quickly away.
"Who the fuck was under the sheet, Caroline?" Sid's voice made her cringe.
"It was you." Caroline looked back at Lana with such anguish she felt it to her very soul. She would never forget the picture of her sister on the cold steel of the table, bruised and beaten. "You had been…" She couldn't even bring herself to say it.
The growling coming from Sid was not easy to ignore, but Lana did as she placed a comforting hand on Caroline's shoulder. "It was only a dream, Caroline. Nothing is going to happen to me."
"No, it was a warning." Caroline shook her head, wanting to finish this ugliness. "I looked up from you and the room was filled with tables that weren't there before. When a sinister laugh echoed in the room, a rush of wind blew the sheets away and you were all"—she looked around the room at the Warriors before her as she spoke—"on the tables, as well as your mates."
Caroline finally looked at Jax, who was staring at her, his eyes more black than anything she had ever seen, but his face remained emotionless. She wanted nothing more than for him to take her in his arms; just a touch of comfort from him.
"I pleaded for you to wake up," she told him, her voice wavering. "I begged. And then you did. You told me to run. When I didn't, you yelled, ordering me to run. I looked up toward the man who had led me to the room and right before my eyes he shifted to Mika. He started singing "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond in such an ugly evil voice." She shuddered at the memory. "And I thought I hated that song before." She snorted, trying to lighten the very dark mood that surrounded her, but it didn't work. She knew her next words were going to send Jax away from her, and it tore at her heart more than she wanted to admit.
"What else?" Jax hadn't looked away from her; his lips barely moved as he asked his two-word question. "Do not lie," he added as if reading it in her eyes that she thought about it.
She looked him straight in the eyes as she straightened her shoulders. "He raised a knife and began tapping his cheek, drawing blood. When a stream reached his mouth, he licked it and said…" She cleared her throat. "He had been wondering what I taste like."
"Is that all?" Jax's voice didn't sound human. It came from a deep dark place that neither Caroline nor anyone in the room had ever seen, she was sure of it.
"After that, everyone started yelling for me to run and I did. When I burst through a door into pitch-black, I woke up," Caroline added, hope filling her as Jax continued to stand and stare at her.
When Jax finally looked away, then turned to walk out the front door, her hopes were dashed… again. He was leaving. Anger so deep hit her with a force that propelled her out the door behind him.
"Where are you going?" Caroline actually jumped the steps trying to catch up with him. "Jax, wait."
When he continued to head toward his motorcycle without giving her any indication he was going to stop, her rage got the better of her.
"You're a coward!" she shouted, letting it all out. It didn't stop him, but it slowed him down. She could tell she'd hit a nerve when his shoulders tightened. He climbed on his motorcycle just as she stumbled up to him. "I didn't tell you about the dream because I knew you would do this. You would take off with some heroic notion that you're protecting me, us. But you're not. You're giving in to your brother and allowing him to run your life by keeping you away from people who care for you. Stop giving him that power, Jax."
Jax took his sunglasses off his handlebars and put them on before starting his bike.
She grabbed his arm, but he jerked it away as he used his boot to lift the kickstand. "If you do this, he wins… again. Please, don't leave." When the bike inched forward, Caroline stepped in front of it. "Please."
Jax looked away, his head shifting slightly, for a split second. When it looked like he was going to give in to her shameless pleading, he shook his head
"Who the fuck was under the sheet, Caroline?" Sid's voice made her cringe.
"It was you." Caroline looked back at Lana with such anguish she felt it to her very soul. She would never forget the picture of her sister on the cold steel of the table, bruised and beaten. "You had been…" She couldn't even bring herself to say it.
The growling coming from Sid was not easy to ignore, but Lana did as she placed a comforting hand on Caroline's shoulder. "It was only a dream, Caroline. Nothing is going to happen to me."
"No, it was a warning." Caroline shook her head, wanting to finish this ugliness. "I looked up from you and the room was filled with tables that weren't there before. When a sinister laugh echoed in the room, a rush of wind blew the sheets away and you were all"—she looked around the room at the Warriors before her as she spoke—"on the tables, as well as your mates."
Caroline finally looked at Jax, who was staring at her, his eyes more black than anything she had ever seen, but his face remained emotionless. She wanted nothing more than for him to take her in his arms; just a touch of comfort from him.
"I pleaded for you to wake up," she told him, her voice wavering. "I begged. And then you did. You told me to run. When I didn't, you yelled, ordering me to run. I looked up toward the man who had led me to the room and right before my eyes he shifted to Mika. He started singing "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond in such an ugly evil voice." She shuddered at the memory. "And I thought I hated that song before." She snorted, trying to lighten the very dark mood that surrounded her, but it didn't work. She knew her next words were going to send Jax away from her, and it tore at her heart more than she wanted to admit.
"What else?" Jax hadn't looked away from her; his lips barely moved as he asked his two-word question. "Do not lie," he added as if reading it in her eyes that she thought about it.
She looked him straight in the eyes as she straightened her shoulders. "He raised a knife and began tapping his cheek, drawing blood. When a stream reached his mouth, he licked it and said…" She cleared her throat. "He had been wondering what I taste like."
"Is that all?" Jax's voice didn't sound human. It came from a deep dark place that neither Caroline nor anyone in the room had ever seen, she was sure of it.
"After that, everyone started yelling for me to run and I did. When I burst through a door into pitch-black, I woke up," Caroline added, hope filling her as Jax continued to stand and stare at her.
When Jax finally looked away, then turned to walk out the front door, her hopes were dashed… again. He was leaving. Anger so deep hit her with a force that propelled her out the door behind him.
"Where are you going?" Caroline actually jumped the steps trying to catch up with him. "Jax, wait."
When he continued to head toward his motorcycle without giving her any indication he was going to stop, her rage got the better of her.
"You're a coward!" she shouted, letting it all out. It didn't stop him, but it slowed him down. She could tell she'd hit a nerve when his shoulders tightened. He climbed on his motorcycle just as she stumbled up to him. "I didn't tell you about the dream because I knew you would do this. You would take off with some heroic notion that you're protecting me, us. But you're not. You're giving in to your brother and allowing him to run your life by keeping you away from people who care for you. Stop giving him that power, Jax."
Jax took his sunglasses off his handlebars and put them on before starting his bike.
She grabbed his arm, but he jerked it away as he used his boot to lift the kickstand. "If you do this, he wins… again. Please, don't leave." When the bike inched forward, Caroline stepped in front of it. "Please."
Jax looked away, his head shifting slightly, for a split second. When it looked like he was going to give in to her shameless pleading, he shook his head
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