Then Darren grabs my arm and my eyes fly open in shock … a green little light flashes in sync with the beeps. My eyes are heavy and I lose the struggle, darkness floods over me again.
Beep! Beep!
I groan internally … my brain wants to explode and the noise drums it on and on and on and …
All I can see is Darren’s face. All I can feel is the ropes cutting into my arm, the cold barrel of his gun tracing paths all over my body. All I can hear is the sound of his laughter. It feels as if I’m suffocating, but I can’t move. Am I dead? He taps the point of the barrel onto my stomach.
Beep! You belong to me. Beep! You are mine. Then he pulls the trigger.
I gulp in some oxygen.
BANG!
Damion bursts through, blood oozing from a gaping wound where his heart is supposed to be. The air gets stuck in my trachea and I’m gasping like a fish on land – mouth open, beep, close, beep, open, beep, close …
Darren laughs, his face painted like a sinister clown in search of death. His hand clutching the gun points straight at Damion; a twinkle of smoke escapes from the barrel.
I see the shock in my lover’s eyes as he grabs the hole in his chest with his hands – looking down astounded, before glaring back at me. He stretches out his arms to display his beating heart in his cupped hands.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
I sink into a bottomless pit and drown in the thick, suffocating, smothering darkness. It’s scary quiet except for that annoying beep. Is this part of Darren’s torture – beeping me insane? A reverberating pain in my head echoes the alarm vibrating in my ears
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
Confusion flickers through my mind, trying to make sense of my scattered thoughts, dragging them from the furthest points of my subconscious. I can’t die here. I need to fight for my baby. I need to find a way out.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
I open my eyes to find the source of that irritating noise that pulsates the pain, but all I can see is darkness, a single blob of light pulsing green on, off, on, off, on, off …
Where am I? I blink and try to get my thoughts together, but they don’t make sense. Something is not right. Something is seriously wrong. The blinking light is even more annoying than the freaking beeping in my ears.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!
I focus on keeping my eyes open and slowly turn my head forward; a sudden white light hurts my pupils. No, I’m not walking into the light! I might be lethargic, but I’m not stupid. Everybody knows what it means if you walk to the light. Damion needs me. My baby needs me. Heaven can wait. I turn my eyes in circles, trying to look away from the condemned heavenly brightness. I groan; a sharp pain radiates through my whole body.
Beep! Beep!
I turn my head back to the side and struggle to keep my seemingly heavy eyelids open, just enough to peep at the blinking green freaking light again. What is that?
Then I see him, his black hair messy, his face a shadow in the darkness next to me, an angel with closed eyes. Is he dead? A ghost maybe? He’s propped on a chair, his body bent forward, his head next to my shoulder, one hand holding mine, the other protectively over my tummy.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Staring at him the sound suddenly reverses into a soothing one, like a heartbeat of love. I feel a calmness covering me like a blanket; all the anxiety is gone; all the pain lulls me into a blob of serenity. I have to tell him about the baby. With choking difficulty, I manage to move my hand and wiggle one finger – minutely, barely. He slowly lifts his head and wipes his hand over his face.
I try to speak but am too exhausted by the effort of moving my limbs, and under the cover of tranquility, I just lay there staring at my man. He stares into my eyes and blinks a few times.
Beep! Breath in. Beep! Breath out. Beep!
“Mel?” His voice sounds hopeful, excited, confused … but it’s as if he’s stuck in a bubble …
“Damion!” It sounds like thunder that echoes in my mind, smashing around in my skull like a ping-pong ball, even though it was only a tiny whisper.
“Mel, you’re back.” His voice drifts to me, weighed down with emotion. “I never felt so fucking helpless.”
My heart jumps at the pleading sound in his voice, “I hope you can forgive me. I’m the one that must protect you and I failed.” I hear the anger hiding behind the appealing plea for forgiveness.
“Please don’t leave me,” I want to answer him, to comfort the feral desperation radiating from him, something I’ve never heard from him before. I feel his hand grabbing mine in utter despair. I try to squeeze it, wanting to ease his frustration, while at the same time indulging in the physical connection I so intensely need.
Suddenly I see his demons clearly, guilt … they prey on his guilt. The guilt he feels because his sister died and he survived, the guilt about the little boy he killed, the guilt because of the Enervoltz rider, and now because he couldn’t save me … and who knows how much more guilt is hiding in his shadows. And right there I see all his monsters, and I know my demonic angel can be saved, he can be whole again.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
“I thought I lost you, I was so fucking scared. And then I found out about the baby. Now I’m fucking petrified. You are my light, the one that takes my darkness away.” His voice breaks and I feel his soft lips pressing against my forehead.
“I love you, Mel, more than you’ll ever know. I fucking love you so much.”
Beep! Beep!
“You know this baby fucking stunt you pulled on me almost cost me my life … firstly I almost had a heart attack, and then your family wanted to kill me – still does. Don’t you ever dare pull shit like that on me again,” I manage a smile, trying to imagine my raging murderous brothers’ faces when they found out about the little bean Damion planted in me. I winch in pain. My whole body seems to be bruised and battered. Every inch is sore and tender.
He softly wipes my hair from my face and whispers a kiss on my cheek. He’s still reading my mind.
“The fucker beat you up badly. I’m so sorry, angel.” A tear runs down his face. “But I want you to know that you’re safe now, they will never bother you again, ever. It’s a long story, but they’re gone forever.” Hate quickly flashes over his green irises, and then it’s gone.
“How’s everyone?” I dread to ask. My voice a cracked maunder.
“Everyone is fine … a little bruised and battered … but already back to their usual annoying selves.” A giggle hiccups from his throat, divulging that he’s much more stressed than he’s letting on. I notice there’s a bruised blue bump on his temple.
Beep! Beep!
He pulls in a deep breath as if he’s making up for a loss of precious air.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
I feel my heart contract. I’m just glad everybody is alright. Tears well in my eyes, but I’m not sure if it’s real.