by S. Nelson
Instinctually, my fingers traced over the scar on my stomach, shielding the ugly, puckered skin from his view, in case he chanced a look down there again. But instead of hiding, he saw me—all of me—and it was quite unnerving.
“I still want answers,” he demanded, quirking his brow while he continued to stand in the open doorway of the shower.
“About what?” I mumbled, knowing damn well what he was talking about.
Leaning closer, he said, “About who did that to you.” He gestured toward my body with his finger. “I’ll give you the night to settle in, seeing as how this is your home now. Then we’ll talk, and you’ll tell me everything I want to know. Got it?” he asked.
I remained silent, trying to process what I knew to be true, but it was somehow different when the words were spoken out loud. This is your home now. It couldn’t be further from the truth, but I didn’t know quite how to voice that without angering him. I’d been through such a whirlwind that evening; all I wanted to do was finish washing up and crawl into bed.
His bed.
But I didn’t have another choice.
Did I?
His posture became rigid, as if he expected a fight, but I said nothing. I simply nodded, hoping he would close the door and leave me in peace.
Peace. What a funny word, one which had never pertained to me a day in my life.
Finally, after giving my body a once-over again, he closed the door and it was seconds before I heard another click, indicating he had vacated the one small room I wanted to spend the rest of my life in. I had no desire to ever see another person for as long as I could stand it, although the man who’d kidnapped me was different. I saw something in his eyes, a nature he tried his hardest to hide from people. Maybe it was because he was the leader of a notorious biker club, making sure no one questioned his power—hell, maybe even his sanity. Or maybe it was for a different reason altogether, but I knew I wasn’t going to stick around long enough to find out.
While I had no set plan of escaping, I knew I had to do something eventually. I mean, who just gives up when kidnapped, complacent to remain with their captor, no questions asked?
Stepping from the shower, I dried my body before slipping on the shorts and T-shirt he’d given me earlier. Slowly opening the door, I stepped into his bedroom, but only once I deemed it safe . . . and abandoned. I crawled under the covers and pulled the material to my nose, strangely comforted by the scent which suddenly wrapped around me.
Drifting off to sleep, something I surely would have thought impossible, I envisioned a life where I wasn’t a victim. Where I hadn’t been snatched from my ‘family.’ Where I wasn’t used as the most intricate part of a pawn played between two clubs who’d been at war for as long as I could remember.
My fantasies consisted of a life where I lived a simple existence, one which didn’t involve constant fear and self-loathing.
At least you’re away from your father and Vex, my inner voice screamed. The thing was I had no idea what kind of devil lurked in the darkened hallways of my new ‘home.’
Marek
I had every intention of leaving her alone, allowing her the night to herself, certain she was overwhelmed and probably scared out of her mind. Although, depending on the answer she gave me about who’d desecrated her body, she might be thankful to be away from the Savage Reapers.
Her family.
As I opened the door to my room to check on her before I left for the evening, I heard faint whimpers drift through the air. Stepping inside, I moved closer to the bed and noticed her spread out, jerking in her sleep and pushing at the air as if she were shoving someone away from her.
Who haunts your dreams?
While I made sure to remain as quiet as I could so as not to scare her, my eyes drifted down her body. She’d thrown the covers off and was lying in the clothes I’d given her, the sight of her in my shorts and top stirring up a possessiveness I’d never felt before. The bottom of the shirt rode up enough that I saw her stomach, the scar prevalent enough to fuel my anger all over again. Her full breasts pressed against the fabric, and it was everything I could do not to rip it from her body. My shorts, the ones she was wearing, hung so low on her hipbones that if they were any lower, I would see all of her. Not that I hadn’t already, of course, but the slight tease of her pussy made my dick push against my jeans.
The longer I invaded her personal space the more she seemed to fight her nightmare, a scream suddenly erupting from her perfect mouth. Before I realized what I was doing, I rushed forward to wake her. For some reason, her thrashing around pierced my heart, but I had no time to dissect why I even cared.
She was the prize.
She was the enemy.
She’s a game changer.
“Sully,” I called out, gently shaking her shoulders to wake her. When she continued to cry out, I shook her harder. “Sully, wake up, damn it,” I whispered harshly.
Her eyes popped open and looked directly at me, but she didn’t see me. She saw whoever was in her dreams. “No . . . no . . . no,” she whimpered, cowering toward the edge of the bed. Then suddenly, gone was the fear. Instead, a rage I knew all too well consumed her, her body lurching forward and connecting with mine. She raked her nails down my neck and, when I didn’t back up quick enough, she clenched her hand into a fist and punched me, hitting me directly on the chin.
“Sully!” I roared, the sting of her nails settling over me in the oddest comfort. “What the hell!” Roughly pushing her back down on the mattress, I straddled her waist and held her flailing hands above her head, pinning her so she couldn’t attack me again.
“Get off me!” she yelled, the vacant look on her face telling me she still wasn’t present. Not mentally, at least.
Tightening my hold on her wrists, I dared to lean close so she could hear me. Restraining the anger in my voice, I tried to calm her down. “I’m not gonna hurt you.” She continued to fight me. “What the hell? Why are you acting like this?”
Her legs bucked underneath me, trying her best to throw me off. But her efforts were completely wasted. She was no match for me and we both knew it. Well, she didn’t know it, lost to whoever was tormenting her in her nightmare.
“You did nothing,” she sobbed. “You just stood there while that bastard took me . . . and raped me.” She took a few quick breaths. “I know you hate me, but why didn’t you try to help? I’m supposed to belong to you”—she hiccupped—“but you let another man take me in the next room.” Tears streamed down her flushed cheeks, and I didn’t know what to do. She was obviously lashing out, but I had no idea if what she was saying was the truth or just a nightmare.
Not knowing what else to do to soothe her, I leaned closer still until my warm breath danced near her earlobe. “Sully, I’m not gonna hurt you. That man isn’t here now. He can’t hurt you. I’ll protect you.” My soothing words calmed her, her tears slowing while her breathing evened out.
Her warm body beneath me threw me into another world, one where I imagined us together, her looking at me adoringly, hungry for my touch each and every time her eyes fell on me.
What the hell is wrong with you, Marek?
She started to whisper something but I couldn’t hear her, and it was driving me nuts. Was she revealing yet another piece of her story?
“What’s that?” I questioned, careful to keep my tone calm so I wouldn’t incite another episode.
“I tried to love you, but you hated me as soon as you claimed me.” Her arms fell lax under my hold. “You hurt me so much. Every time you could, even when I didn’t do anything to deserve it.” Quick, terrified pants racked her body, tears still cascading down her cheeks as she said her final peace.
“I hate you, Vex.”
As soon as that vile piece of shit’s name fell from her lips, she drifted back to sleep. Hopefully, she would find the peace she craved, deep in the recesses of her damaged mind.
“Time to get up, Sully,” I called out, walking toward the bed and pull
ing the curtains open to allow the sun to shine through the room. “You slept half the day away.” Still consumed with thoughts of the previous night, I refused to allow myself to go there while in her presence.
Groaning, she stretched her limbs and turned her attention to me. A shyness crept over her face, something I found oddly adorable.
I didn’t think I’d ever used that word before, especially not when referring to a woman.
Pulling her shirt down so her skin was completely covered, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and waited a few precious seconds before rising to her feet. She kept her head down as she moved past me and stumbled toward the bathroom. I waited impatiently while she finished her business.
When she finally emerged, I pointed toward the clothes I’d left for her. “One of the guys’ wives brought those for you.” She eyed the jeans and tank top, worry drifting off her in waves. Sighing loudly, I asked, “What’s the matter?”
Her eyes found mine, and I swore she was about to break down right in front of me. “I don’t think they’ll fit,” she mumbled.
“They’ll be fine. Put ‘em on.” With that, I sauntered back toward the door. “And hurry up ‘cause you’re gonna help some of the women with the food.” I left before she started spouting off questions which would only serve to irritate me.
I’d fallen under some kind of spell last night, sympathy drifting toward her because of her nightmare. But I had to snap out of that shit, had to remember she was the enemy, no matter how beautiful and enticing I may find her. She was brought here for one reason and one reason only—to become a permanent member of the Knights Corruption, essentially securing our advantage in the ongoing war with the Savage Reapers.
I hope she’s up for what I have planned.
Sully
I’d spent five long minutes just staring at the clothing he’d left on the chair for me. I knew what my hesitation was, but there was no way out of it. It’d been drilled into my damaged mind that I was worthless, so it was pointless to try and tempt other men with my body. At least that’s what Vex had always told me, punishing me if I ever tried to wear ‘sexy’ clothes—or, in other words, clothes that were sized to my shape.
A light knock on the door yanked me from my recollections, the handle turning before I even made a move.
“Sully?” a soft female voice called out. There was something soothing about her tone, and I instantly relaxed. Adelaide peeked her head into the room, her long blonde hair falling over her shoulders in long waves. “Are you okay, hon?” she asked, stepping closer. “Do you need help with anything?”
Was it all a setup? The clothes, her coming to check on me? Were they waiting for me to make a mistake so they could finally punish me like I knew they were itching to do?
“I . . . I don’t have any clothes . . . that hide me,” I confessed, waving my hand back and forth over my form.
Adelaide’s brow furrowed, glancing back and forth between my apprehensive face and the clothes on the chair. Reaching forward, she snatched them up and walked them over to me. “Here. These will fit just fine.” She smiled but eyed me cautiously, clearly baffled as to what the problem was. “Do you not like them?”
“No. I mean yes, I like them, but they’ll reveal too much,” I all but whispered. “I’ll be punished.”
“Oh, honey. No, you won’t. No one here is going to hurt you.” She reached for my hand and gave a gentle squeeze. “Trust me.” And for some reason, I did. “Now, hurry up and get ready. We need more help preparing food for the party.” She smiled quickly, turned around and left me standing there, a million questions poised for her.
Looking at myself one more time, I deemed I was surely going to be punished, no matter how hard she tried to convince me otherwise. The jeans were dark and fit like a glove. The tag said they were skinny jeans, whatever that meant. I was very self-conscious about the red tank top. While the only exposed flesh was my neck and arms, I was wearing it sans bra, since I hadn’t been wearing one when I was taken. My breasts weren’t ginormous, but they were certainly too big to wear the shirt without being noticed.
Blowing out a nervous breath, I walked from the bedroom and made my way toward the common area. As soon as I was within view, I heard a few whistles, and at first I had no idea they were directed at me. That was until I found the man who’d taken me. I believed some of the men had called him Marek. He was in mid-conversation when I appeared, whatever he’d been talking about coming to an abrupt halt as soon as his eyes found mine.
I couldn’t hear what he said, but I saw the angry look on his face, saw him mouth a few choice words. He was fast approaching, causing all of my muscles to lock up tight, fear coursing through me like a tidal wave. I prepared for his backlash, closing my eyes the closer he came, but it did nothing to stop my lip from trembling.
My body sensed when he was near because the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, goose bumps breaking out all over my skin as his presence overwhelmed me. When I finally opened my eyes, I saw he was staring at me, anger still prevalent in his stance but he was also . . . intrigued?
“Damn, Sully. What the hell?” he asked, but I had a feeling he really didn’t want me to respond. His eyes lowered, skating his gaze over my practically exposed chest before focusing his attention back on my face. “You look beautiful,” he offered, the rasp in his voice causing my body to shudder.
Did he really just say that? What the hell is going on?
I couldn’t respond. Instead, a fierce flush washed over my skin.
“Nothing to be embarrassed about,” he teased, grabbing my hand and pulling me through the crowd, past people I hadn’t initially noticed. But as their faces came into view, I recognized a few of the men from the night before, and Adelaide of course. The rest of them, however, were complete strangers.
The majority of the men were drinking, some of them well on their way to becoming quite drunk, and as far as I knew it was still early in the day. There were plenty of women gathered as well, milling about the wide open space, laughing and carrying on as if it were the happiest day of their lives.
I wonder what it would be like to feel that free. I was jealous of my enemies, and I hated myself even more because of it.
Children ran through the throngs of people, laughing and screaming as they chased after each other. A few of them even knocked into me in their wild abandonment. I would have smiled but I was too focused on where Marek was leading me, the warmth of his hand on mine enough of a distraction as it was.
He directed us toward the bar, tapping on the counter to get the older man’s attention—Trigger, I believe he’d called him. “Gimme two shots, Trig,” he said, turning his head to look back at me. I met his focus briefly before lowering my head and breaking the connection. “Here,” he commanded. “Drink this. You’re gonna need it.” He threw his drink back before I could deny his offering. Noticing I hadn’t moved, he placed the shot glass in my hand and tipped it toward my mouth. “Drink it,” he urged, his tone dripping in seriousness.
I placed the tip of the glass to my lips, counted to three then chugged it. I immediately started coughing, the amber liquid burning the back of my throat. Shit! I could feel the alcohol warming my chest the longer I stood there.
“Good, huh?” Trigger asked, strands of his graying hair falling from his ponytail as a wide smile spread across his face.
Again, I was at a loss for words, more so because I had no idea what to do. I shouldn’t be engaging with the likes of the KC, let alone pretend as if I’d been with them for years. They didn’t treat me badly, all things considered, but I was still waiting for the other shoe to drop.
“Come on,” Marek urged, pulling me further into the room. People parted down the middle, flanking us on both sides. Curious eyes watched my every move. I heard them whispering as I passed. “Reapers’ daughter” was the one comment I caught over and over. Feeling lightheaded all of a sudden, I reached for Marek’s arm, the commotion of the room becoming too much
for me to handle. All I wanted was to return to his bedroom and lock myself away from everyone. Especially him. He was making me think and feel things I shouldn’t, and that wasn’t sitting well with me.
“You okay?” he asked, turning around to catch me as I staggered forward. “You hungry? ‘Cause we can get you somethin’ to eat.”
Tugging me forward a few short feet, he pushed open a door leading into their kitchen. Stepping inside, I noticed there were even more people back there, most of them women. They were laughing and telling stories, amusingly berating one of the men for stealing a piece of food from one of the trays.
Adelaide stepped around an older, dark-haired woman, and walked toward the both of us with a big smile on her face. “Sully,” she greeted. “Don’t you look pretty.” Pulling me in for a momentary hug, she retreated, but not before eyeing Marek with a curious look. I was too concerned with not fainting to read too much into her glance, though.
“I was gonna have her help you all, but now it doesn’t seem right,” he pondered, tapping his finger on his lips and bringing all of my attention there. Damn him.
“Marek,” Adelaide warned. “You better not. Not today of all days,” she said, retying her apron behind her back, looking like she was ready to get back to it.
Curiosity got the better of me and before I could stop myself, I blurted out, “Why? What’s so special about today?”
Marek turned around fully to face me, taking my other hand so both were encased in his strong, warm hold. Leaning in close, his breath licked across my suddenly dry lips. His eyes held mine, and I swore my heart skipped a damn beat. “Today is special, Sully,” he promised. “Because today is the day you officially become a permanent member of the Knights Corruption.” My heart skidded to a halt altogether. I tried to pull out of his grip, but it only tightened.
