Chapter 30: Comforting him
Elijah’s pov ;
When I opened the door, what I saw made my heart clench painfully in my chest.
"Ash..." I couldn’t even bring myself to increase the volume of my voice, afraid that it might scare him further.
He looked like a scared, wet feral kitten who had been bullied by the kids, like a lost child who had lost his parents in a crowded place. He was huddled in the corner of the closet, looking so small and vulnerable that it ripped my insides.
His face was red and streaked with tears, his eyes wet and wide with fear, and his hands were tightly clenched at his chest. His whole body was shivering, and his clothes were torn and disheveled, barely hanging onto him. I instinctively clenched my fist or I might explode from all the rage I was feeling.
He peeked at me through his moist and trembling eyelashes. His lower lip shaking tugging at my heart string like a brutal hit.
Seeing him like this, I felt a fierce wave of protectiveness wash over me. I wanted to pull him tightly into my arms and hide him.
Whoever had done this to him, I wanted to make them pay. Break their fingers one by one, dragging them behind my car, cutting their neck and hands, plucking out their eyes, making them beg for mercy that would never come. Once I found out who did this, they would regret ever laying a hand on him.
But right now, my priority was to get him out of this tiny, dark place. I crouched down, reaching out to him gently. "Ash," I said so softly, using a voice so tender I didn’t even know I had it. "Let’s get you out of here, okay?"
His eyes widened, and for a while, it seemed like he couldn’t recognise me. He looked so fragile, so unlike the Ash I knew.
"No! NO!" I tried to reach for him, but as soon as my hand touched his arm, he screamed and lashed out, his nails raking across my face. I felt the sharp sting and warmth as blood trickled from the scratches.