He grabbed my wrist and pulled it away from his face so I wouldn’t touch it. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about it.” He gently guided my hand back to the bed. “I’m sorry you had a nightmare.” He didn’t ask what it was about, probably because he could figure it out.
I leaned against the headboard and pulled my knees to my chest. The nightmare was still fresh in my brain. I could feel the tightness around my throat from where he had grabbed me, could feel the penetration between my legs even though he hadn’t been there. My arms folded over my chest, and I cradled myself.
Hades cleaned up his nose in the bathroom then returned to me. He sat beside me against the headboard and grabbed my hand. He interlocked our fingers and gave me a gentle squeeze. “It’s gonna be okay. I promise.”
No, it wasn’t going to be okay. Reality came flooding back to me, and I remembered I was pregnant and, knowing my luck, that psychopath was the father. He would always have a hold on me, always have ownership over me. My heart started to race, and I panicked all over again. My husband was the one person who could comfort me.
What if I lost him?
What if he left me?
What would I do without him?
I’d never wanted to get married because I didn’t believe in marriage, monogamy, and trust. But I got all those things with Hades. I got a good man whom I respected and admired, who took care of me and would do anything to keep me safe. I’d initially wanted to be single, but now that was the last thing I wanted.
I wanted to be Mrs. Lombardi forever.
New tears started to escape my eyes.
“Baby…it was just a dream.” He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and brought me closer to his chest. His lips moved to my forehead, and he gave me a gentle kiss. “Shh…it’ll be alright. I am here with you…and I’ll always be here with you.”
17
Hades
I waited at the bar with a drink in my hand.
It was late, sometime between eleven and twelve. Other than a couple talking in the corner, I was the only one there. In jeans and a dark jacket, I sat alone and glanced at the time on my watch. I didn’t want to have this meeting, but I had no choice.
Watching Sofia writhe in a painful dream showed me how tortured, how disturbed she truly was. I suspected Maddox did even worse things than what I imagined. He’d hurt my wife so deeply.
I would hurt him even more.
I wanted to encourage her to see a therapist, but that made it seem like I didn’t want to talk to her about it. In truth, I didn’t. I wouldn’t be able to keep a straight face as she described such horrible things. I would either punch down a wall or burst into tears.
Neither was good.
Maybe killing Maddox would give her the closure she needed. I certainly needed it.
The door opened, and Damien walked inside. He was dressed as casually as I was, but there was a hint of threat to his frame. It was something I could easily recognize because I saw it in myself.
He made eye contact with me and joined me at the bar. His knuckles tapped against the bar, and he ordered a scotch from the guy waiting on us. Soon, there was a fresh glass in front of us, and we were both ready to drink our pain away.
The tension was palpable. My hatred was obvious, and it seemed to bounce off Damien and hit me right in the face. It was like looking in a mirror, and I could feel my own hatred absorb into my skin.
Damien looked straight ahead and didn’t meet my gaze. It didn’t seem like he wanted to be there either. He slid the glass on the surface, watching the contents swirl around.
I didn’t know what to say. I was too angry to get words out.
Damien cleared his throat. “How’s Sofia?”
“She’s been worse. She’s also been better.”
“That didn’t really answer my question.”
I lost my temper. “My wife was raped. How do you think she is?”
Damien sighed quietly, his eyes still on his drink. “She’ll get through this… Give it time.”
“Easy for you to say. You don’t have to see her every day. She woke up last night having a nightmare…and I know exactly what her nightmare was about.”
Damien drank from his glass then slouched forward. “Maybe she should see a therapist.”
I stared at the side of his face and didn’t answer.
“Then we need to focus on killing Maddox. You seem well enough.”
I stared at the mirror on the wall, seeing the two of us sitting together, plotting the death of our greatest enemy. “I couldn’t agree more. But I don’t know where to start. He’s impossible to find.”