My eyes flickered open and I knew a moment of concern as for a moment my mind was blank of all memory. My gaze took in my gun resting on a bedside table.
Reaching out I took a hold of it, instantly loving the feel of security that it offered. It was small security these days though for I was outgunned by far in the protection of a woman who seemed to have no fear.
I had fear though. Fear that ate at me each and every day and only grew in leaps and bounds as I came to like the person that Desirée was more and more. How was I ever going to keep her safe?
The leash was getting tighter all the time as assassins of my own skill and entire police departments were mobilized to take us out. I had no answer to the heightened war being waged against us other than to disappear from it, but for Desirée that wasn’t an option.
Feeling stiff and very dry I sat up and slung my feet over the side of the bed. Being naked wasn’t as odd of a realization as the sensation of something hanging about my neck.
My hand captured the object. In shock I gazed at Desirée’s ring.
She’d never been married to my understanding and yet she always wore this ring. Never had I seen her take it off.
Where was she? What had happened?
I surged up from the bed and made for the door of the woodsy little room. Dizziness assailed me and almost forced me to stop, but I put my hand on the wall for balance and walked on.
I had no memory of this place at all. I strode into the living area as all my survival instincts came to the forefront of needing to know what was going on.
My eyes took in the rumpled condition of the sofa that had a blanket tossed to one side of it. Going to it I stiffly reached down for the blanket and held it up to my face.
It smelled like Desirée. She was alive, but where?
The door latch clicking open had me pivoting around to level my gun off at the sole means of entrance to the small log cabin. Desirée stood there blinking repeatedly.
Going to her I pulled her inside the rest of the way and looking about quickly outside I saw no evidence of danger. I closed the door and turned to Desirée, who still stood there her arms full of groceries, and I lit into her, “What is it you do? Not safe to go out by yourself!”
“I was careful.” She responded back with in a slightly choked sounding tone of voice.
She turned away and hurried to a table and set down the bags she’d been holding. Glancing quickly to me and then away she gestured off to the bedroom, “I left some clothes out for you. Didn’t you see them?”
I didn’t care about clothes right now. I didn’t know what was going on. I felt out of control.
I glanced out the window at the forest environment that surrounded the log cabin. It looked to be about midday.
Midday! Had I really slept so long?
The nightmares had been so long and then…..then……
I looked to Desirée to see her studiously gazing at my face. Gesturing to myself with my gun and then to her I said cautiously, “We slept together?”
Her face blushed dark and she exclaimed, “Goodness no! I mean yes, but sleeping is all. Nothing else happened, I swear!”
She looked away nervously and feeling strange inside I felt at the ring about my neck and said, “What is this for? It’s yours.”
She glanced at me and then away. Gathering herself together somewhat she faced me squarely and raising her eyes to mine she said, “It’s yours now, but I’m not.”
“You’re not what?” I asked, at a complete loss, as I felt a dizzy spell threaten to overwhelm me as the complexities of the moment increased. She said something that I had to of misheard and I blamed the dizziness for making it sound like what I thought it sounded like, and so I asked her to repeat what she’d just said. However her words were the same as before.
“I’m not yours yet, but I’m pledged to you. That’s why I gave you the ring. When you’re ready you can give it back to me and I’ll accept it as your wife.”
I shook my head as dizziness assailed me. Pledged to me?
What was going on? I was her protector and nothing more. I……
What could she mean other than what I knew she meant?
“Victor?”
Focusing on her I saw her point to the bedroom and say, “Why don’t you go get dressed and I’ll make us some food for a picnic down by the river.”
I stared at her. None of this made sense. I’d been shot and now this.
Even as the unreality of the here and now occurred dazed memories of having her near to me and the sound of her voice calming away the nightmarish events of my past, occurred as if in slow motion slides placed over the current focus of my vision.
I couldn’t help it. I physically reacted to the memories of feeling her near and with that I turned away and went back to the bedroom.
There was no denying to her now that I cared nothing for her as my own flesh had so openly betrayed me. What on Earth was I supposed to do?