Treasure


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*** Vance's POV***

Pain. Hurt. Devastation.

That's all Karis knows. I could destroy that ex of her's. Every person who has helped destroy this beauty deserves death. How do you not know or care that you have demoralized such a treasure?

Her soft whimpers agitate me. Every shift of her body, while in my arms, is a blow to my heart.

Karis is genuinely the most incredible woman I have ever known. Something about her, that heart, I can tell it's platinum. I don't understand, nor do I want to, how you take a treasure and destroy it.

Broken. Karis believes she is less than whole. I see her as bruised. She will heal. With love and time, my angel can be unblemished, even in her own eyes.

Dismantled. True, but destruction leaves room to be remodeled. Karis doesn't need to be changed. She needs to be reevaluated and rebuilt. She is stronger than she believes. I know it.

Shattered. That word is all encompassing. Not dropped, not accidentally crushed, Karis has been purposefully torn apart. Her pieces are still there, she just has a time finding where to begin the process of moving them back into place.

Like a shattered window, sure it has been rendered useless temporarily. However, stained glass was once whole, perfect in someone's eyes. Another look, you see more than what it is. Beyond the perceived perfection it once was, it can be entirely new. The mosaic of shards, that have been discarded, are reinforced, stabilized. That colorful window, you create, is even more stunning. It can withstand a substantial amount of abuse.

Mangled. Disfigured by misplaced love, beyond recognition, Karis' heart has been mutilated. Every person, who inflicted damage, stole something more valuable than currency. They degraded her value, depreciating her self-worth. It's truly horrendous, a sin of the highest caliber.

I will rebuild this woman. I will lift her so high; she will have trouble remembering the steps taken to devalue her. Karis is mine to hold, protect and love. She may believe she is beyond reproach. Falsehood, she is perfection. I will show her. I will love her so fucking hard. Karis will know love beyond her wildest dreams.

What began as a mesmerizing moment has become a stunning dream for me. I want her; all of her. I want to find where she begins, unravel it, start over with both of us intertwined so tightly that she never unravels again.

I want to sleep. However, closing my eyes when true beauty lays between my arms, seems a waste. My fingers grip her flesh with possession. Mine. No one will ever harm her again. They may try but, rest assured, I will wade through the thickest of demonic forces to protect her.

My lips continuously brush across her dampened skin. Even in her sleep, she battles the demons that ravish her. Karis' pulse heightens wildly, crashing with a thud against my chest. Her lungs scream out stress, pain and ultimately deprivation.

Anger rises from the deepest pit of my soul. No one should ever be so entangled in their past that it effects their present.

Calming reassurance radiates from my body. Holding her broken pieces together, I try to silently heal her. If in this world, I do only one thing, rebuilding my love is all I need to do.

As Karis finally settles into a state of temporary peace, I am able to relax. My breathing slows, my heart sees fit to close my eyes.

My alarm warns me it is time to stir. While I have no place to be, I know my love needs to start her day. Slipping her body to the side, I move to leave the bed. I quietly make my way to the kitchen. Plundering through her refrigerator, I see she is not a fan of shopping. With a chuckle, I place an order for delivery.

The food arrives, I plate it beside a cup of coffee that came with our meal. I make sure the setting is fit for the Queen it will be delivered to. Satisfied, I walk to the room.

Sleeping in an exhausted state, Karis lays sprawled across her side of the bed. Her hair halos around her head, tangled from restlessness. Her fingers grasp at the sheets, as if the cotton threads give her security in her emotional turbulence. Her face scrunches, relaxes and corkscrews. Tiny whimpers slip from her gently parted lips.

Having my fill of watching the angel fight with her mental demons, I move forward to wake her. I sit the tray beside the bed, taking a seat beside the beautiful lady. My fingers move the golden strands of hair that have created a shield around her cheeks. Softly, I brush them aside, tucking them behind her ear.

Leaning down, I gently kiss her temple. A small mewl comes from her bowed lips.

"Karis, love, time for breakfast." I move the sheets to the side as her body becomes attentive.

"Good morning. Sorry." Karis whispers unnecessary apologies. Her fingers smooth the worry lines from her forehead, pushing non-existent wrinkles from the corner of her eyes to her temples.

"Nothing to apologize for darling." I move the tray to her lap, placing the coffee cup so that the handle is easily accessible.

"You either shopped or ordered in. I know I did not have these supplies." A sweet giggle comes from my treasure's lips. I would die a thousand deaths to wake up to that sound every morning.

"Diner down the road, eat." I push the fork into her petite hand. I need to get her going. I don't want her getting a late start to her day.

"Thank you, for coming to my rescue. I'm sorry I pulled you from your home." Karis drops the fork as she covers her face in her hands.

She is still stressing, as far as I am concerned she did me a favor.

"Non-sense. Had I not wanted to come, I would not have offered. Please eat. You will be late for work." I pick the fork up, once again placing into her hand.

"I am in no rush. I don't have a client until this afternoon." Karis looks as if facing another human may be her breaking point.

Deciding that a distraction, or at least a deterrent, would be my best course of action, I change avenues.

"What is it that you do, love?" I push the tendrils of her hair back so I may soak in her every feature.

"Party Planner. Weddings, Birthdays, Baby Showers; really I do anything that is cause for celebration." Karis moves the food from one side of the plate to the other.

Realizing she is not actually planning on eating, I take over. I gently lift a bite of the eggs and grits to her lips. Smiling lightly, Karis takes my proffered gift.

"Good girl." I acknowledge her small milestone hoping to encourage repeated actions.

"Would you mind telling me what upset you last night? You can say no. I understand if you prefer not to talk about it." I lift another bite for her to consume.

Chewing slowly, Karis appears to mull over her decision. She pulls the coffee cup to her lips before nodding while she sips from the beverage.

"Christopher, my ex, he called me last night." Karis closes her eyes with her admission. I can visibly see the stress begin to work it's way back into her form.

Attempting to derail the anxiety, I pull the breakfast tray away from her lap. I shift in my spot, pulling Karis back to my chest. I wrap my arms around my Angel. My fingers fill the spaces between her's; it's amazing for me to feel her relax against me.

"Care to elaborate? Although, I do imagine that wasn't something you expected after so long." I slip my ankles over her feet to secure her in my hold. The more safety I can convey, the more willing she should be to trust me. She should trust me. I'm not the one who broke her. However, I am willing to be there to push her pieces back together.

"It started off as a call to persuade me to come home. Once that did not work effectively, he fell back into his usual tendencies of backhanded compliments, soft criticisms and eventually got angry all together." Karis sighs heavily as if the replay is just as heavy this morning as it was when it happened originally.

"It's probably best if you block his number. You should not have to be subjected to that type of abuse. I assure you, whatever that man said is a direct reflection of his insecurities. His words are nothing pertaining to you as a person. Your character is far above acceptable. Do not let him bring you further down when you have struggled to lift yourself up for the past year." I pray against all hope that this woman realizes my words are actually fact.

It is not uncommon for the ex to find any way to pursue their end game. Everything from manipulation to empty promises are on the table when abusers seek to draw their victims back into the clutches of their hold.

Sadly, it is easy to lure your intended target back when you have laid extensive groundwork for an extended period of time. Seven years is a long time to build a foundation on misgivings and compulsive behaviors. The victim will have already beat themselves up thoroughly, often succumbing to the perpetual psychological abuse that they have come to see as normal, acceptable.

"It made me angry, sad, even guilty. I could feel myself slipping into the familiar behavior of forgiveness. I want so badly to take away his pain. Although, I don't think I should sacrifice my own happiness, again, in order to ease his burden. It's a Catch 22." Karis rolls her head to the side. I tilt my jaw down to watch as her eyes find mine. I stay completely still, allowing her to find reassurance behind my gaze.

"You should not make any sacrifices. I have a feeling you often become a willing martyr. That is commendable. It is also unhealthy. You do not have to be the sacrificial lamb in every situation. To do so would only fill another's cup while leaving your's empty." I bend down to place a soft kiss on my girl's nose.

She isn't mine. She will be. I will make sure of it.

"It's a learned behavior. I have become so accustomed to saving face at my own expense. Thousands of dollars in therapy has at least brought me that much knowledge. It's just that I can't shake the guilt." Karis pulls my arms tightly around her waist. My chin wedges into her neck while I breathe out an exasperated huff.

"What was your breaking point? When did you come to the conclusion that it was time to separate yourself from the toxicity?" My question is not merely curiosity. It's important to remind a victim of the moment when they deemed that they had taken enough.

"After our usual argument had ensued, nothing different from the norm, I laid down. My eyes closed. I found myself praying that in my next life, I could make better choices. I prayed that I would use my next existence to find true happiness. It hit me then. Why would God give me another life if I couldn't find a way to salvage this one? I don't think I should feel as though all hope is lost. It's a terrible epiphany to see that you have settled so much, you have lost the value of your own person." Karis says a mouthful.

She doesn't comprehend how far she has come. She is so completely overwhelmed with her past that she cannot see the strides she has made to recover.

Adding Karis' self-love to my list of things to work in, I decide we have had enough for a few moments. Instead of dwelling on a call that set her back, we need to focus on things that will move her forward.

Turning the sweet girl in my hold, I move her to face me. My fingers touch her face with a satin caress. Adoration, nurture and attention are a few things that she has been missing. It is my pleasure to fulfill those needs. As this is within my scope of expertise, I naturally find myself in a position to shower her in all that she desires, needs.

I lift her bowed arch to my own, pressing a sealing kiss on to her lips. Karis immediately melts into my touch. Her fingers dance across the back of my skull, pressing me into her mouth.

My tongue slowly licks at the crevice between her teeth, drinking her in. She's a fucking star, a diamond. Everything about Karis Vardell is addicting. I willingly fall under her inadvertent spell.

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