I think I passed out, just for a second or two but when I come to, my nose is pressed to his chest.

Elias Gauthier. I don't know why I came to Elias, but I feel that I need him.

My clothes are soaked through and I'm dripping wet but he's sitting on a chair with me cradled in his lap.

My brain feels foggy. I feel numb and disconnected from everything around me. The only anchor that I have to the real world is Elias, so I hold on to him.

"What happened, Katherine?" He attempts to pull back but I cling to him tighter. I press my face into his neck and won't let go. I need his scent to make me forget the other smell. I need him to hold me so other things can't touch me.

"Hey, you're safe now. I've got you." His voice is low and soothing. I realize that there's a blanket wrapped around the two of us.

"Should we call the police?" somebody asks.

There's the sound of the front door being opened and my heart jumps in my chest. I press myself closer to Elias while craning my neck to look at the door.

Two men are stepping in from the storm outside, shedding their wet leather jackets off. They look formidable and one of them says, "No, this is not something that the police should be involved in."

"What happened, son?" an older man who's sitting not far away from Elias and me asks, walking away. They all disappear into a hallway that leads to another room. I hear their muffled voices talking and the closing of the door behind them.

"It's fine, you're safe," Elias whispers soothingly. His hand at the base of my head gently presses my face back into the curve of his neck.

"Is that her? Is she Katherine?" A hushed voice of a man is asking behind me.

"That's her. She's in shock. Poor girl."

"She's also soaking wet and very cold," says Elias. "She might catch pneumonia if we don't get her out of these clothes soon."

"I'll draw her a warm bath," offers someone else.

"That's a very good idea," says Elias again before he gets up and carries me upstairs.

We enter a bright, white marbled bathroom with the sound of the water running in the tub. There's a lady hovering close.

Elias places me on my feet and the woman tries to peel my wet cardigan off me. But I hang on to Elias, gripping his waist and burying my face further into his chest.

"I'll do it, maman," he says quietly to the lady.

"Elias, is that a good idea? I mean, she's in shock now but she might not like the idea, later. I can help her bathe."

"No, let me do it. I'll look after her," he says, sounding very decisive.

There's a pause. "D'accord, mon fils," she allows with a sigh before she gently touches my hair then quietly leaves.

He keeps his arms around me until my muscles relaxed and I sag against him.

"I'm going to let go for a bit, okay, Katherine?" My muscles involuntarily tighten up again. "I'm not going anywhere," he says, gently rubbing my shoulder. "I'm not going to leave you. I'm just going to get your wet clothes off. I'll be right here with you. I'm not going anywhere."

He's not going anywhere. After a while, I ease my fingers.

He slowly pulls his arms away and I catch a reflection of a girl with a thin, almost transparent, wet, muddy nightgown in the bathroom mirror. Her eyes are large and haunted. Her lips are purple and her skin is deathly pale. Pine needles, twigs, and dry leaves are tangled in her wet hair. There are scratches and strands of wet hair sticking to her face.

I look away from the reflection and my gaze finds him. His face is aloof and unreadable as he works on peeling off my wet cardigan. His green eyes are steely and his firm lips are in a grim, straight line. I wish I know what he's thinking. Is he mad at me?

Tears prickle in my eyes. I didn't mean to bother him. "I'm s..s..sorry."

His eyes flicker up to find mine. They soften slightly and he looks puzzled. "Why are you sorry, Katherine?"

"I didn't mean to trouble you. I can go..."

His dark eyebrows come down and his jaw sets into a determined line. His voice is very quiet yet forceful when he mutters, "You're not going anywhere. You're staying right here where I can keep you safe. You're staying, you hear me?"

I look down. I don't want to look pitiful. I want to be strong but I don't know how to right now.

He lifts my face up with a finger underneath my chin and waits. Even after I nod my head, his eyes roam my face a second longer before he seems reassured enough to let go of my chin and go back to working on getting my wet clothes off. He leaves my underwear on. He then takes his own t-shirt off before he unbuttons his jeans and pulls them down his legs, leaving only black boxer briefs on. After he kicked his jeans off, he picks me up and climbs into the bath with me. He sits me between his legs, my back to his front.

The water feels too hot for me in the beginning, but then it starts to feel nice and I begin to relax against his chest. I keep my hands on his knees, holding on to him.

He picks up a sponge and gently brushes it over my legs and my arms. Soon, he's washing my hair. His touch is gentle and soothing, I fight to keep my eyes open.

Sometimes my mind takes me back into that room- the smell, the sight, the sound. Sometimes I'm back, running through the woods and my heart hammers fast. A few fleeting seconds later, it occurs to me how ridiculous it is that I'm in a bath with Elias Gauthier and he's washing me. But then another scene plays out in my mind and I'm back there in my grandmother's bedroom and that makes me cling to him harder.

After the bath, he picks me up and carries me into another room where he dries me and works on taking my underwear off without looking before he wraps me in a big bathrobe.

He has a towel wrapped around his waist before he sits me in a chair. He's on his knees between my legs a while later, gently applying some salve on me. Only then that I realize my feet are bleeding and my legs and my arms are full of scratches. I feel the sting this time. I welcome it. It keeps me in the moment, right here, right now.

He dries my hair with a soft fluffy towel before running a comb through the tangle in my hair, gently getting rid of the nest of pine needles, tree branches, and dry leaves. I wince when the comb pulls the hair at the tender part of my scalp.

I don't remember getting dressed or how I got downstairs but the next thing I know, we're sitting on a chair downstairs with a warm cup of tea in front of me.

"It's hot, don't let her drink too much or too fast," an older lady cautions.

"She's beautiful, Elias," comes a woman's voice. I think it's the same lady who was in the bathroom with us.

"I think we're overwhelming her," says someone else.

It's sort of overwhelming because they're strangers but it's not really unwelcomed. It feels good to be surrounded by people. Safe.

"I don't think it's a good idea to ask her about it tonight. She's still in shock. Let her rest and we'll talk to her tomorrow." It's a man's voice this time.

"I had Gaby prepare a guest room for her," says the woman from the bathroom.

"No, she's sleeping with me." Elias's arm tightens around me. "She needs me. I don't think she should be alone."

"Oui, je suis d'accord," the older lady instantly agrees. "I think he should be with her tonight."

*****

"Can you please leave the light on?" I don't want to be in the dark.

I must have fallen asleep when we're downstairs because I woke up to Elias reaching out to turn off the side lamp and we're both already in bed.

"Anything you want, Duchess. We'll leave the light on," he says, retracting his arm to lie back on his side. He reaches out for me and I curl into him, taking in his fresh clean scent to take away the memory of that other smell. The sound of his steady heartbeat is calming.

"Good night, Katherine," I hear him murmurs softly before dropping a kiss on top of my head.

The hallway is dark but there's a flickering light underneath one of the doors. There's a sound coming from the other side of the door.

I turn the antique brass doorknob and push the door open.

The room is dimly lit. The flickering light is coming from the TV. The movie Casablanca is on. Humprey Bogard was telling Ingrid Bergman, "...but I've got a job to do too. Where I'm going, you can't follow. What I've got to do, you can't be any part of, cause I'm no good at being noble..."

I take a step inside. "Grandmother?"

My grandmother is sitting on her favorite chair, facing the TV. She turns to look at me and smiles. "Katherine," she says. She's wearing her favorite Vivienne Westwood tailored long skirt with a white silk blouse. Her cheeks are rosy and full. Her eyes are clear and warm with love. Her hair is in an elegant bun. "Come. Come here, my dear sweet child. I missed you."

"Oh, Grandmother..." I smile and walk to her. I'm so happy...but something is niggling at the back of my mind. Something is not right. I pause. I feel as though I've forgotten something.

She holds out her bony hand to me. "Come to me, Katherine. Come sit with me. Don't you miss me?"

Something has happened. Something very horrible.

"But you're dead," I blurt out. Oh, god...I don't want it to be true, but I saw her. She's dead. My grandmother is dead.

Her smile suddenly turns malicious. The skin around her mouth cracks and slowly peels away, baring the darkly stained teeth all the way to the molars. Her eyes turn red and shrink into the eye sockets. Her hair falls in wild disarray around her. "I said, come here, Katherine!" Her voice sounds low and gravelly. Then she starts cackling. High and maniacal. It doesn't sound like her anymore.

"Katherine, come to me!" She gets up, her bones are clicking and I scream.

"Katherine, hey, hey... Katherine, you're okay."

I cry and fight the hands that are holding me.

"Katherine, it's me. It's me. It's just a nightmare. Baby, you're okay. You're safe."

I open my eyes and frantically look around. Where is it? Where? My heart is beating fast and I'm shaking.

I don't know where I am but I'm not in my grandmother's bedroom.

Green eyes are staring at me with concern. He's warm and safe and he's hovering over me.

"Elias?"

"Yes, I've got you, Katherine. You're here. You're safe."

I reach out for him and he gathers me in his arms. I press my nose to the column of his neck and take a deep breath. I'm here. I'm safe.

*D'accord, mon fils - Okay, my son.

*Oui, je suis d'accord - Yes, I agree.

*******************************************

Hey ya dear readers, 

I hope you like today's update. I'm quite busy this week so my next update is going to be on Friday. If you want to read two chapters ahead, go to:

https://inkitt.app.link/RA_NicoleRidd3y

Have a wonderful and safe week!

Much love, 

Nicole♥