Dangerously Damaged: A Contemporary Dark Bully Romance (The Shadowed Souls Series Book 3)

by Abigail Cole

  I shove Ray away, lurching across the seat for the handle. He’s on me in a second, literally heaving his body weight onto my legs. My fingers graze the handle, my legs kicking wildly and connecting with various parts of his body. A shout comes from the front seat but I’m too distracted to hear it, gripping the handle and heaving my shoulder against the door until I fall forward. My forehead meets the asphalt first, the rest of me following as I roll continuously until I flop onto my back. Every inch of my skin is screaming as cuts and grazes flare to life, my head spinning and previous bruises throbbing. But I’m alive.

  The ringing in my ears gives way to a high-pitched screech of tyres a moment before metal grinding and glass shattering fills the air. I force to sit myself up, seeing the utter carnage of the sedan imbedded into the side of the mansion. The fountain in the centre of the driveway has been destroyed, pieces of concrete flung in all directions and water spewing from the ground. I notice Ray and his driver’s figures through the smashed back window scrambling for the far side of the vehicle since their doors are now a part of the mansion’s outer structure, and that’s when I see the oil leaking from beneath.

  My legs skid under me, my body slow to react to the voice blaring in my head. Get the fuck up and move! Bent in half, I hobble as fast as I can away from the house, remembering Ray’s grand plan involving gas cylinders fixed into the underground vents. The vents that will leak into the dungeon where Nixon is being held, not to mention – No. I turn back, Rachel’s name on my tongue as the car explodes first, the two figures going up in flames just before the entire house blows.

  I’m thrown what feels like miles back, my body sailing through in air in slow motion and a scream leaving me I can’t hold in. My arms float above me freely, a moment of zero gravity ending abruptly as I collide with the unforgiving ground. All the air in my lungs whooshes out and agony seizes me tightly. I can’t tell where the intensity of the rising blast ends, and the heat of my broken bones begin. Cracking my eyelids, the flames roar towards the sky, goading the rain to fall and wash away the horrors which once took place within its ruins.

  I lie still, unable to move even if I wasn’t content lying here to watch the display. Each breath hurts so much, I don’t know if I’ll manage to take the next until it happens, but for a moment I can rest easy. I’m on borrowed time to enjoy the knowledge there’s one less monster in the world. A shadow lingers on the edge of my vision, a twitch to one corner of my lips forming a slanted smile. There you are mom. Don’t worry, I’m on my way to you. She edges closer, her open arms reaching out to carry me over the threshold to the afterlife until it’s not the green gems for eyes I was expecting that hover over me.

  Brown hair falls around me like a curtain, tears stinging as they drip into the open cuts covering my face. Her lips press against mine in the sweetest kiss, the one I thought I’d be longing for all eternity. A choked sob burns its way along my throat, my immobile arms protesting to crush her into me. Careful not to press any of her weight down, Meg rests her head on my chest and listens to the thump inside my ribcage. The heart that is only still beating for her.

  We remain cuddled on the ground until my limbs begin to regain feeling, my toes wiggling and fingers flicking. At long last, I’m able to lift my arms enough to wind them around her body and place a kiss in her hair. Voices sound in the background but I block them out, not ready to face the onslaught of grief waiting for me. A few random drops of rain land on various parts of my exposed skin to signal the coming downpour, my flesh pleading for the cool reprieve. The heavens open to release a wave of water, washing away the evil that claimed this patch of land.

  Meg lifts her head, her pale eyes regarding me before rising completely. A figure I used to call brother steps in beside her, bending down to lift me despite the snarl on his face. “I still hate you,” he mumbles, carrying me with long strides and easing me across a leathery back seat. Leaning over me, he then lifts my head and shoulders with more care than I deserve, his hazel eyes glowering as Meg slides beneath me and her beautiful face comes back into view. I open my mouth a few times, words failing me, but one thought comes to mind, a name I can no longer ignore.

  “Rachel.” Meg strokes my cheek as I manage to shift onto my side slightly, facing away from her as I begin to cry. My tears soak the material covering her thighs, her fingers gently stroking my hair and I slowly curl up my legs in full fetal mode.

  “I’m so sorry Wyatt,” she leans over to breathe into my ear and places a kiss to my swollen temple. I lean back into her warmth, clinging onto the comfort only Meg can provide me. Despite the sinking ache in my chest, I have an underlying feeling I will be okay. Rachel reached a part of me I’d stopped trying to fix and gave me the one thing I’d been searching for all of these years - to feel wanted. Her sincere intentions and kind hugs, the automatic smiles and motherly nature.

  She saved and fixed me without even trying, and that’s the beauty of it. I realise now I’ve been wasting all my energy being angry, making myself the outsider when all I needed was to let someone in to see the best parts of me. Which is exactly why I’m going to cling onto Meg and show her the future we will have. Life has given me a second chance and I’m sure as shit not going to waste this one. I’ll do whatever it takes to prove myself, to give her a life free from heartache and suffering like she deserves. I’ll be her everything like she is mine.

  “I never- “I shift onto my back, swallowing down a lump my throat. “I never thought I’d find someone like you, so I didn’t bother looking. And when I found you, I gave you a hundred reasons to push me away. But you see me like no one else can and I’ll love you until my breath for that.” Her eyes glisten in contrast to the smile lighting up her face.

  “I love you Wyatt. The devilish, the deceitful and the dangerous, I want it all.” My grin is stupidly wide, my heart expanding in my chest and threatening to burst. I don’t know how I’ve become lucky enough for this angel to love all of the damaged parts of me, but I do know with her by my side, I will be better.

  I try to sit upwards, needing Meg to help me despite the world of pain attacking my body, but not even the fires of hell could keep me from getting closer to her. Shuffling into her side, I lean my head on her shoulder as she traces ticklishly light patterns up and down my forearm. Beyond the windscreen, a woman is standing alone in the downpour of rain facing the destruction that was, until very recently, Perelli’s mansion. Her dark hair is drenched, her size and shape so similar to Rachel’s I almost thought it was her, but Rachel’s hair is shorter and hips slightly wider.

  I grip Meg’s hand for reassurance, needing her to ground me as grief swirls around my chest. Tilting my chin in her fingers, she presses her lips against mine so softly, but my mind is reeling nonetheless. Someone who has lost so much shouldn’t feel this blessed, but she gives me a reason. A reason to move forward and start a life worth living. Through the depths of agony and darkness, our love will reignite the dying embers of my heart and burn away all traces of the man I was until I am worthy of her. My rescuer, my salvation, my Meg.

  Epilogue - Avery

  Dax uses his powerful calves to leap with all the grace of a pouncing cheetah, gliding through the air to net the ball in the basket. A moment of silence ripples through the packed stadium just before the claxon blares and declares the Waversea Weavers the winners. Axel and I shoot up from the wooden bench on the edge of the court together, screaming and hugging as we jump around excitedly. I know how much he wanted to play alongside his brothers, but doctor’s orders were to take this semester off. Luckily for him, this was the last game before the holidays and his team have smashed it on his behalf.

  Hunting for the blonde Afro amongst the crowd of people rushing towards their victors, I find him grinning at me and run into his arms. His lips find mine in an instant and his large hands lift me easily, warmth coiling in my centre as adrenaline shifts into something much more potent. The skirt of my cheer outfit lifts for a touch of coolness to cares
s my bare thighs, the roaring of cheering drowning out to the thump in my chest.

  “Alright break it up you two, unless you are prepared to have a few other members join your sex fest.” I choke on a laugh, breaking our kiss to bob my eyebrows at Garrett mischievously. His dimples pop out on a wide grin, although we know it’s all in jest. He and Axel haven’t been with anyone except each other for the past four months and Dax is strictly selfish in that department. Huxley strides through the swarm of beautiful girls vying for his attention to pull the four of us into a bone-crushingly tight bear hug, whist I’m still hoisted in the centre. I may have lost both of my parents this year, but I gained a family I could only have dreamt of.

  A chant begins across the court, the cheer squad shaking their black and yellow pom poms high in to air to lead the basketball team, and hordes of fans through the open doors. I wriggle free, my feet touching the floor so I can run to join them at the front, but Dax’s hand grasping mine pulls me back.

  “Don’t you dare change out of this before I get my winning lap dance,” he whispers into my ear and I giggle with a schoolgirl. Well, I guess that’s because I am one. Today marks the last day of my first full semester studying musical theatre at Waversea, and already I’ve grown so much more than I could have through home schooling. Dax insisted I didn’t move into their frat house on campus but instead share a dorm with students in my class. It was barely a week before the girl across the hall invited me to cheerleading try-outs and I made the team that afternoon. Just another way Dax has proven himself to be my ideal man, his thoughtfulness for me to have a real college experience without him breathing down my neck.

  My name being called through the crowd has me looking around but it’s Huxley who spots her first, turning me by the shoulders and pointing to the top of the indoor bleachers. She made it! I push my way through the guys with the brute strength of a quarterback, and jog towards my twin who is sprinting down the steps.

  “Careful!” I shout to her, holding my hands out to protect her swelling belly if she were to fall. She swats my hands away and pulls me in for a hug. It’s been way too long since I’ve had my Meg-fix. Pulling back, she regards the brown hair I’ve let grow out and cut into a shoulder-length bob with a smirk.

  “Stop trying to bubble wrap me, I could still take you on,” she laughs.

  “Now that I’d like to see,” Garrett walks up behind us with the others, each pulling her in for a hug and kissing her cheek before my eyes fall to her mid-section again. I still can’t believe I’m going to be an auntie! Everyone else has exited the stadium now, quiet falling as we all share glances and avoid the obvious until I can’t take it anymore.

  “How is he?” Meg’s pale eyes flick away for a moment, a sad smile forming on her lips.

  “Wyatt’s doing well. There was a lot for him to sort through in taking over Nixon’s companies, and he’s completing his degree online. My mom says he’s making great progress in their counselling sessions, but what he really needs are his brothers back.” Her eyes flick to Garrett’s the same time all of ours do, knowing its mainly him that’s holding us back. Even Axel has admitted he’s prepared to work on rebuilding their friendship, but Garrett is as stubborn as a strong, independent woman who refuses to wash the dishes two days in a row. I often wonder who wears the pants in their relationship.

  “Look, I know it won’t happen overnight but maybe it’s worth a shot trying?” I pitch in on Meg’s behalf. I haven’t come close to forgiving Wyatt myself yet, but he’s steadily proving himself by making my twin happier than she’s ever been, so I can make some effort too. “Don’t you think baby Harbour would want to know his Uncle Gary?” I snigger.

  “Remind me not to ask you for help picking baby names,” Meg rolls her eyes. “Why don’t you all join us for Christmas? Susie is desperate to have some guests to fawn over, and I have a mansion I need help decorating. Or would you rather I was climbing ladders and lifting heavy boxes of baubles around myself?” Meg puts on a perfect display, battering her eyelashes with a full-on pout and rubbing her rounded belly at Garrett. He grinds his jaw and crosses his arms, but I don’t miss the glint of amusement in his eyes before he looks away.

  “As long as I’m never ever called Uncle fucking Gary, I’ll come. But no promises on the forgiving and forgetting front.” Meg and I squeal together, excitement over a proper family Christmas setting in. Axel slides his arm around Garrett’s shoulders and starts to lead him away while asking why he hates that nickname so much.

  “I’m not some fat, bald hillbilly! I’m gorgeous Garrett,” he whines. Axel chuckles and pulls him in for a kiss, the sight of them making me smile and seek out my own companion. Dax’s arms wind around me on instinct, his mouth finding my neck. Meg leans into my other side, her fingers linking with mine and mouths ‘all set for tonight?’. I nod slowly, a smirk pulling at my lips. Tonight, is more than just the guys mega end of term party.

  I haven’t been able to bring myself to say those three little words to Dax yet, even though he’s earned them ten thousand times over. And the best/worst part is how understanding he is, accepting a simple kiss in return when he tells me it every day. I want to be fair to him, knowing those words need to be filled with every ounce of devotion, but so much has happened, and I needed to find myself first. To be the best version of myself before I give him my heart. It’s the least he deserves.

  “I’ll catch you at the party, there’s some twinning that needs to be had.” I twist my head to kiss Dax before slipping out of his hold, throwing a wink Huxley’s way and grabbing my backpack. Guiding Meg through the back doors to the car park, I stride towards the burnt-orange Nissan Huxley has gifted me with a huge smile. He gave up with me borrowing it without asking and bought the midnight blue version sitting in the next bay along.

  Huxley’s relaxed back into college life well, hints of the man I first met becoming more frequent, although he still doesn’t speak without reason to. Switching his degree to psychology has done wonders, his thesis to be based on men’s mental health, and not to mention he’ll be here the same length of time as me now.

  “Saw your big routine during half-time. You were incredible! This is cute too,” Meg reaches out to pick a hair from my black vest with yellow lettering and trim. I spin side to side for the matching skirt to dance around my thighs with a smile. I’d never imagined I could be a part of a team, to have a group of people looking out for me and boosting me to the top of a literal pyramid. I’d originally been sceptical of venturing out without Meg, but we have to live our own lives, chase our own happiness.

  “You could have come down to sit with us, you know. They don’t blame you for anything.” Meg sighs for a moment and then forces it away with an exaggerated smile, sliding into the car without spilling how torn up over the guys rift she clearly is. Luckily for her, I’m on the case and by Christmas day, the gang will be together again like old times, plus a pair of brunette twins and baby on the way.

  “Are you sure you’re alright to party with us tonight?” I drop into the driver’s seat with a frown.

  “If you ask me that one more time, I’ll go all Sydney on your ass and disappear.”

  “Still no word, huh?” Meg shakes her head with a twist to her lips. Hopefully wherever she is, she has found the freedom she spent years dreaming of. Twisting the key in the ignition, I rev the engine and leave my worries behind in the car park as I drive us in the direction of Waversea to prepare for tonight.

  ∞∞∞

  “Open your eyes,” I say, sitting on Dax’s bed with a wrapped box in my hands. The white paper is decorated with golden basketballs and a gold bow, because I’m fancy like that. Dax’s piercing blue eyes narrow on me suspiciously, his fingers grazing mine as he slowly accepts the gift.

  “What’s this for?” His thigh is pressed against mine in black slacks paired with a powder blue shirt. The open buttons revealing most of his chest and his biceps straining inside the material makes my mouth go dry.

&
nbsp; “You’ll see,” I bite my lip to focus, putting my libido in the naughty corner. He takes forever peeling the tape back to preserve the paper and I nearly jump across to tear it off myself. Pulling the box inside free, he doesn’t react whilst gazing at the image on the outside which has my stomach fluttering and toes tapping simultaneously.

  “You got me a polaroid camera? Why?”

  “It’s not a camera,” I grip his face in my hands and pull his focus onto me. “It’s a promise. You’ve been so patient and understanding, given me the room to grow and explore. But I don’t want that anymore. I want to be with you, to fill our rooms with photos of our happiest moments and start our life together. It won’t always be sunshine and rainbows because, well I’m me, but I promise to give you all I have. With everything I am and will ever be, I love you Dax.”

  His mouth is on mine the second the words have left my lips, the burn of desire and love scoring a line through my body. I melt against him, weak on his taste and relying on his strength. My walls are down, my soul is bare, my heart syncing to the steady rhythm of his. His lips quiver slightly, pressing against mine firmly before pulling back. He removes the camera from its packaging, lifting it in front of us and presses a kiss to my cheek as the flash blinks brightly.

  The next second, a glossy paper is in my hand for shaking until our image becomes clear. Dax’s Afro takes up half of the picture, his bronzed skin a stark contrast to mine but that’s not what strikes me first. My eyes are the boldest blue I’ve ever seen, brimming with joy to match my beaming smile. I didn’t believe love like this could exist, and even if it did, I never would have thought I could manage to find it. This man has quickly become my lifeline, knowing what I need before I do and providing me with a life I didn’t think I deserved.

  “Come on, we’d better show our faces from at least an hour or Garrett will never stop moaning about it. Then I’ll be ripping your clothes off and have you screaming my name.” His low, husky voice has my core clenching and I briefly wonder if Garrett’s bitching would be worth staying in here all night. However, I’m fairly certain he would come looking for us and not hesitate to drag us downstairs butt naked.