Hideout

E L E V E N

*A/N: will edit later. just wanted to get this up. also, if anyone has skills with making covers, I'd love to see some of your ideas for a cover for this book. I really like simplistic ones with very monochromatic colors(i.e. black and white, or pale like Sugar.

C H A P T E R 

E L E V E N

A D E L A I D E 

 I woke up in the middle of the night with a scream in my throat, clawing at the sheets. But once my eyes opened, my phantom attacker vanished. I looked around for Leo, thinking that he would have woken up, but he was still asleep, propped up in the window bench, his head turned towards the window. I shuddered and rubbed my arms.

My weak and wounded, legs seemed to have a mind of their own, carrying me over to him. One of his legs had fallen to the floor, the other against the window. I climbed between them, leaning forward to bury my face in his chest just as he awoke with a start.

"Adelaide," he groaned sleepily, touching my back carefully. "What's wrong?"

I didn't answer, just let myself lay against him, his hands on my hips. "Did you have a bad dream? Want to move to the bed?"

"No, please."

He sighed and kissed the top of my head. "Okay, okay. We can stay here. I've got you. You can sleep here." His fingers stroked through my hair, and I sighed, allowing myself to relax. "If this is what you need, I will give it to you. I won't let them or anyone else hurt you again." 

"Don't tell anyone about this, please."

"I won't, kitten. This is just between us. Go to sleep."

~ ~ ~

Leo insisted it would be better to get me out of the house than to let me rest and relax inside. The cuts on my legs were healed for the most part, they were just a little tender and were red, inflamed lines of skin. I had a black eye, but it would be gone by the next morning, and my lip was back to normal. My ribs were the main problems. It was a struggle to get up and sit down, and walk. But I wasn't trying to let it bother me, because if I did, Leo would be all over me. That was the last thing I needed.

I tiptoed into the building Leo was guiding me into, one of my hands in his, the other on my tummy, which was aching a little bit and by adding more stability there, I was able to ease the pain some. "Emerson is inside, I bet she'll have some pain medication you can borrow," Leo said as he pulled me inside. "What else hurts?"

"Nothing," I answered quickly. "I'm okay." When he didn't look completely convinced, I assured him that I just needed to sit for a few minutes when we got inside. 

He let me wear long pants and a long sleeved shirt, which I was very content with, and he let me wear a pair of his sunglasses too. They didn't cover much but they added some needed comfort. "This is a one time thing, so don't expect this again tomorrow," Leo told me this morning, but his voice was tender and I bet he would give in if I really tried.

We stepped into the building and Leo got a big smile on his face before he pushed me in front of him. It was a pool. It was just a massive square, one end was a lap pool, another was shallow, and the last third was sectioned off for the diving board. I looked up at Leo in confusion.