I shut my eyes at the agony in her voice.
“I’m not. I’m right here, holding you. It was just a dream. A terrible dream. He’s not here. You’re safe, I’m fine. We’re fine. Please relax.”
“Don’t let go.”
“I won’t.”
She let out a long, shuddering breath, going limp in my arms. Slowly, the sobbing stopped, and she became quiet. I held her close, running my hand up and down her back, cupping her head, playing with her hair. Letting her feel me. She warmed up, the earlier coldness of her skin returning to normal. The frantic breathing eased off, small stutters of air escaping her mouth. I pressed a kiss to her head. “Raven,” I murmured. “Look at me, please.”
Her eyes met mine, the red rims and tears making my chest hurt. “He can’t get to you here. Ever. This building is the safest place for you to be. He can’t get to you out there either, because I won’t let him. You’re safe, do you understand? So safe, Raven. I promise.”
She nodded, her exhaustion and the emotion wearing her down.
“Can I stay here with you?”
“Yes.”
“I, um, I have to…” She trailed off, and I let her slide off my lap, indicating the door to the left.
“Use my bathroom. I’m going to get you some water.”
“Okay.”
I hurried to the kitchen, filling a glass with ice and water, and came back to find her at the end of my bed, looking around. I pressed the glass into her hand and watched as she drank deeply. With a smile, I refilled it from the tap in the bathroom and set it on the nightstand. I lifted the blankets.
“In you go.”
She crawled in, and I slipped in beside her, pulling her close. She settled her head on my chest, snaking her arm around my torso. I pressed a kiss to her crown, stroking her hair. I turned off the light and spoke quietly.
“Sleep, Raven. I’m right here.”
“I’m sorry,” she replied.
“Nothing to be sorry for. I understand. But I want you to sleep, knowing I’m watching over you and everything is fine. Okay? We’ll talk about it in the morning.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Slowly, she relaxed, and I kept up my light caresses until I was certain she was asleep.
I mulled over what had just occurred. In her nightmare, Andy killed me. She was screaming for me, not herself. She feared for my safety more than her own.
Which meant she felt this draw as strongly as I did. It had been instant between us.
Something I didn’t believe would ever happen to me.
I tried not to groan when I thought of what all my old bosses would have to say about this.
Chip off the old block. Following in our footsteps. Other such catchy phrases came to mind.
They were going to have a field day with this when I told them.
And they were going to find out soon. I needed as much advice as I could get.
Raven was quiet and withdrawn in the morning. She sipped a little coffee, pushed away the plate that had toast on it for her, and barely spoke. She didn’t meet my eyes.
“Raven.”
Finally, she lifted her pretty eyes to mine, the green dull and muted today. She was pale and looked as exhausted as I felt. She had only slept in short periods, waking with a start, anxious and worried. I hadn’t slept at all, worried and concerned about her.
“Can you call in sick?”
“No, it’s too late.”
“I could send Egan in. I bet he’d do great with a roomful of kids. By lunch, they’d all know how to build a bomb,” I said with a smile, hoping she would laugh.
Her lips quirked. “Probably not a good idea.”
“Andy can’t get to you. I’ll walk you into the school and pick you up later. I’ll have someone watch the building. I already contacted Tracey and told her.”
“How?”
“I called her husband, and he handed her the phone. I explained what needed to happen and gave her the heads-up about my plans. Mike was off, so he is going to sit on the school for me. She feels better knowing he is around. The kids are used to seeing him on occasion so no one will ask, and I’ll feel better.”
“I see.”
I studied her. “If that’s all right with you.”
“Do I really have any choice?”
“You could stay here today.”
“So Andy wins? I have to hide?” She shook her head. “I hate that I have to be watched. That my personal life is impacting so many people. I just hate it.”
“We all care about you, Raven. Your boss wants to help. So does her husband. And Egan.” I paused, reaching over to clasp her hand. “And me. Especially me.”
“I bet you wish you’d stayed home on Sunday. That I’d run into the bar and kissed someone else.”
“Not in a million years. You were supposed to kiss me. I firmly believe that. And I’m going to look after you. If you allow that.”
She opened her mouth to speak, and I smiled. “Yes, Raven, I have people to look after me too. We’ll both be safe, all right?”
She blew out a long breath. “Okay.”
I pushed her plate closer. “One piece. Eat one piece. Please.”
She lifted the toast and bit into a piece, chewing slowly. It pleased me to know she would at least have something in her stomach.
“I’m going to get dressed. Then I’ll drive you to school.”
She nodded.
I stood, stopping to drop a kiss to her head. “We’ll get through this.”
“Then what?”
I smiled again. “Then we’re gonna spend a lot of time getting to know each other. I’m looking forward to it.”
I felt her gaze on me as I left the room.
I had a feeling she was looking forward to it as well.
RAVEN
The day was surreal. Damien driving me to school. A quick meeting with Tracey and Mike. The lingering remains of the nightmare that flitted through my mind. I tried not to think of it too much. I had a lot of glimpses of Mike in the morning as I taught my class, surprisingly calm given the turmoil my life felt like at the moment.
Dark clouds gathered most of the morning, matching my mood. My little charges helped to distract me from everything outside the classroom. We started a new book, each child getting a chance to read out loud. I encouraged them, gently correcting the wrong words, helping them sound out some bigger ones. Around eleven, the rain started, and just before lunch, the lights flickered, and the power went out. It was an older building, and it happened a lot. I saw Mike standing outside my door, and he gave me the thumbs-up to let me know it was nothing out of the ordinary. A few moments later, the decision was made that, due to the fact that the power would be out for the rest of the day, school was going to be canceled for the afternoon. It happened on occasion. Giving the class a snack, I sat down and contacted the parents, arranging pickup. I was busy over the next while, parents showing up to pick up their children. I wished them all a good weekend, and when the last of my charges were gone, I sat at my desk with a sigh. The building was heating up without any air circulation, and I was too worried to open my windows. Damien called, his voice warm over the line.
“I hear school’s out early.”