Trusting love

"If you ever need me, regardless of where you are or the time of day, call me." Trevyn had said and Trev always kept his promises to her. In the year she had known him he had never let her down.
Why had she not trusted him? Mostly why had she not listened to him?
"He is going to kill you if you stay." he had recently stated.
"No," she had replied with stubborn defiance "He loves me!"
"I would never lay a finger on you, not like that." his midnight eyes had been intent upon her, a look she had seen before with the same effect.
Her heart missed a beat before racing, a tingle raced down her spine, curled around her stomach and exploded in delicious fireworks.
That was why she had never listened, his interest in her.
Her core creamed at the velvet tone of his musical, molten voice, the heat in her stomach settling on that lusty part of her. That made her angry, she was not a slut who lusted after another man when she was in a committed relationship!
"Mom said never trust a man who wants to get into your pants by trashing your man."
"Hence the crude phrasing." he stated dryly, suppressed anger burning in his voice.
She gasped, hurt. She knew her mother was rough around the edges but that was uncalled for, the woman had worked herself half to death so that her daughter could have a future, she deserved better. Fear stopped her from hitting him or scratching his eyes out, he was so big and if he turned on her she would not survive.
"You always listen to her do you not? Even to the point of staying with a man who uses you as a punching bag." he grated, violence brimming in his eyes. She was immobilized as he stalked near, her eyes wide on him. Framing her face he touched his forehead to hers.
"You make me so furious, so angry, still I would not hurt you for the world." he gritted his teeth. "A white man is not the one beating you"
His body almost touched hers, so strong and well defined, heat that magnetized her body. He was so tall she had to crane to look into his eyes, their ardent depths mesmerized, aroused and scared her. He was so intense, his model perfect face frozen with unbearable need and love, love as clear as day, so fierce and irrevocable. How could he feel that way about her and why? He had everything he could want, rich, cultured and so sexy he was every woman's fantasy. And she was just a white man's black bastard unworthy of any acknowledgement.
She pulled away from his tender touch shaking her head as tears flowed down her cheek. "I love Ray and he loves me!" she stated in a pain filled voice. "If you cannot accept that then I want you out of my life."
His face hardened, eyes devoid of anything pinned her to her spot. "That might be for the best." he agreed, cold and remote.
Pain laced through her heart and she had to fight hard for him not to see how much it hurt, she had not thought he would cut himself from her life, obviously he did not love her as he claimed. Well he had never really said he loved her, she had just inferred that from his words and thought she saw it in his eyes, that was just her mistake not his. Her heart bled, evidently he meant more to her than she had thought but now it was too late.
That had been three weeks ago and now his words were coming true, Ray was going to kill her. He had said that before as he beat her but the look on his face had not been as it was now nor had he beat her in this way. Tied to the table leg she lay on her back on the wooden floor, the floor she had always kept army boot shiny, unable to move as her legs were broken. He was now concentrating on her face, sitting on her broken ribs and shouting profanities as he punched her.
Trev had most likely meant to call him on his phone but realizing Ray meant to kill her this time and unable to get to a phone she had started to scream his name. Ray had assumed he was a lover and had been even more enraged, kicking at her ribs with his hunting boots it was a wonder her broken ribs had not punctured her lungs.
She could no longer shout but she still moaned the name of the one man who had never let her down, who had loved her intensely for a few precious moments before she had ruined it all for the monster who was now killing her. She wanted to die with Trevyn's face on her mind, the love she had never dared to feel filling her heart.
Why had it been so hard to love him when she had had the chance? He would never have done this to her and she had let her mother's bad experience with her father taint her and yet fall for the same kind of man. Had she really loved Ray, or had she just taken up with a man most like her father whilst fooling herself on the pretense of race?
She prayed for another chance at life, a change to love the man who was as dangerous as he was gentle. Power radiated from every plane of his lithe frame, confidence she had envied. He was easy to be around, she could talk about anything with him and be whatever she wanted- he had encouraged her- and she had started to let go.
Trevyn." she cried weakly fighting to stay awake, to hold on hoping that by some miracle he would show up. It was irrational but she held on. Every breath was excruciating, aggravating her ribs, his weight upon her squeezing her lungs.
A crash sounded nearby vibrating through her skin more than it registered in her ears. She wondered if Ray had broken the table, though her hands were still tied to its leg and he had not stopped pounding at her.
 A snarl of rage re vibrated through the room, too guttural to come from a human and so chilling. Had she not been so close to death she would have braved the pain and ran, Ray would not be killing her after all, whatever animal had invaded her home would do the job. Only she would be attacked when she was already dying, her unhappy fate prevailed.
 A dark shadow bawled into Ray knocking him off her. The fear she had felt as Ray hit her was nothing compared to the terror she experienced as she listened to his screams. Horror and pain laced his voice and the animal snarls mingled with it to create a waking nightmare. She wanted to turn and see what was happening but agonizing pain precluded that.
Wolves. Their scent overpowered the coppery scent of her blood and terror. They were all around her, at least a half dozen. Two bracketed her to go where Ray lay gibbering and another sat besides her. Its eyes upon her were strangely intelligent, aware of her, she gave up the fight and blacked out.
***

 A pleasant breeze wafted off the coast onto the terrace dinning area, pleasantly cool in the 98 degree weather.