Read Online Captivated by Lauren Dane - Free Book Online

sorts.
    He knew the following day there would be a bird or a horse sitting on his workstation. He’d come to look forward to whatever she’d gift him with.
    “They’re chimes for the wind.” He stood, taking the chimes up. “Where would you like me to hang them?”
    She paused as the breeze kicked up and the chimes sounded. “I can feel that sound in my belly.” She nodded. “There perhaps?” She pointed at the corner of the overhang at the back doors.
    It was quick work and not too very long before the sounds filled the air.
    “Thank you. I like it when I can hear things inside.” She said it solemnly and he knew it was a compliment.
    In the time since she’d arrived, it had become his and Vin’s goal to make her happy. To help her through the rough spots. They’d opened up the family the two of them had created and she’d fit there as if she was always part of it.
    It helped Julian to know that not every part of his life was dark. He found refuge in Vincenz and now with Hannah.
    V incenz looked up from his comm as Julian entered the room. Hannah lay on her bed, the treatment cap on her head, nodes attached here and there; the steady click and hum of the machines monitoring her were quiet enough for him to hear her breathe.
    He stood and went out into the main room, hugging Julian.
    “Hey you.” Julian smiled and dipped his head for a kiss. Soft at first, then the scratch of his beard against Vincenz’s face as he deepened and his tongue found its way into Vincenz’s mouth.
    Vincenz slid his fingers into Julian’s hair, which had grown out from his usual shorter cut. It was long enough to tug to pull Julian closer. Close enough to thrust his hips, stroking his cock against Julian’s. Vincenz swallowed Julian’s tortured groan, suckling his tongue as Julian broke the kiss.
    “I take it you missed me too.” He’d been out all morning with Ash Walker, another of the leaders of one of Ellis’s special teams. They’d coordinated some of their efforts and mapped a few new ideas. They’d spent a great deal of time going over the films of Julian’s interrogations back on Ceres and more recently those he’d done with some high-placed prisoners of war. They’d gained a great deal of intel and between the two of them, they’d been able to put some of their plans into motion.
    It took him away from home more than he wanted, but it was his job and more and more lately it had felt as if they’d been making real headway.
    “How’s our girl?” He tipped his head toward Hannah. Ever since the first treatment he’d hated the way she looked while under. Hated the way she’d held on to Vincenz’s hand as tears had slipped past her closed eyes the first several days. Hated the hard tremble in her legs and really had despised the way she’d shrank away from the cap with that sound, that hurt animal sound. It lay in his belly every time they started a new session, making him resent having to be gone.
    And then the doctor had found the marks she’d scratched into her scalp. She’d explained in her medication-slurred voice that it had been her way of keeping track of time after they’d removed the tally marks she’d made on her wall multiple times. They hadn’t seen the ones at her hairline. Brilliant woman, their Hannah. But the story of it, that she’d
had
to mutilate herself to hold on to her sanity, burned in his gut.
    “Who knows? Her vitals are fine. She’s lost that tremble she had in the early days. I hope this helps because I can’t stand the thought of her confronting all this and it not working.”
    “Was it any better the second and third round?” She did her first treatment each day in the early morning and he’d been there that day before he’d gone to meet Ash. She had to follow with another just after the midday lunch and then another after the evening meal.
    “She’s not crying anymore. It seems better for her now.” Vincenz paused, his Adam’s apple sliding up and down.