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from inside the house. What the hell was happening?
    “You’re mine, Chelle. You can’t run away from me now. I can follow you anywhere.” Robert’s voice again, a hint of smugness in the disembodied words. “All mine, always.”
    “Fuck you, Robert. I am not yours. You’re dead !” she challenged him and yanked the door open again, running out into the darkness. Laughter followed her out into the night, swirling around her, mocking her. The rough ground tore at her skin and the stones cut into her bare feet as she ran. She ignored the pain, fear pushing her past feeling anything other than the need to escape. She ran faster. Bathwater dripped down her face, half blinding her so she didn’t see the shadow that blocked her path until she slammed into it.
    It’s him! It’s Robert. He’s caught you . These were her first thoughts as she felt a pair of arms wrap around her and she fought to break free, to escape again.
    “Michelle? Jesus, stop it! It’s me. It’s Sinjin.” The arms around her held her close but didn’t crush her, and she made herself go still.
    “Sinjin? Thank god it’s you.”
    “What’s wrong, baby? I heard you screaming—are you out here naked?” His hands ran over her bare skin, gently checking her over.
    “I was in the bath. Something happened. A nightmare,” she tried to explain and realized she didn’t know what to say. How could she explain what she’d experienced without sounding insane? Hell, I’m not entirely sure I am sane.
    “Mine.” The wind carried that single word as it blew past them, and Michelle shivered.
    “What the hell was that?” Sinjin’s body tensed, and he lifted her into his arms as if she weighed nothing at all, cradled her close to his bare chest. “Was that part of your nightmare? I just heard it, too.”
    “You—you heard that?”
    “Yes, sweetheart, I did. Now we’re going back to my cabin and you’re going to tell me what the fuck is going on.” She heard the worry in his voice, and she nodded, wrapping her arms around his neck and holding tight. He’d heard it, too, so she wasn’t crazy, and that meant that her abusive and supposed to be dead ex-boyfriend really was back. How was that even possible?
    “I’ll tell you everything. Just please, don’t leave me alone. I need your help, Sinjin. I’ve never been this scared in my life.”
    His lips brushed her temple as he carried her back the way he’d come, back toward his cabin. “I won’t let anything happen to you, Michelle, I promise.”
    She prayed to whatever gods that were listening that he’d be able to keep that vow, because she was now very sure that Robert had other plans for her.

Chapter 5
     
    He’d lost the last person he’d been supposed to protect. The guilt he felt over that failure welled up and threatened to overwhelm him as he carried Michelle back to the warmth and safety of his cabin. What if I failed again? If he lost her, if he let her get hurt, he’d never forgive himself. So what’s the alternative, Leave? Could I forgive myself if I left her to face this alone? He knew the answer was no. He wouldn’t leave her, not when she needed him. Like it or not, he was back in the protection business.
    Once inside he set her down carefully and then picked her right back up again when she winced as her feet hit the floor. “Feet hurt?” She nodded, and he felt a wave of protectiveness wash over him as he noticed how pale she was, the arms around his neck trembling slightly from cold and shock. “We’ve got to get you warmed up.”
    He carried her to his bedroom and settled her gently on the bed, her feet dangling over the side. Snagging the quilt folded at the end of the bed, he wrapped it around her. He was pleased to see her half smile of thanks as he reached around and drew out her soaking wet hair, leaving it above the quilt to dry. “I’m going to go get the first aid kit, I’ll be right back.”
    Her smile warmed up a little more and a faint spark