Within His Reach

Chapter 11

BRIAR POV

Five days. I hadn't slept properly in five days.

Ever since my attempted kidnapping, I had barely been able to stay asleep for more than three hours. I was exhausted but too scared to sleep, all because of the nightmares that would plague my dreams night after night. It had reached the point where exhaustion was better then torturing myself with such vile dreams that I could not escape.

Sometimes I would try to catch small naps during the day but it was a lot harder than it sounded to do so when I was scared that Theo would burst in at any moment and ask me why I was so tired. Because, of course then I'd have to tell him about how I couldn't sleep and all he'd do then was force me to take those drugs just like Jona used to give me. I didn't want that. Something about the whole thing never did sit right with me... compelling myself into an artificial sleep. Plus it just gave Theo even more power over me, something that he certainly did not need. He already controlled more than enough of my life, I wouldn't allow my sleep schedule to be added onto that list.

After the incident, security had been tightened like crazy and Theo hadn't let me leave the bedroom once. All of my meals were bought upstairs and he'd lock the door whenever he left. It was like I was back in my little cell that I was confined to before our marriage. Perhaps even worse, I'd had a taste of 'freedom' and now it had been ripped away from me all over again. I had forgotten how much I loved being able to sit out on the grass and brush my fingers and toes against it. I had underestimated the luxury of being free to open the door and stroll around empty hallways. If there was one thing that I had learnt from being under Theo's captivity, it was that you should never take your freedom for granted. Not when it could be ripped away from you with the snap of two fingers.

As soon as I awoke, having passed out, I was told that all of the people involved in the attack were dead and the others involved from outside were currently being tracked down and would be dealt with in the exact same way. Although Theo never liked to tell me much at all about the business, he did say that the attack was never any threat. He knew almost instantly what (or who) they were after and could have saved me there and then. However, because there were others waiting further away, he figured that it was easier to follow the men down to where their vehicles were so they could find and kill the larger clan. For the most part I agreed with his tactics, it made sense to kill more in one go instead of having to spread out and chase more of them down individually. But I suppose that I just wished it wouldn't be at my expense.

Then again, I knew that no matter how cruel Theo was and no matter how much I despised the man in every way possible, he would never risk my wellbeing or put me in danger in any way. He'd worked too hard on keeping me and protecting me for that. I suppose that gave me some comfort, Theo believed that he was in love with me and despite his murderous and abusive ways, I still felt somewhat safe with him. I knew that he'd never go too far with me and that there were a lot worse monsters out there. I would hate him forever though. But trust? Now that is a completely different thing.

This was the sixth night that nightmares about being tortured and dragged away by evil men had awoken me from my sleep, with a rather unpleasant start I might add. My first instinct, as per usual, had been to check on Theo and make sure that I hadn't disturbed him. I hadn't, he was still very much asleep. It was shocking how I had never woken him up, he was actually quite a light sleeper- something that just came with a job where you could be attacked at any moment. If anything it was a praise towards my stealthy skills of being able to slip in and out of bed so smoothly during the late nights and early mornings.

This had now become a standard practice for me, instead of waking Theo I'd just slip away into the bathroom and hide or roll over and stare into the empty space until morning came. But I'd never wake him. I was too scared of what might happen if I did that and I wasn't about to risk getting hurt by him any more. So instead, I just suffered in silence.