Claws and Effect

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Book: Claws and Effect Read Online Free PDF
Author: Jessica Sims
Tags: Romance
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    "Sorry," he breathed, body pressing against mine. "I wanted to put you to bed."
    Bed. Bed? Oh. I blinked repeatedly, trying to process that as Ellis got off of me. He stood, and offered a hand down to me. I ignored it, cringing away.
    "Okay, if you don't want my help up, at least get to your feet," he said, and his voice was slow and soothing. "You want to sleep in a nice warm bed, don't you?"
    I did want to sleep in a bed. Ignoring his extended hand, I used the wall to push myself upright, ignoring the protest of stiff muscles. The mattress was back on the frame, and while I'd been sleeping, the blankets had been neatly laid on top. Exhaustion swept through me - I hadn't slept well since I'd killed Andre. Maybe longer. Maybe I hadn't slept well in six months. But even as I approached the bed, I wondered.
    How was this going to work? There was only one bed in the cabin. Was he going to chain her again and leave? Sit at the table all night and watch her? She stared at him, waiting.
    He pointed at the bed. "Go on, get in."
    After a moment's hesitation, she did. She noticed absently that she'd been asleep long enough that her hair was now dry. It was still tangled and matted around her face, but it smelled fresh. Maybe it was because I was clean and warm and clothed, but my guard was down. I climbed into bed and pulled the covers over me. I just wanted to go back to sleep, and the fact that I had a bed was close to heaven. My eyelids fluttered as I laid down, and I struggled to keep them open. I needed to know what was going to happen with Ellis.
    I still didn't trust him. I was still waiting for the chain to go around my ankle, and I wouldn't fight that. I just wanted to sleep.
    A light clicked off, and the cabin was dark.
    A moment later, the mattress dipped. I stiffened in fear as a big, masculine body crawled into bed next to me. My body was board-straight with fear. Now it comes, I thought. Now comes the rape.
    Ellis's arms went around me and he adjusted his body, tucking mine against him. I whimpered with fear.
    "Go to sleep," he told me in a low voice.
    Hot tears began to spill out of my eyes again. I began to weep in the darkness.
    "I'm not going to touch you, Lily," he said. "It's cause and effect. You run every time my back is turned, so I can't turn my back on you. Not for a minute. And that includes sleeping. Once I can trust you, you can sleep on your own."
    I wanted to scream and protest. I wanted to wail in fear. His big body pressed against mine, his scent overwhelming. His arm was a cage holding me in place, and no matter how much I squirmed or shifted, he didn't budge.
    "You might as well relax," he said after a few minutes of this. I looked over and his eyes were closed. He looked as if, oddly enough, he were trying to sleep despite everything. "I'm not going anywhere."
    Sleep? Relax? With a big stranger holding me down in bed? I remained rigidly in place, waiting. Waiting for him to jump me. Waiting for him to bite. Waiting to see those frightening eyes gleaming in the darkness to tell me he was about to go on the hunt and I was his prey.
    But nothing happened. His breathing grew heavy and even, and mine followed suit.
    And at some point...I fell asleep.
     
    ***
     
    My captivity started to fall into a pattern. In the morning, Everett would show up to relieve his twin of the night shift. He usually brought a book, and spent most of the day on his phone, texting, or reading. He never chained me again, but he did keep between me and the door, and I stopped trying to escape. For the most part, though, Everett ignored me. He fed me, but after the chastising from his twin, that was all he did.
    I had nothing to do during the daytime. I didn't want to talk to my captor, and while he read, I mostly stared out the windows at freedom...or I slept. I slept a lot.
    Sometime in the afternoon, the twins would switch out. I'd wake up from an afternoon nap to find that the twin at the table now had sleeves of
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