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Authors: Eden Bradley
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blinding her.
Declan…
Asmodeus’s voice resonated in her head.
Come, girl. Come for me.
“No, not for you. For him,” she whispered.
Declan.
Only for him.
She thought she heard Asmodeus’s roar, but her climax was like thunder in her ears, dazzling her, deafening her.
It left her trembling, only that first keen edge satisfied. She wanted him still. She was meant for him, she was certain of it.
Comforted, her body relaxed, and finally she slept.
CHAPTER FOUR
D ECLAN PULLED UP IN FRONT of the hospital and stepped out of his truck. It was a classic Mendocino spring day, the air damp and still heavy with fog, even though it was nearly noon. He patted Liam, who was standing in the truck bed, his stumpy tail wagging, his big tongue lolling.
“Hope you aren’t opposed to change, boy,” he told the dog, knowing full well he was the one who was anxious about it.
He was taking Angel home today. To his home. He still couldn’t quite believe it. Still wasn’t certain it was the right thing to do. But what other options were there?
He’d talked to Stephen, to the nurses. She’d need some care for a while, and he could take some time off work, hire a nurse to come in to check on her between doctors’ appointments. That wasn’t a problem. But to have her in his house, where her sweet, earthy body tempted him beyond anything he’d experienced before…
He could handle it. Would handle it. She really had no place else to go.
There was no one else to take responsibility for her. The county didn’t want to deal with her, do anything for her. And both Stephen and his dad seemed to think this was the best option for her.
He made his way down a long hallway to the elevator, pressed the button.
The local psychotherapist they’d assigned her to was Ruth Hehewuti, who had evaluated her and had agreed Angel should go to Declan’s house until she was able to care for herself. Ruth was also his father’s girlfriend, which he didn’t like much.
Still, Ruth was one of a handful of qualified therapists in the small coastal town, and Stephen had highly recommended her, so that was something. He’d met her a few times when he’d run into Oran and Ruth at one of the local diners, the grocery store, the farmers’ market. He’d never done more than offer a gruff greeting to the woman. He’d certainly never made an effort to get to know her. He knew he was being a jerk about it. The way he felt about his dad and his dad’s relationship with her wasn’t Ruth’s fault. But he hadn’t been able to help it. Seeing them together always made his blood boil.
He’d had one meeting with her the other day to discuss Angel’s case, and he’d had to put his issues aside for Angel’s sake. She seemed like a nice enough woman, he had to admit grudgingly. She was a lot nicer to him than he probably deserved. A Hopi healer and shaman, Stephen had told him, in addition to being a practicing therapist. He wasn’t sure how he felt about all that spiritual stuff, but Angel was going to need some help adjusting to a world that was strange and new to her. Some help dealing with the trauma of her past, although she didn’t seem to be particularly traumatized by it. She accepted it all pretty calmly, other than being sad about leaving behind that crazy old woman—the woman who had held her captive for what the police and her doctors figured was a good sixteen years, since she was around five years old.
The elevator doors opened and he stepped inside, pressed the button for the fourth floor.
He’d been able to piece together some bits of information during some of her more coherent moments. The picture painted from the things she said, the injuries, the marks on her body, was pretty damn ugly. Unbelievable, still, no matter how many times he went over it in his head.
The nursing staff was really coddling her. Not that he didn’t think she deserved to be coddled, but nurses were usually made of stern stuff, and they all clucked
Declan…
Asmodeus’s voice resonated in her head.
Come, girl. Come for me.
“No, not for you. For him,” she whispered.
Declan.
Only for him.
She thought she heard Asmodeus’s roar, but her climax was like thunder in her ears, dazzling her, deafening her.
It left her trembling, only that first keen edge satisfied. She wanted him still. She was meant for him, she was certain of it.
Comforted, her body relaxed, and finally she slept.
CHAPTER FOUR
D ECLAN PULLED UP IN FRONT of the hospital and stepped out of his truck. It was a classic Mendocino spring day, the air damp and still heavy with fog, even though it was nearly noon. He patted Liam, who was standing in the truck bed, his stumpy tail wagging, his big tongue lolling.
“Hope you aren’t opposed to change, boy,” he told the dog, knowing full well he was the one who was anxious about it.
He was taking Angel home today. To his home. He still couldn’t quite believe it. Still wasn’t certain it was the right thing to do. But what other options were there?
He’d talked to Stephen, to the nurses. She’d need some care for a while, and he could take some time off work, hire a nurse to come in to check on her between doctors’ appointments. That wasn’t a problem. But to have her in his house, where her sweet, earthy body tempted him beyond anything he’d experienced before…
He could handle it. Would handle it. She really had no place else to go.
There was no one else to take responsibility for her. The county didn’t want to deal with her, do anything for her. And both Stephen and his dad seemed to think this was the best option for her.
He made his way down a long hallway to the elevator, pressed the button.
The local psychotherapist they’d assigned her to was Ruth Hehewuti, who had evaluated her and had agreed Angel should go to Declan’s house until she was able to care for herself. Ruth was also his father’s girlfriend, which he didn’t like much.
Still, Ruth was one of a handful of qualified therapists in the small coastal town, and Stephen had highly recommended her, so that was something. He’d met her a few times when he’d run into Oran and Ruth at one of the local diners, the grocery store, the farmers’ market. He’d never done more than offer a gruff greeting to the woman. He’d certainly never made an effort to get to know her. He knew he was being a jerk about it. The way he felt about his dad and his dad’s relationship with her wasn’t Ruth’s fault. But he hadn’t been able to help it. Seeing them together always made his blood boil.
He’d had one meeting with her the other day to discuss Angel’s case, and he’d had to put his issues aside for Angel’s sake. She seemed like a nice enough woman, he had to admit grudgingly. She was a lot nicer to him than he probably deserved. A Hopi healer and shaman, Stephen had told him, in addition to being a practicing therapist. He wasn’t sure how he felt about all that spiritual stuff, but Angel was going to need some help adjusting to a world that was strange and new to her. Some help dealing with the trauma of her past, although she didn’t seem to be particularly traumatized by it. She accepted it all pretty calmly, other than being sad about leaving behind that crazy old woman—the woman who had held her captive for what the police and her doctors figured was a good sixteen years, since she was around five years old.
The elevator doors opened and he stepped inside, pressed the button for the fourth floor.
He’d been able to piece together some bits of information during some of her more coherent moments. The picture painted from the things she said, the injuries, the marks on her body, was pretty damn ugly. Unbelievable, still, no matter how many times he went over it in his head.
The nursing staff was really coddling her. Not that he didn’t think she deserved to be coddled, but nurses were usually made of stern stuff, and they all clucked
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