Page 31 of Echoes of Fear
He lowers his front end and then bolts towards Knox, whose eyes are now wide open. As soon as he reaches Knox’s feet, he stops, sits, and looks up at him.
I’ll admit that for a split second, my heart was in my throat. As much as I love Titan, I wouldn’t hesitate to protect Knox from him in whatever way was needed.
“You’re very big,” Knox whispers. “Don’t eat me. I don’t think I would taste very good.”
I beg to differ. But we’ll just keep that thought locked up nice and tight for the time being.
“He won’t eat you, baby,” I smile, sitting beside Knox. “He’s waiting.”
“For what?” he asks.
“Your permission to jump on your lap,” I say. “See, Titan thinks he’s a ten-pound lap dog when, in actuality, he’s a ninety-five-pound beast.”
“He wants on my lap?”
“Mmhmm. He’s an attention hog.”
“Is he allowed on the couch?” he asks.
“No. But I can make an exception because there’s a cute little boy who needs his love. Just relax back and sayup.”
With a smile, he leans back onto the couch.
“Up,” he says softly.
Titan doesn’t wait for him to finish before he jumps up and somehow manages to cinnamon roll himself onto Knox’s lap.
“He really does think he’s a lap dog, huh?” he laughs. “How do you get your big body to do that?”
“Like I said. He’s an attention hog. He’ll do whatever he can to get attention.”
“I don’t mind,” he whispers. “It’s not fun being by yourself, is it Titan? Being alone can get really scary. Although, by the looks of you, I think you do more scaring than being scared.”
“What’s this baby?” I frown. “Your family is always around you. According to Steel, you’re never alone.”
He smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
“You’re right,” he says, not looking away from a snoozing Titan. “I’m never actually alone. But that doesn’t mean I’m not lonely. A person can be surrounded by a hundred people and still feel as if they’re completely alone.”
“Is that how you feel, Knox? Like you’re completely alone?”
“Yeah,” he sighs. “And I know logically that I’m not. I know I have men and women around me daily who love me, but I can’t get my brain to understand that.”
I reach out and place a hand on Knox’s arm, feeling the tension in his muscles beneath my touch. “You don’t have to feel that way, Knox. You have people who care about you, who would do anything for you.”
He looks at me, his expression softening slightly. “I know, but sometimes it’s hard to believe it. After everything I’ve been through...”
“That’s completely understandable, baby. Trust that fate has something in store that will take your loneliness away.”
“I used to,” he smiles sadly. “I searched for years, hoping to find my place. I know I belong with the Obsidians. There’s no doubt in my mind. Yet, there was always something missing. So, I searched club after club, thinking I needed to find my person. My person would make everything click into place.
But, after my attack, something broke in my family. They’re all so careful about what they say around me now. Even more so than normal. I get it, though. I really am as fragile as they think. I’ve always been that way. Submissive. Weak. I’m the one that’s broken.”
“You’re not broken, Knox. You’re just lost. And being submissive isn’t something that makes you weak and fragile. You have to have incredible strength to trust someone enough to let go. Don’t for a single second think that submitting to someone makes you weak.”
“But I submitted to him,” he whispers, tears filling his eyes. “I submitted because I was scared and didn’t want to get hurt.”
Oh, how I wish that fucker was still alive. I hope King made that bastard suffer.