Chapter Twenty
D O M I N I C
It took almost an hour for Caroline to calm back down, but only because she fell asleep. The poor little thing had those emotions cooped up for way too long that she pretty much exploded into hysterics. I did have to push on her mind a bit in order to get her to let it out, but it was for the best.
I hadn't seen anyone cry like that before, and no one's crying had ever affected me so much. Caroline just sobbed and sobbed and sobbed, her whole body trembling. At first, she wouldn't let me hold her. Her little, shaking hands fought against my chest and arms for a good few minutes but in the end, she gave up.
"Good girl," I had told her, over and over again. I had to reward this behavior from her, but I also hoped it would soothe her some. "Such a good girl."
Not long later, I moved us to the bed where she tried again to maneuver out of my arms, but it was useless. I had her face buried into my shirt, which quickly was soaked through with her tears. Not that I minded though. It was a relief to finally have her release all these emotions, especially when she was all curled up with me.
After pulling the covers up to her shoulders and massaging her back for quite a while, I felt her body growing heavy and limp and her sobs turn into light hiccups. Tears were still strolling down her cheeks when she fell asleep, but only for a minute or two. I watched her for another ten or fifteen minutes, just in case she woke up again, before setting her down beside me and tucking her in.
I used the blankets to wipe the tear tracks from her cheeks, leaning down to kiss her forehead gently. "That's a good girl," I murmured. "I'm sorry that it had to be this way."
I left her snuggled up on the bed to go back down to my office. The emotional exhaustion would probably have her out for a while, so I could get a couple hours of work done before she woke up.
Just as I suspected, two and a half hours passed before I could hear soft footsteps coming down the stairs. I pushed away from my desk and stood, grabbing the book she picked out earlier. As soon as I was outside my office, she came around the corner, most likely going to the kitchen.
Caroline froze midstep when she realized I was standing there and the expression that came on her face burned my chest painfully. Fear. True fear. Usually, I just freaked her out when I got too close, but my whole presence was scaring her now. "Caroline," I said sadly, just as she turned on her heel to run. I quickly snatched her arm, pulling her back. "Sugar, wait-"
"No, please, please no more," she whimpered, putting a hand over her face as she held her body away from me. "Don't make me do it again, please."
I sighed, my hold on her going soft. "Caroline, sweetheart, that's not what I want to do. It wasn't a punishment or anything I want to repeat."
Her little body was shaking again, her eyes looking everywhere but at me. "Here, this is the book you wanted earlier," I said, holding it out to her. But she refused to take it. "You hungry? You were going to the kitchen, yeah? I'll make you some dinner."
Caroline shook her head, finally freeing herself from my grip. She bolted back up the stairs with me staring after her in surprise. I hadn't ever seen her look at me like that. Even when I chased her down in my wolf form she didn't look so afraid of me. Was opening herself up to those emotions really that hard for her? That mortifying? I expected her to be a little embarrassed and shy, but not scared of me.
"Is the queen alright?" Mr. Carson asked, genuinely concerned. He was standing in the doorway of the kitchen, holding a plate of cookies and sandwiches.
