When Souls Collide

Sadness and anxiety dulled Tabby's jade green eyes, making her look older than she was. "He knew, Pet. Not the specifics, but he knew that I was in trouble. I don't how or why, but just before Jerry was - was going to r-rape me, I heard him. I swear to god, I heard Troy's voice telling me to fight!" Petra's hands squeezed Tabby's urging her to continue. "I think, he's the reason I didn't give up. I was so scared that I couldn't move..." Tabby was shaking, tracks of moisture slid down her cheeks and she tugged a hand out of Petra's and brushed them away. "Shit," she uttered a self-deprecating chuckle. "I swore I was done with the tears. Sorry for being such a mess, Petra."

Petra sat up and perched on the coffee table in front of Tabby's chair. "You're allowed, you know. But are you okay, Tabs? Because I'm afraid for you."

"Okay? Probably not really...but I will be, Petra. Please don't worry. You've already done more for me than I could have ever thank you for. What did I do to deserve such a loyal best friend?"

Petra smiled and quipped, "You made sure that a stupid, drunken idiot, who'd just caught her boyfriend cheating on her, got home safely, even though we were strangers at the time. You saw the mess I was in and cared enough to offer me a ride home. That, by some freak of coincidence, we lived in the same building...that was destiny." Petra stood up and offered Tabby her hand, helping her out of the overstuffed chair. "You can't fight destiny, baby. Now you're stuck with me!"

"And you're stuck with me too!" Tabby echoed, giving her friend a hug. "Let's go back to bed. I think I can actual use more sleep."

Petra smirked and gave Tabby a saucy wink. "Uh huh, I think I'll go see if that gorgeous man of mine is still asleep. I might need to wake him up to keep me company."

"Oh! Ew!" Tabby cringed. "T.M.I. There are some things I don't need to know!"

They stopped in front of Tabby's new bedroom door. "Play your cards right, and you might just have a man of your own to harass," Petra laughed.

"Go! Have sex. I'm going to pretend that I don't know what you're talking about and try to go back to sleep."

Petra giggled and swayed sexily down the hall, giving Tabby a little wave before she closed the door behind her.

In her own room, Tabby used the ensuite bathroom and washed her hands. In her peripheral vision she could see her reflection in the mirror and tried to look away while at the same time, her attention was riveted to the dark shadow on the right side of her face.

"Do you really want to be alright?" She heard her own voice ask inside her head. "Then the first step is facing what happened. You have a choice to make here, Tabby. Either put on your big girl underpants and get on with it or go hide under your covers and be afraid for the rest of your life!"

Tabby's hands clenched onto the edge of the vanity countertop, she took several deep breaths to muster her courage and then raised her gaze until she was looking at her reflection dead on. She saw the hollow, haunted shadows in her green eyes and hated Jerry for putting them there. She inspected the purple, red and blue bruise that stained the skin around her puffy eye and cheekbone with a detached, clinical air that kept her emotions under control. The bruise was at its darkest where Jerry's palm had connected with her cheekbone and she could almost make out its shape in the mottled thundercloud of colours seeping like ink under her skin.

The flashback pushed relentlessly at the edges of her mind, trying to force its way past the half-finished barriers the rational part of her brain had started to erect so that it could invade her consciousness and wreak havoc on her mind. Small glimpses leapt over and through the hodgepodge of planks and made her feel like she was being pounded on from the inside out.

His meaty hands.

His crazy, pig-like eyes.

His disgusting protruding belly.

That flicking, licking tongue.

The images flew at her faster and faster as she stared into the mirror. Brewing panic was starting to make her bowels squirm with a jittery, watery feel and the urge to collapse and hide tugged at her legs to the point where she had to lock her knees to keep from folding to the floor.

"No!" She said firmly to the frightened woman in the mirror. "He can't hurt you anymore, unless you allow your fear to rule your life. Every tear shed is another victory for him and he's taken enough." Fierce determination flooded into Tabby's mind and she glared at the dream vision of Jerry's sneering face with a courage made of steel and fire hardening her soul.

"Go. To. Hell." She spat at him. His image laughed but began to waver. "You have no more power over me." His silhouette faded some more and took on a tattered look, like a flag that had frayed in the wind, dissolving before her eyes.

It was his specter's turn to look panicked, evaporating bit by bit as she smiled in triumph. "I banish you from my life and from my memories."

With one last hiss, the ghost of Gerald Moran burst into black dust and vanished from existence. Tabby almost did cry now, but this time her tears would have been ones of relief and joy. She felt light as a feather and effervescent with pride. That was the last time that ugly man would ever hurt her. She was free and the best part was that she had freed herself.

Suddenly, Tabby felt like she had her life back and a future waiting for her that wasn't going to be tainted by the attack. That was in the past and she was moving on. Her heart began racing and heat warmed her and pooled in her belly. Blue green eyes burned into her mind's eye and her reflection showed her a beautiful young woman with a seductive smile grinning back at her.

Marcus.

She was quite positive that somewhere in her future, the mysterious, gorgeous Dom was going to play a very important role in her life.

And she couldn't wait to get started.

~~End of Book One~~