UNCHAIN ME: SAVAGE BEAST MC 3

by Faiman, Hayley

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  BELLAROSA

  The sound of beeping is the first thing that I hear. Slowly, I’m able to peel my eyes open. There is dark hair resting next to my hip. I search my surroundings, afraid to move too much. I’m in a hospital, the scent unmistakable. Twitching my fingers, that dark head of hair lifts and I’m met with Drago’s bearded face and alert gray eyes.

  “Hey,” I whisper.

  “Fuck,” he grunts.

  He doesn’t look happy and it causes me to frown. “Fuck,” he repeats.

  “Drago?” I ask.

  He shakes his head once, his hand lifting and reaching for my cheek. His fingers slide through my hair and his eyes stay completely focused on my own. He doesn’t look away, he doesn’t look anywhere but directly into my gaze. His gaze is almost uncomfortable, but I’m frozen as I watch him, watching me.

  “Almost lost you, baby,” he murmurs. “Thought you ran off, then when I found out the truth, fuck. I thought you were dead.”

  “She was very angry,” I whisper.

  He nods. “Never have to worry about her, about anyone. Not ever again.”

  “Drago?”

  His fingers twitch, but he doesn’t tighten his grasp, he keeps it loose as he continues to just watch me, his eyes roaming over my face. “So fuckin’ beautiful, you know that?”

  I sink my teeth into my bottom lip.

  “I love you, too, Fragolina. Not a man who speaks of my feelings much, but fuck me, never been so scared.”

  My eyes fill with tears, they spill over almost immediately and I suck my lips in, trying to keep from sobbing loudly. My body jerks and I whimper with the pain that slides through me at the action. He shakes his head, lifting slightly to hover over my body. His lips slowly descend and I release mine so that our mouths can touch.

  “Fuck, I’m glad you’re okay,” he rasps against my mouth.

  I kiss him, with the taste of his mouth and my own tears on my lips, I taste this man. I told him that I loved him, and I meant it. His hand slowly leaves my hair and gently glides down the center of my chest to rest against my belly.

  His lips move against mine, then slowly he lifts his face from my own and breaks the chaste kiss. He straightens his back just as the door to the room opens and a man walks in.

  “She’s awake,” he says, smiling toward me.

  He’s wearing a white lab coat and I assume he’s a doctor. He closes the distance between us, a chart in his hand. I watch as he writes a few things down, then asks me how I’m feeling. I answer him, saying that I’m in pain so he orders some more pain killers for me.

  “Everything looks good, Dragon,” he murmurs standing next to my bed, but his focus no longer on me.

  “She can shower tomorrow, but make sure you pat the sutures dry. I’ll come by in about seven days to check and remove them. Between now and then, nothing that could reinjure them,” he advises.

  Dragon only grunts. The doctor chuckles and then he leaves. The room is quiet, he doesn’t say anything, his gaze drifting past me to the windows.

  “Did he mean no sex for seven days?” I ask.

  Dragon’s gaze comes back to me and his lips twitch. “You gonna live, Fragolina?” he asks, holding back a chuckle.

  I sink my teeth into my bottom lip and shrug. I want to ask him if he is going to live or if he’s going to go elsewhere, maybe to that Pinkie woman. I don’t. Instead, my gaze shifts to the window and I stare out at the blue sky and green trees.

  “Bella,” he calls. Turning my head toward him, I’m taken aback by the look on his face. I can’t quite read him, but he is staring at me so intently that I find it hard to breathe. “I’ll take care of you. Fucking hell, I’ll fucking take care of you.”

  “Okay.”

  He shakes his head, sitting down next to me on the bed. He lifts his hand and I hold my breath as his fingers curl around the side of my neck.

  “I will take care of you,” he says again. I nod, unsure of what else to say.

  The door flies open, our heads turning toward it and then within minutes the room is filled with a dozen people. Presley is the first to my side, tugging a frightened looking Kora next to her. Drago picks Kora up and sets her next to me.

  Her gray eyes meet mine and my heart sinks at the fear in them. “Are you okay?” she asks.

  I nod. “I’m okay, Kora. I’m going to be okay,” I whisper.

  She sighs, her face losing most of its fear and slowly lies down next to me. I’m suddenly exhausted, my eyes close as I welcome her warm body next to mine.

  I don’t see the looks from the people around us, I don’t see the look that Drago gives me. I miss it. I miss the beauty of pure love that he aims in our direction.

  DRAGON

  Sitting behind my desk, I run my fingers through my hair. “How is Pinkie?” I ask Hawk.

  He doesn’t speak right away, his eyes focus on me as he sits in the chair across from my desk. Lifting my gaze to his, I wait.

  “She’s good. All the product has tested clean. Kade has made good on his promise and the monitoring is up and working.”

  “Do you need to talk?” I ask, wondering why he’s here.

  He clears his throat. “Bella is younger than my daughter. Seeing that, it fucked me up.”

  “Go to Trista then,” I suggest.

  Shaking his head, he clears his throat. “She’s angry as fuck. She’s better off in California by herself, away from the life. She needs a good man, not one of us.”

  “You sayin’ we ain’t good?”

  “Go fuck yourself, you want Kora with a Savage Beast?” he asks with a chuckle.

  I grunt, unwilling to think of Kora as old enough to date. Fuck that. She’s staying single forever. Living with me and Bellarosa. No man will ever look at her, not ever.

  “That’s what I thought,” he murmurs.

  Hawk slowly stands, his eyes looking at me, but not seeing me. He’s a million miles away and I hope that I never wonder what it’s like to be essentially estranged from Kora or my future children. Just seeing the sadness that’s working behind his eyes is fucking depressing.

  “You can fix this shit with her. She doesn’t have a mom anymore, she’s only got you,” I point out.

  His eyes find mine and he shakes his head once. “No. I don’t know why I came in here. Trista needs her freedom. She was stuck beneath her mom’s thumb for far too fucking long. I won’t do that to her.”

  Hawk turns and walks away from me, but I continue to stare at the closed door, wondering if he’s right. Shifting my thoughts to Bellarosa, I wonder if she needs her freedom, too.

  Isn’t that what this whole fucking thing has been about? Her freedom? She’s craved it, begged and pleaded for it, and yet I can’t give it to her—I won’t give it to her.

  Tossing my pen on the desk, abandoning the schedules that I was trying to create, I stand. Walking out of the clubhouse, I avoid everyone by taking the backdoor. Only, I don’t get far.

  “Running?” Wolfe’s voice calls out.

  Stopping, I turn to him. He has his back against the wall, a cigarette hanging between his lips and his eyes on me. The sun is still high, just beginning to set for the night, I squint as I look back at him. Frowning, I shift my gaze to my boots, refusing to answer him.

  “You are. Fuck, after all this shit we all been through, you’re gonna run from that girl?”

  “All this shit we been through?” I ask, lifting my gaze and narrowing my eyes on him.

  He shakes his head once, lifting his fingers to his mouth and tugging his smoke out. “Yeah. We almost went to war for you, for her. You brand her in some last-minute thing with Gavino hot on your tail. We stood at your back, you claimed her, Dragon and now, what?”

  “I gave you all a chance to back out, to not be involved,” I point out.

  He shakes his head. “Yeah, you’re our brother. You’re our president. There’s no backing out, we back you, always.”

  My body begins to
shake, except I don’t know why. I don’t know if it’s in fear or anger, or whatever the fuck. I shove my trembling hand at my side and make a fist with my fingers.

  “Where’d you get her brand, anyway? Know you didn’t have time to have it made,” he asks.

  My body jerks, my eyes flying to his. It’s a question that I wasn’t prepared for. One that I never wanted to answer.

  “Not your fuckin’ business,” I growl.

  “Made it for Journee, then?” he asks with a chuckle. “That bitch never deserved it. Glad you didn’t give it to her. Don’t know Bellarosa well, but I’ve spent more time with her than anyone else. I can tell you that from what I know, she seems like a sweet girl. Lost, but fuckin’ sweet. Don’t fuck her over, not after all she’s been through.”

  Without another word or a glance back, he turns and walks back into the clubhouse leaving me alone. I shake my head, then will my feet to move and head toward my bike.

  I tell myself that I’m only going back to town to check on Kora, to make sure my girl is doing okay. It has nothing to do with Bella, not a single fucking thing. It doesn’t have to do with the fact that I’ve fallen in love with a nineteen-year-old. A woman that I only meant to own, to control, one who now fucking owns me.

  Fuck.

  I take the long way home, slowly, wondering if I should set her free the way Hawk has done to Trista. Maybe Bella would be happier without being beneath my thumb, as Hawk explained.

  She doesn’t have her freedom with me, not really. I’ve told her she does, but the reality is, as long as she’s mine she’ll never be free.

  My house comes into view and I’m not surprised to see Presley’s car in the drive, or rather Silver’s red hotrod in the drive. I snort at the sight. That man hardly drove that car himself and now his woman drives it every day.

  Fucking love.

  It makes men like me, like Silver and Wolfe, turn into goddamn bitches.

  Disengaging from my bike, I slowly walk up to the front door. Reaching for the handle, I freeze when I hear voices. Turning my head, I notice that the window is open. It feels wrong, but I don’t walk inside right away, instead I eavesdrop.

  “Do you think that Bella is gonna be your new mom like Presley is mine?” Buster asks.

  There’s a moment of silence, then Kora’s sweet voice fills the air. “I hope so. She can’t cook like Presley, but she gives good hugs. She doesn’t yell at me or make me go and play in my room. She doesn’t have men friends. She’s nice.”

  My eyes slide closed from her words. It fucking hurts to think that I’ve allowed these women in Kora’s life. Women that would yell at her, send her to her room for hours and bring other men into the house. I allowed all of that shit, like a goddamn pussy I allowed it.

  “Are you spying on the kids?” Presley’s voice whispers.

  My head whips around, my eyes opening and I lock in on Presley’s smiling face. My lips twitch into a smirk. “Maybe.” I shrug.

  “No maybes about it. Are you coming inside? I made dinner. Figured a nice meal might make everyone feel a little better.” She shrugs.

  I clear my throat, feeling a little uncomfortable. “You didn’t have to do that.”

  She shakes her head and lifts her hand to wave me off. “Had to make dinner for the boys anyway, may as well make it for everyone. It’s nothing fancy, just stuffed pork chops.”

  I snort at her words, nothing fancy, then stuffed pork chops. Crazy fucking woman. Walking behind her, I make my way into the house. Bella was released this morning, early. I dropped her off here, then went to the clubhouse for the day to work.

  I should have stayed and taken care of her, but I couldn’t. Seeing her the way she is, in pain, it makes me feel guilty as fuck. I don’t know how to really deal with that, so I just left. I know that she’s alive and safe, that she’s going to be okay.

  “Want me to go get Bella?” Presley asks as she brings a hot dish to the small dining table.

  Shaking my head, I leave the room and head toward my bedroom. The light is off when I open the door, the room is dark with the curtains drawn over the windows, but I can still see her small form in my bed.

  Making my way over to her side, I sink down sitting next to her. Lifting my hand, I run my fingers through her hair. Her eyes slowly flutter open and I expect to see a smile form on her lips, but it doesn’t. Instead, she frowns, her brows even knitting together as she looks up at me.

  “Time for dinner,” I murmur. She presses her lips together, her eyes just staring blankly at me. “C’mon. You need help goin’ to the bathroom or anything?”

  Her eyes narrow, obviously she’s fucking pissed, but I’m not sure why. She pushes up to a sitting position with a hiss. I don’t allow her to move on her own, reaching for her, I arrange her body so that her legs are dangling from the bed and she’s sitting next to me.

  “Can you walk?” I ask, hoping that she’ll fucking talk.

  “Yeah,” she breathes as she slowly rises to her feet.

  She takes one shaky step, then another. She looks like she’s about to fall apart right there in the middle of the floor. Without hesitation, I scoop her up in my arms and begin walking toward the dining table.

  “What are you doing?” she breathes.

  “Carrying you.”

  There’s a moment of silence. I stop walking, wondering if she’s going to tell me what the fuck is going on with her or not. Thankfully, or maybe unfortunately, she does.

  “You left me, all day,” she whispers.

  My eyes close, pain slicing through me at the hurt in her voice. “I had to work,” I murmur.

  She shakes her head, waiting for me to look at her and when I finally do, my whole body aches. “I know I’m not pretty anymore. It’s okay, Drago. You don’t have to keep me.”

  “Fragolina.”

  She lifts her finger to my lips to shut me up. “I know how it works, Drago. Once a woman like me loses her appeal, then all is lost. My appeal is now gone. I’m damaged.”

  Lifting my hand to the side of her face, I cup her cheek, my eyes focused on hers. “You think I tell every pretty woman that I love her?” I ask.

  Her eyes widen and she just stares at me, not answering me, which is probably for the fucking best at this moment.

  “I don’t,” I answer for her. “Never told a woman that before, Bella. Just you. Fuck me, doesn’t matter what happens to you, what you look like, that won’t change. It doesn’t have to do with what’s on the outside.”

  “What does it have to do with? I don’t feel like you really know me that well.”

  I shake my head, wondering what the fuck is in her fool fucking head. Moving my hand, I wrap my fingers around the back of her neck.

  “Don’t gotta know every single detail about you, Bella. We’ll learn all that shit. I just gotta know you’re a good fit for me, a good fit for my daughter, and that you’re ours as much as we’re yours.”

  Without allowing her to say some stupid assed shit, I press my lips against hers in a hard kiss, then without delay, I march toward the dining room table where Silver, Presley, Buster, and Kora are all sitting and waiting for our arrival.

  Chapter Thirty

  BELLAROSA

  I feel the sheets sliding down my shoulder, then my back and settle at my waist. Lips touch the center of my spine and travel all the way down to the crack of my ass, stopping and going no farther. Rolling over onto my back, I look up and into the gray eyes of the man who has confessed his love for me.

  Lifting my hand, I slide my fingers through the hair of his beard. “Mornin’, baby,” he murmurs, his voice deep and husky.

  “Hey,” I sigh.

  “How’re you feelin’ this morning?” he asks, his fingertips gently gliding down my side to the first set of stitches and stopping there.

  I don’t tell him the truth. I don’t tell him that my body hurts so bad my stomach turns, and I just want to sleep until all of this pain disappears. I refuse to be weak, not again. I
nstead, I smile.

  “Better,” I lie.

  His lips twitch, then his face lowers and his mouth touches mine. “Kora’s back at school today and you’re going to hang with me while she’s gone,” he explains.

  “Where?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.

  His lip twitch turns into a smile and I watch as he shakes his head once. “Sorry, Fragolina. You’re at the clubhouse with me. Pinkie’ll be there, she’s still recovering from that bad coke she got. Maybe you girls could hang together, watch TV, play a board game.”

  “Do you have board games there?” I ask, my own lips now turning into a smile.

  He frowns, his eyes searching mine for a beat. “I don’t think so. We definitely have cards though,” he grins as he lowers his head again and his lips brush mine. His kiss is soft and gentle, sweet and soft.

  Opening my mouth, I accept more of him, moaning when his tongue touches my own. Lifting my hands, I wrap my fingers around his biceps and hold on to him. Arching my back, I press my naked chest against his own. He grunts, slowly breaking the kiss then rests his forehead against my own.

  “I can’t wait to be inside of you again,” he sighs.

  I pinch my eyes closed. “I’m sorry, Drago. I’ll understand if you need to go elsewhere. I won’t even be mad,” I breathe.

  His head jerks and my eyes open to see his angry ones looking down at me. “Are you shitting me right now?” he asks.

  I blink, staring at him, afraid to speak. He shakes his head. “You’re fuckin’ serious, aren’t you?” he demands.

  Biting the corner of my lip, I can do nothing other than nod. “I could, if I wanted to, I could fuck whoever I felt like fucking. I don’t need your goddamn permission,” he grinds out.

  My heart twists at his words, it breaks open and I hate the feeling—despise it actually.

  “Look at me,” he barks. I shift my gaze back to his, wishing that I could quickly escape this bed, but even if I tried, my body doesn’t move that fast right now.

  “I could fuck anyone. The thing is, I don’t want to. Just you, Bellarosa. I can wait, I’m not a goddamn animal. I’m not sure what kind of men you know, but know this about me, about your man,” he says, inhaling a deep breath before releasing it.