I shook my head frantically. Never in a million years did I want him to think that. But it was too hard to talk at the moment.
Gideon shifted next to me, but instead of getting up and leaving, he sidled up against me and put his arm around my waist. His mouth was near my ear but instead of chastising me for my foolishness, he began saying things that no one had ever told me before.
He told me I was beautiful.
That I was kind and brave and, in his words, "so fucking strong."
He went on and on like that, telling me things about myself that I found hard to believe. But he was so adamant.
"Stop," I begged because it hurt too damn much.
"Why?"
"I'm none of those things," I admitted. "Not strong, not brave."
I expected him to argue with me. Or do what my brothers always did and demand that I not believe those things about myself. But he did none of those things. What he did was worse.
So much worse.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Gideon
"No you don't!"
It wasn’t the response I’d been expecting. Admittedly, I wasn't sure what I'd been expecting when I told Lex that I loved him, but I supposed that part of me had hoped he'd say the words back.
Never in a million years would I have guessed that he wouldn’t believe me.
"Lex, I—"
"No!" he practically shouted and then he was pushing at my chest. "Let me up," he demanded. With only one arm around his waist, I wasn't really holding him down. Before I could even question what was going on, he began struggling to get free. I automatically released him because I didn't want to risk inadvertently hurting him. His body hit the wall next to him as he scrambled away from me, but he hardly seemed to notice.
"Lex, talk to me," I said desperately. He looked like a cornered animal.
"You don't!" he cried as he shook his head violently. "You don't!"
"Lex—"
"People don't love me, Gideon! My brothers… my brothers do, but not…"
"Not what?" I asked in confusion. But Lex didn't answer me. Instead, he tried to push past me so he could get off the bed. I didn't try to stop him other than to grab his arm so he wouldn't fall off the bed in his haste. But he yanked it free of my hold which caused him to lose his balance. He fell backwards, hitting the side of the headboard in the process before landing on the floor.
"Lex!" I yelled as I climbed off the bed and knelt next to him. There was a cut above his eye that was bleeding. But despite the wound, Lex was still in flight mode.
"I have to go," he said frantically as he pushed my hands away from his face.
"Lex, baby, please, talk to me," I begged, but my words fell on deaf ears.
"I have to go," he repeated.
Despite his desperation to escape me, I held on to him as he climbed to his feet. He was so frantic that I knew if I let him go, he'd only hurt himself again in his efforts to get away from me. I couldn't risk him running out of the cabin and getting lost in the darkness.
"God, Gideon please, please let me go."
"I will, Lex. But I need you to calm down first—"
That was as much as I got out before I was grabbed from behind. The next thing I knew, I was on the floor and a heavy fist was slamming into my jaw. But it wasn't Lex on top of me, attacking me.
That much I was sure of.
When a second blow glanced off my cheek, I threw my own punch. I couldn't make out the face of the man above me, but I was satisfied to hear the grunt of pain when I landed a blow to his kidneys. I sent a silent thank you to my father for forcing me to take up boxing as a kid because he'd thought I was too much of a pansy.
While the boxing skills helped keep the guy from knocking me out instantly, I knew I was no match for him in the long run.
"Lex, run!" I shouted as I did my best to fight off my attacker. If I could keep him busy, Lex could make his escape. I repeated my order for Lex to run.
At the same time, the man, in a voice that was cold as ice, asked, "Did he hurt you?"
The man landed another blow, this one catching me in the temple. After that, several things happened at once, though it was hard to keep up with any of it after the blows I’d taken.
I heard Lex yell, "King?"
Right after that came a vicious snarl off to my left. There was a frenzy of growls and shouts as the man's weight disappeared. I managed to pull myself together enough to see that Brewer had a hold of my attacker's arm. In turn, the guy had his hand on Brewer's muzzle. He had his fingers at the corners of my dog’s mouth but for some reason he didn’t seem to be using any force to attempt to pry the animal’s jaws open.
"Call him off," the man said, his voice calm but deadly. "I don't want to hurt him."
I would've laughed at the comment if my head hadn't been pounding like a son of a bitch. The one thing that did make sense was the fear in Lex's voice when he yelled, "Gideon? Gideon!"
He was standing only a few feet from the man and Brewer. His hands were out in front of him, desperately searching for something. I stumbled to my feet and hurried to him. I was dizzy from the blows but somehow, I managed to stay upright and when Lex's hands closed around mine, I finally managed to take a breath. Brewer and my attacker were still locked in combat, but my only concern was for Lex. I had to get him out of there.
"Lex, we have to go," I said as I began dragging him toward the door.
"No, wait," he shouted as he used all his weight to stop me. "King?"
"Tell him to call the dog off, Lex!" the man, King, demanded. How the hell did he know Lex's name? And what the fuck was he doing in my house? Even as I had the thoughts, something about the man’s name felt familiar.
Brewer whined as the man began to apply pressure to his muzzle, but the loyal dog didn't let go.
"Brewer!" Lex called, but the husky held on to his prey. Lex shook my arm and said, "He's my brother, Gideon! Please, he's my brother!"
Despite the information, I didn't call Brewer off right away. Even if the guy really was Lex's brother, he’d broken into my house and attacked me for no reason.
"Gideon, please!" Lex repeated. The panic in his voice was clear.
"Brewer!" I yelled. I had to call the dog two more times before he released the man's arm. The big dog backed up several steps so he was standing between me and Lex and the guy.
"King?" Lex cried out as he released me and tried to step forward. He bumped into Brewer who refused to let him pass. The big animal moved back and forth to keep Lex where he was. I reached out to grab Brewer by the collar so he wouldn't inadvertently trip Lex. Admittedly, it hurt like a son of a bitch to watch Lex stumble toward the man who'd attacked me.
"King?" Lex repeated as he took a tentative step forward. His right hand was extended in front of him while his left was lower, like he was searching for any object he could use as a point of reference. But the room was in disarray because of my fight with his brother, so nothing was where he was used to it being. I stepped forward and grabbed his elbow to keep him from bumping into the overturned chair where I normally kept my clothes. Seeing my jeans and shirt scattered on the floor by the bed was a reminder that Lex and I were both naked, but I waited until Lex was clear of the chair and the path in front of him was debris free before I stepped to my dresser to grab a pair of sweats. My eyes stayed on King and Lex as I slipped the pants on.