Fifty Seven
The potent smell of strong herbs burning, begin to sting my nostrils.
I've been stuck in the darkness for far too long and I'm starting to worry that I'm beginning to lose myself in between the blankets that resemble the midnight skies.
The scent of the burning herbs gets severely acute with each breath I take and within seconds, my windpipes feel like they are collapsing and I stumble into a choking fit.
Clawing at my neck, with tears gliding down my cheeks, I quickly lose consciousness and I fear that this is my undoing.
The end.
***Silence*** Tranquillity *** Serenity***
---
"CLEAR!!"
A surge of energy enters my body while it creates an excruciating pain that spreads across my chest. The agony lingers over my heart and my eyes spring open as my back arches off the bed.
Sucking in a sharp breath, my eyes bulge out of their sockets, waiting for the pain to fade.
"Onu öldürebilirdin!" I hear Aydem growl viciously. [You could have killed her!]
"Mila sana ölü mü görünüyor?" Neriman hisses back. [Does Mila look dead to you?] "Onun gücünden etkilenmelisin." [You should be impressed by her strength.]
"Ay-dem.." I croak out as a sudden rush of terror slams into me. "AY-DEM!!" His name leaves my lips louder this time and I quickly find him at my side.
My eyes grow large as he gathers me up in his arms. "You're okay. I have you, askim." [my love] he says as he crushes me to him.
"Welcome back Miss Starkk," Neriman says graciously with a thick accent. "You have a strong but stubborn soul," sarcasm drips from her words. "When the time is right, you will make a fine addition to the Peker family."
The sound of her heels clicking against the floorboards sweep through the room momentarily before they begin to fade with the distance she creates between us.
I attempt to sit up, wincing when a ripple of pain sears into my hip. "Shit!" I cry out, collapsing back into his embrace.
"Don't try to get up too quick, askim. [My love.] You are still healing from the wound on your hip and you have been out cold for a few days." His voice is like silk. Smooth, soft and glorious.
"I heard you talking to me." I reach up, touching the side of his face. "Your words weren't wasted, Aydem," I whisper with affection.
We gaze into the eyes of each other, imprinting this moment being shared between us after so much carnage and pain being spilt. The room is quiet, dimly lit with the horrible smell of herbs still burning.
I swallow thickly with my eyes looking around the room. "What is that horrid smell?" I ask him as I scrunch my nose with displeasure.
A light-hearted chuckle leaves his sensual lips that keep snagging my attention. "That horrid smell is Nerimans handy work that helped bring you back." He mutters. "However, being in a foreign country with plants that are not identical to those in Turkey, she mismeasured one of the herbs. and you went into a cardiac arrest." He strokes the side of my cheek with the pad of his callous thumb and I lean into his touch.
"So that's what's made my chest feel a bit tender. You had to use an AED machine?"
Yes, your girl knows her shit. All thanks to a little soap opera called Shortland Street, which should have been named Shockland Street!
[Yes.] "Evet, it was either that or Neriman was going to go all she-hulk on you and use her damn fists." He shakes his head with displeasure. "It's good to have you back though." He leans down and brushes his lips against mine.
Closing my eyes, I saviour the sensation of his lips caressing mine. The anticipation that swells in my core for him to claim my lips and the smell of his cologne that has driven me crazy from day one.
"It's good to be back," A faint smile touches my lips.
"Seni çok istiyorum aşkım" [I want you so much, my love.] He mutters hoarsely as he pulls away.
Gods no!!
I snake my arms around the back of his neck and I pull him towards me, crushing my lips against his.
I don't know what it is that he's just said, but it sounded hot as fuck and I'll be damned if I waste another moment second-guessing my desires.
I kiss him, showing him exactly what I want and need from him. Kissing him like it was my first. Soft. Moist. Hot and breathy. I don't fight him for dominance, instead, seeking union and closeness and the sharing of one breath. One sensation. One timeless and passionate moment.
Heat rises to my cheeks, turning them a pretty shade of pink as my tongue touches his tongue, emotional, electric and delicious as it becomes firmer, more determined and sensual.
He crushes me to him as our kiss sends shock waves through the both of us. Our act of intimacy is more portion of the body that ignites the candle to a blow torch.
"Durmalıyız." [We have to stop.] He mutters, tearing his lips away from mine. "We have to stop." His words drip with undeniable yearning. "There is something I must share with you." He says, holding me at arms' length as he closes his eyes and exhales loudly.
I lick my lips, tasting tea and cinnamon as my heart begins to race. "Where is Sandro?" I panic, trying to get up off the bed.
"Mila, calm down." He states firmly with a grim look on his face. "Sandro is safe, he is in the next room sleeping." He explains thickly with concern flashing in his eyes.
My body goes lax and I try to elevate my breathing. I guess it is going to take some time to get used to the fact that Sandro will be safe and unharmed from this day forward.
"Whatever it is that you have to say, say it," I say out loud, more for my sake rather than his.
"I truly hate to be the bad bearer of news when you've just woken up. But, Castello is still on the loose. Neriman is flying back to Istanbul tomorrow afternoon and I've decided to fly back with her."
I advert my gaze from him, "Oh." I reply, combing my fingers through my knotty hair. "I guess Sandro and I can go and stay-"
"I think you've misunderstood what I've said." He cuts me bluntly. "I will be returning to my hometown with my son."
I snap my head up, glaring at him with tears brimming my eyes. "I won't let, you!" I cry out in a state of hysteria, fighting against his hold on me. "You can't do this to me." My face pales. I knew this day would eventually come, but, I didn't think that day would come around so quickly. "Please, Aydem." I plead. "Please don't do this to me. Don't take my son away from me again."
