suffering on his face. She'd expected that something horrible had happened to him, but not that.

If he'd killed his wife he certainly wouldn't be there now but in a jail cell somewhere. Yet he believed he'd killed her. And the guilt was slowly destroying him inside. Charlie knew if she could make him talk about it that the healing would start. He might not thank her for it, but she knew she had to try.

She waited a few moments, praying for silence. But when he continued to cry out she decided to go to him. She couldn't just lie there and do nothing. He was obviously tormented by the deep-rooted memories he kept locked up inside. She stumbled her way through the darkness to the crude ladder that led to the loft, stubbing her toe and swearing harshly beneath her breath along the way.

When her fingers touched the wood rung, Charlie hesitated before taking the first step, second thoughts and a reminder that Luke wanted her to leave him alone entered her mind. Only his agonized groan prompted her to brush them aside and pick up speed. It didn't take her long to reach the loft. Her eyes rounded when she pulled herself over the top and saw the small window on the wall above his bed. She was astonished to find it open. No wonder it was so cold!

The second thing Charlie noticed as she made her way to Luke was that there was no way she could reach the window to close it without climbing onto the bed. The moonlight enabled her to clearly see him as he lay twisted in the covers, twitching and moaning deeply. She tried to make out what he was saying, but his words were too low and mumbled. The thought that she should wake him crossed her mind, prompting her to call out to him.

"Luke?" His lack of response caused her to try again. "Luke?"

She saw a glimpse of naked arms and legs as he thrashed beneath the quilt. The cold apparently hadn't affected him, but she was shivering so badly her teeth were rattling. Luke began to thrash about even more, and Charlie reached out to lightly touch his arm, gently shaking him.

"Luke."

He moved so fast that a scream of surprise escaped Charlie. She suddenly found herself grabbed and pulled down to the bed. Before she could catch her breath Luke rolled, pinning her beneath his naked weight. It was obvious he was still trapped in the dark nightmare that gripped him and didn't know what he was doing.

"Luke!" Panic raced through Charlie as she realized her helplessness against his strength. "Lu-"

The rest of what she'd been about to say was cut off by the sudden pressure of his unyielding mouth on hers. His kiss was rough, demanding, and frightening in its intensity. She struggled briefly but she was no match for him. He easily forced Charlie more deeply into the bed in an attack that quickly escalated into something sensual and profoundly explosive. Lost in the moment, she ceased her struggling, and began to kiss Luke back with an ardor that bordered on recklessness.