Page 26 of Axton
I turned toward the people staring at us. “Everybody out.”
“But she’s scared, and she is my sister.” Koty protested.
“I’m so sorry, young lady. I didn’t mean any harm.” Crock said.
“Just leave.” Instinct to protect her happened without a second thought, and I was so protective that my behavior didn’t hit me until later. I was also surprised she reached for me and wanted my arms around her. She was still shaking in my arms. “Is that what happened, Belle? He walked in the doorway, and you got scared, or did he try to hurt you?”
She hiccupped. “He stood by the door. I don’t know that man.”
“He didn’t mean any harm, Belle. That’s just Jason Crocker, the police officer that has been putting his own job on the line to help you and Koty.” I tried to pull back, but her eyes were still squeezed shut. “Open your eyes, Belle.”
She shook her head.
“I need you to look at me. You are safe, and nobody here wants to do any harm to you.”
“It’s safe in the darkness, they can’t see me or know my thoughts.” She said.
“Please look at me, Belle. You’ll be just as safe with them open. Whatever you were thinking isn’t true. Nobody in this world can read your thoughts.”
“Promise?” She asked.
“I promise.”
She opened her eyes, and a strange feeling of peace came over me, at the same time she stopped shaking. Her eyes were abright vivid blue that seemed delicate and calming. My heart was no longer racing in fear, instead I had a hunger that couldn’t be explained appropriately. It was a hunger to do what she feared and read what was going through that mind. I needed to know everything from what made her feel joy to what gave her peace. She lifted her left hand and reluctantly she went to touch my face but stopped just before her eyes met mine, then those delicate fingers touched my beard. At the exact second those delicate fingers touched me, my body came alive. I needed to control my breathing so she wouldn’t notice that I was probably doing what she saw as a sin, I felt attraction and lust. I grew hard, my cock feeling strained against the zipper of my pants and I had to fight every urge not to brush my lips against hers. Her eyes studied my face with her lips parted then they met mine again. I glanced down and had to shut my eyes because I saw something that made my cock scream in pain. I could see hard nipples brush against her granny nightgown. Fuck, she was beautiful, and I wasn’t speaking of her outer appearance. It was as if her warmth wrapped around me, and I could see into her soul. I saw nothing but a soul that was pure and open to me. It was the feeling of her touch that was beautiful, and I could have sat there like that for an eternity. My eyes opened and met hers just before I had the instinct to pull her into me and hold her in my protective arms. I did just that, and she melted perfectly into my arms, and I knew she felt safe.
“God forgives our sins, Belle.” The words left my lips with absolutely no guidance from my brain. “Thoughts and dreams are not sins, and other people’s sins are not your burden. Being around people that do things that you were taught to believe as sins do not put you at risk of sinning. Somehow, we have to find a way for you to let go of everything that was taught to you in your father’s church.”
“I don’t think my father is a bad man.” She whispered. “He was raised to believe things most people see as wrong, but it’s what he was raised to believe. It's what I was raised to believe. I know the young brides are wrong, but none of his other laws harmed anyone.”
“Making people believe others that are not like them are sinners, is wrong, Belle. It’s no different than racism and sexism. You should never judge anyone’s character by the color of their skin, their gender, or their religious and political beliefs. Even if they don’t believe in God at all, they can still be good people and not wish harm on others. Socializing with them is not a sin. Your safety is what everyone here is trying to ensure. They’re willing to risk their livelihoods and even their own lives to make sure Jeremy or anyone else never gets the chance to hurt you.” I knew trying to convince her might have been a waste of time. How do you completely erase someone’s beliefs? Not that I normally would, but her beliefs could have brought her harm. Maybe not physically, but mentally. She had to acclimate to a world she was raised to fear and never trust and that would take time. We saw it time and time again in other cultures that were not like ours.
Belle
My brother was right, Valerie was a very kind woman. After the scare earlier, she came into my room and sat with me to talk before she addressed my wounds. I did not speak to her of Michael, or why he brought me peace. I would never have brought up his mark or my father’s prophecy. Michael did not know what he was or what he was searching for in his life. He was born merely a man, although his soul was very old. I read plenty about the world around me to know nobody wouldbelieve my father’s teachings or trust the words he received from God.
The most of my injuries were not from the crash in my brother’s truck. I obtained them from the motorcycle. I saw it just before we crashed, and I knew my brother was right about everything when the man from the motorcycle reached inside the upside down truck to pull me out. He told me that Jeremy wasn’t pleased, and I had to face him. He was going to take me to Jeremy, but he only had his motorcycle. He threatened to kill my unconscious brother if I did not climb on the back of his bike. My only injury at that point was to my right leg and my back, because I was still on the floor of the truck when it flipped. I was thrown against the seat where I landed. I explained this to Valerie as she listened to how I got on that bike to spare Koty's life, but I jumped off as soon as I could, then watched as the bike flipped onto its side then slid into a tree where the man’s head hit it so hard I knew he was dead. I lost consciousness, and when I woke, I forced myself to walk. I could see the town from where we crashed and was scared of the people, but my head began to ache in a way I never felt in my life, so I hid where I passed out. The injuries to my right side felt like nothing compared to how bad my head hurt.
The incident made it very clear exactly how dangerous Jeremy was and how far he was willing to go for a marriage to me. I feared for my mother and the rest of my family, but letting him win would only fuel his darkness and make things worse for everyone.
I also didn’t tell Valerie that Michael’s touch gave me comfort before I ever opened my eyes. That his voice gave me the peace I needed to rest. That I could sense him before I ever saw him. It wasn’t the first time I felt his presence during my life. Ifelt it when I found comfort in the darkness when I wanted to escape my reality. I felt it when I had my dark sinful thoughts and imagined his hand running along my bare skin. He was also there in my dreams when the most erotic and sinful things happened to my body because of his touch. Seeing his birthmark only confirmed what I felt when he was near me. Michael was the soldier God sent to me, the one that would save all of us. He wouldn’t have saved us in the way my father hoped, but in the way that had to happen. I saw that in my dreams when the medication wouldn’t allow me to wake. The Veiled Order of the Unseen Hand would not exist long after my father’s death. I wasn’t sure if God sent me my own prophecy, or if it was what I wanted deep down inside. It was certainly nothing I have ever thought I’d want to see happen. My family and the people in my community would be safer if they left the order and avoided Jeremy’s influence.
Before Valerie examined the wounds to my right side, she explained that she is a psychiatrist, but was trained as a medical doctor. She only practiced psychiatry, but did receive the kind of training that made her qualify as a medical physician. She said some of what her community called operatives, sometimes experienced minor head wounds like mine, and she worked with their onsite physician to treat them.
I did cause a few of my wounds to bleed, but the stitches were still in place and everything looked alright. It hurt when she cleaned my wounds, but gave me an over the counter pain reliever so I didn’t have to take the strong medication just yet. I promised I would take it along with the medicine that made me calm before bed. She said I needed all the rest I could get before we left for Indiana.
She helped me up to walk around a little, then I begged her to remove the catheter and not make me wait until morning. She agreed and it was uncomfortable when she removed it. She also helped me into a shower, and hung the IV bag so I didn’t have to hold it with my only good hand and could wash myself. I felt disgusting but the shower felt great. She brought me a clean pair of pajamas and took the dirty gown to wash it with the only clothes Koty had. My brother wasn’t a very big man, and the clothes of the other men didn’t fit him. I did giggle when she told me that Koty could only fit into a pair of her jeans and her t-shirt. I knew without seeing him that he was not happy about that situation. I had no undergarments because mine were ruined in the crash along with my dress. I did have a packed bag, but it was with the remains of my brother’s truck. I was too tall and curvy for Valerie’s clothes. She teased that my breasts would have fallen out of one of her bras.
While Valerie was brushing my wet hair, the bedroom door was open, and Michael stepped inside with some dinner. “Hope you are hungry. Crock’s wife went all out and made a nice home cooked meal for everyone. Its roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy. There’s also some asparagus and a homemade dinner roll. I wasn’t sure if you wanted a soda or water, so I brought both.” He said as he placed the tray on the nightstand.
“Would you have dinner with me?” I asked.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Sure, if that is what would…well sure…I guess.”
“Go on and grab your plate, Axton. I’m almost done with her hair.” Valerie said. My hair was knotted, and she could barely get a brush through it.
Chapter Fourteen
Axton
