Chapter 20—Grayson

Amber was all I could think of day and night. Her bright beautiful eyes, her long shinny hair, her amazing curves, and her kind, thoughtful spirit. She was perfection. Having her back was like seeing the sun after a long cold winter. It was like a refreshing drink of water in the desert. I realize now that I had been only half a man when she was gone. The best part of me was her. My joy, my inspiration, my future. I was finally complete. All I needed was to marry her.

I still worked on my apps and handled the everyday business that I needed to do, but I had her by my side as I did it. Making suggestions and thinking of ways to improve upon my ideas. That’s what a mate was for. And she would make the perfect one. Her intelligence was astounding. Especially considering the circumstances she lived in the last three years. It didn’t stop her from learning and becoming one of the most thoughtful, and sympathetic people I had ever known. She called and spoke with her sisters often. They were working to adopt the girls. That definitely put her mind at ease. She trusted that couple with their care.

My Mom and Dad were true to their word about not leaving us alone. It was frustrating, but also the right thing to do. So, I couldn’t complain, much. The few precious moments we shared were short but meaningful. I had no doubt her love for me was as strong as mine for her. Soon, we would be bonded, and no one could break it. I thought of all the things my parents taught me about being a good husband. Their example was exceptional. A bonded couple were always perfect for one another, and you could see that in my parents. They respected and loved each other. I wanted to show Amber that same level of devotion and care. She was easy to love, so I knew I always would. No one could ever replace her in my heart. That’s how we were made.

Amber decided she was ready to go next door to her old house. I wasn’t so sure. I knew it was going to be hard on her. She decided to go alone. I was not happy about that. I wanted to be there for her. To help her process the loss of her parents when she walked into their room and saw the photographs on the walls. But she insisted she was strong enough and that she needed to do this. My parents also encouraged her to take us with her. But she wasn’t having it.

I know it was only right next door. I could watch her walk there. We didn’t even have a fence between the two houses. Our parents had built them together, side by side on the same property. I could also feel her emotions, so if it got too bad, I could walk over there and bring her back. “Amber, please let me know if you need me. I will be waiting outside.” “Grayson, you are so thoughtful, but I’m going to be fine.” She walked into the house and shut the door. I stayed outside, sensing her. Apprehension, joy, sadness, excitement. They were all coming so fast, one right after the other. I felt everything as she walked through the house. I could tell when she got to her room. The soothing feeling of comfort. She loved her room. Most of the pictures in there were of her and I. This room was safe. Then I felt her slight nervousness, trepidation to go forward. She must have been at her parent’s room. That anxiety turned to sorrow, then longing. I could actually feel that she was crying. My precious girl. I sent her warm, loving feelings. I hoped it would help.

Then suddenly, everything changed. Intense fear, confusion, pain. I was running to the front door immediately. “What’s going on?” No response. Just terror. The door was locked. I jammed my shoulder into it hard. I could hear her crying. I went to the window and broke it. I put my jacket on the edge with all the sharp glass and slid inside. I ran to her parent’s room. There she was on the ground with her hand on her throat. I rushed over to see what happened. Then all I saw was blood, pouring out of her neck. She was pale. I put my hand over her throat to help stop the bleeding. She looked at me with terrified eyes. I tried to pick her up and still keep the blood from escaping. It wasn’t working. I yelled to my parents, as loud as I could. Hoping they would hear me. “You are going to be okay baby. Just hang on.” I pulled off my shirt and wrapped it around her neck. That allowed me to pick her up. I carried her quickly outside. My parents were coming towards the house. At the sight of us, they ran and met me half way. “Call the overseer to get the medical facility ready.” I told my Dad.

Her eyes were closing and opening slowly. I brought her into our kitchen and laid her on the table. Mom got some towels. She put a pillow under her head. I removed my shirt from her neck. There was so much blood. Her throat had been slit. I put my hand right over the cut. She opened her eyes again and looked at me desperately. I could feel her pulse starting to slow. I leaned down and kissed her. When I did, I could feel her emotions again. She just kept sending me love, deep, agonizing, love. It felt like a goodbye. That was not going to happen. I could hear people coming into the house. They tried to pull me away. I wasn’t having it. I was going to hold her life blood in her body. I moved along with them to the emergency vehicle. We drove the short way to the medical facilities. I kept sending her hope and love. She seemed to fall asleep. I was terrified. I was losing her.

The doctor needed to look at the damage. I finally removed my hand. We all looked in amazement at the long cut. It was no longer a gaping wound. It was starting to heal. The edges were closing in front of us. It was repairing itself. I had never experienced anything like it. Our people could heal rather quickly. If I cut my hand, the next day I no longer needed a bandage. But this was extraordinary. Her breathing was even and strong again. She was simply asleep. I took her wrist and felt a normal pulse. We were all simply stunned. A nurse cleaned her up. The doctor applied a large bandage to the affected area. The cut had been deep when I saw it. All of us wanted to know what happened. But I wanted her to rest.

I sat at her bedside. So many thoughts ran through my mind. Who could have done this, and why? Then the thought of losing her. It was intense and horrible. I had lost her once; it was never going to happen again. I replayed everything in my mind over and over. A couple of our investigators came and asked me questions about what happened. They went back to her house to look for any evidence that could still be there. Fingerprints, footprints, the weapon. One thing was for sure, she wasn’t leaving my side for a very long time. At least not until the culprit was found and prosecuted.

The doctor came in after a couple of hours and checked her wound. To our amazement, it looked like a scar from on old injury. He removed the bandage completely. Her heart beat and blood pressure were normal, oxygen levels normal. Almost as if it had never happened. She was on medication keeping her asleep. But I was certain that without it, she would have been up and walking around as if nothing had even happened. Her skin was no longer pale. I continued to hold her hand until she woke up.

Her Amber eyes met mine. She looked confused at first. She looked around the room and remembered why she was there. Then she looked scared. “It’s okay, everything is fine. You’re safe baby.” She relaxed immediately. I offered her some water which she gratefully took. “You don’t have to talk yet, just rest.” Her voice sounded rough when she responded. “I want to tell you what happened.” “Tell me telepathically.” “Right, of course. When I went into my parent’s room, I noticed a dark shadow move quickly toward me. I could tell it was a man. Large and strong. His colors were angry. I saw revenge, and hate. He came at me with a knife and before I could even move, he had cut my throat and jumped out the window.”

I called out to my Dad who was right outside the door. I relayed the information to him. He called the officers and gave them the same story. We were baffled. My Mom came in and was fussing over Amber. Brushing her hair. She brought her clean clothes. They held each other close. My whole world was in this room right now. I needed to protect every one of them with my life. If someone could come after Amber like that, in our secure compound, then anything was possible. I didn’t feel safe. One of our own had done this.

She didn’t want to stay in the medical facility overnight. She wanted to be home with us. I wanted the same. Mom and Dad agreed. I insisted on staying near her. My parents accommodated me by letting both of us sleep in the family room. I promised there would be no fooling around, and that this was just about her safety. I meant it. She needed to recover, and I wasn’t letting her out of my sight. I pushed the two huge couches together. That was going to have to be close enough. I held her hand as she fell asleep.

The next morning, Dad was on the phone with the security team. We had quite a few men in the security business. They created the system that kept the people in our compound safe. But we had never had a need for one on our individual houses. That was going to change today. Dad insisted that both our house and hers were secured by an invisible fence with an alarm. He also helped them install cameras. All the doors and windows were secured as well. If someone was getting in, they were going to regret trying. By that night, everything was in place. I felt better already. Our people were the best at what they did. And no one wanted to take any chances with Amber’s life. The whole community was on the lookout for whoever had done this. Amber and I could see deceit or if someone were lying to us. My Dad insisted they hold a public meeting with everyone in attendance. That way, I could look for anyone shifty. And if someone didn’t show up, we would have a good idea who was responsible.

I made sure Amber was okay. She was still a bit shaken, but not as much as I expected. She was handling it very well. She said she had been through a lot, and she was a strong person. I knew that was true. My girl was a fighter. By day three, her scar was starting to fade. None of us could believe it. We had never seen anyone heal that fast from such a bad injury.