After the Storm by Maya Banks

Author:Maya Banks [Banks, Maya]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Group US
Published: 2014-01-07T05:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 20

EVE’S dreams were tormented with a myriad of flashes from the past. And the present. They swirled together in one unending stream of horror.

The tornado had her in its grip again, but instead of Donovan lifting the mattress that had saved her life and protected her from further harm, Walt had been standing there, his gaze triumphant.

I have you at last, Eve. And this time you won’t escape me.

She awoke with a start, sweat beading her forehead. She sat up straight in bed, her skin clammy and cold. A chill had settled deep into her body until her bones ached with it.

She glanced over at Cammie, who was still sleeping soundly. Eve didn’t have a prayer of going back to sleep now. She glanced toward the window to see the faintest shade of dawn softening the sky.

With a sigh, she eased out of bed and went to the bathroom to splash water on her face. She ran the water until steam rose, wanting some way to warm herself. She wet the washcloth several times, wiping her face and neck before retreating back into the bedroom.

After a moment’s hesitation she went to the closet where Donovan had put the clothes his sisters-in-law had sent over. Selecting a pair of jeans and a simple T-shirt, she dressed and slipped into the hallway, making sure she was quiet on her way to the living room.

She didn’t know where she was going or why, but she didn’t want to go back to bed and risk reimmersing herself in her nightmares. It was bad enough to have talked about Walt and to have relived the horror of her mother’s death and Walt’s subsequent behavior, but now he was invading her sleep as well.

She went to the large picture window that overlooked the lake in the distance. Dawn was beautiful over the water, painting it a soft lavender to match the sky overhead. There was not even a ripple in the water, no wind to disturb the pristine sheet of glass that spread out to the distant horizon.

This was a . . . peaceful place. It seemed incongruous to consider a veritable fortress built for the sole purpose of security—a reality of Donovan’s and his family’s lives—peaceful, and yet everything about the view brought her a sense of calm. Something she desperately needed right now.

Warm hands slid up her arms to her shoulders, startling her. She whirled around to see Donovan standing there in a cutoff pair of shorts and a threadbare T-shirt. He was barefooted and for some reason that image captivated her.

“Sorry if I startled you,” Donovan said. “What are you doing up? Can’t sleep? Everything okay?”

She sighed. “I slept. Bad dreams. Talking about it brought it all back. I dreamed of the storm, but you weren’t the one who found me. Walt did. I didn’t want to go back to sleep because I didn’t want to have another nightmare.”

He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly to him. His body felt so good against hers.

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