Bound by Rapture by Megan D. Martin Read Free Book Online

would remember every second, every moment, because she was my Julia. And I wouldn’t let her be broken and ripped apart like the rest of the women in my life. I wouldn’t let my sins shatter her and turn her into something unrecognizable. I would fix this. I would help her heal and I would stop whoever was doing this. 
    Even if it meant I had to kill them. 

 
     
     
     
     
     
    FOUR
     

    Julia.
     
    I stared blankly at the ceiling. It was white, plain, simple. A popcorn ceiling with those funny little bumps that had gone out of style years ago. At least that’s what HG-TV said. 
    When was the last time I watched TV?
    I wracked my brain for the answer. It had been weeks, maybe longer. I wasn’t sure how long I’d been staring at the ceiling. For all I knew it could have been years. Time seemed to stand still the longer I looked at the bubbles on my ceiling. Some were bigger than others, misshapen and bulbous. I wondered whose idea it was in the first place, to make a ceiling that resembled a movie-time treat. 
    It didn’t matter really, but I wanted to know. There was suddenly this burning in my heart, this absolute need to know the answer, the truth behind the popcorn on my ceiling. An answer to the why in my head. 
    “Julia.” The voice was back. That gravelly handsome voice. I knew whom it belonged to. I loved the owner of that voice. I was certain of it. But he was far away, on the outside of my popcorn curiosity. I considered asking him, but decided he probably wouldn’t know. 
    But then there was another voice. A woman’s voice. I didn’t recognize it. 
    Why is a woman here with him? Something strange bubbled in my chest. It prickled along my skin and made my heart pound. A woman shouldn’t be here. 
    I blinked my eyes, letting the popcorn come in and out of focus. Another male voice sounded but I couldn’t focus on it. I was too overwhelmed by the intense feelings swimming inside me. The voices continued to murmur to me, to each other. I didn’t know why, but I knew I needed to stop them. Especially the woman. She needed to leave.
    What if it’s Elaine?
    It seemed like a hundred years had passed since I’d thought about her. Like she was a distant memory from a life that was long gone. But now she was back pressing at my mind, sinking her red claws into what was mine. 
    Cole.
    His name sent a blistering hot shiver down my body. No one could have him. No one. He was mine. And if anyone was going to stare up at the popcorn on the ceiling with him, it would be me. Only me. 
    I blinked harder and the ceiling came back into focus. I looked to my left and I saw her. The woman. It wasn’t Elaine, and a small part of me relaxed. She had thin red hair that stopped at her shoulders. A plain, tan pantsuit encased her body as she sat in a chair next to the window. She was nodding at someone who was talking. Her hair swinging back and forth. 
    Who is she?
    All of a sudden my view was clouded, blocked by a tight orange shirt encasing muscles. I looked up, up, up until I was gazing into light green eyes. Eyes I knew. 
    I blinked harder. 
    “Vic?” 
    He pushed his hair out of his face, but his dark bangs swung back to cover one eye. “Jewel?” The clarity of his voice snatched me out of the stagnate reality that had become my home. 
    “Are you real?” It had to be dream. I hadn’t seen Vic since I dropped him and his boyfriend Chris off at the airport months ago. Before everything happened, before Cole, before the attacks. Before my life was turned upside down. 
    “Oh, Jewel.” He got down on his knees, leveling his gaze with mine. His nose was a little crooked from when he was punched in the face at a bar fight after I first met him. It actually improved his looks and gave his handsome face even more personality. “I’m real. And I’m here for you.” He grabbed my hand. “I’ve been so worried!” 
    I couldn’t stop the smile that tweaked at the corners of my lips. “You aren’t