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Chapter forty-one
Rage and wrath collided in my chest, swirling inside me, ready to destroy every fucking thing in my path.
The pain Anniston felt coiled around her voice like barbed wire and ripped all the way through me as her words danced in the air.
He hurt her.
I did, too, but I left the tokens of my sins on the outside. His left her heart broken and flayed.
Her pain was mine. Because I knew how to master it and turn it into pleasure.
Her tears were mine. Because I appreciated their taste.
Her body was mine to mark. Her soul was mine to take.
And if there was one truth that I embraced, one doctrine I lived by, it was that I protect what’s mine.
“Chandler…” Her sweet voice and innocent eyes only fed my demons. They liked that shit, feasted on it. The memory of those eyes looking up at me while I fucked her throat and that sweet voice screaming my name were seared into my mind.
I wanted to hear that sound again, see her lips wrapped around my dick. I couldn’t afford to make her hate me—and she would hate me for what I was about to do. Some shit in life you couldn’t un-see.
“Time for you to go, Princess.” No fucking way I was using the nickname I gave her. Nicknames were intimate and personal, a blaring fucking neon sign pointing straight to a weakness. I refused to let anyone know she’d crawled under my skin and dug a hole straight to my soul. At least not until this was over.
“Whatever this is, you don’t have to do it.” Her voice trembled.She was begging for his life.
Why the fuck was she protecting him?
Because even though she embraces your darkness, she’s inherently good. He’s still her father, and she’s felt the cruelty you’re capable of.
Anniston had only sampled my brand of cruelty. There was so much more lurking in the shadows, a monster lying in wait behind a wicked grin and cold eyes. I could have showed her who I really was. But she’d suffered enough pain at the hand of her father’s selfishness, and I didn’t want to hurt her. Not in that way. Not anymore.
“Liam, take your sister and get out.” He didn’t need to be here either.
Liam ignored me, his distant gaze trained on Caspian. His chest heaved with every inhale. “I thought you were dead.”
“Long story. We’ll catch up later,” Caspian replied. The harsh expression he wore when he walked into the room softened as he looked at Anniston. “She really shouldn’t be here for this.”
Liam swallowed hard, speaking only to Caspian, as if he didn’t trust the rest of us. I didn’t blame him. None of us were model citizens, and Lincoln looked shady as fuck. It was his thing. “I’ll take her to her room, but then I’m coming back.” Liam grabbed Anniston’s arm. She yanked it back. I smirked. My Little Rebel. “Whatever this is—” he gestured between the king and us “—whatever he’s done, I want to make sure he answers for it.”
There was an obvious edge to his tone, hinting at a story darker than his words were telling. And here I thought he walked around chasing pussy all day. He reminded me of Leo. No wonder Caspian called him a friend.
Anniston’s gaze lingered on me, hurt and fear painting her gorgeous face. God, I wanted to take that face in my hands, push her up against a wall and kiss the fuck out of her.Why hadn’t I kissed her yet?Why hadn’t I tasted her? The urge was so powerful I had to stop myself from shoving everyone out of my way until I had her body pressed against me. As soon as this was over, that was the first thing I planned to do—bite her plump bottom lip and fuck her mouth with my tongue.
I wished I could have promised her I wouldn’t hurt her father, but breaking promises was the kind of karma I preferred not to fuck with.
Without another protest, she grabbed Liam’s arm and let him lead her out of the room.
My chest caved at her absence, at guessing what kind of shit she was thinking about me right now—and knowing it was true. I wanted to follow her, to prove to her I wasn’t the man she thought I was. But that would have been a lie. And this thing with her father was bigger than her, bigger than me, bigger than us.
Fuck.
I looked at Lincoln. “Everything ready?” I’d been texting him, Grey and Caspian all day in preparation for this very moment.
Lincoln was the only person other than me who knew where we’d taken the four girls we rescued from The Grove. One of my customers had a cabin nestled deep in the Blue Ridge mountains of Tennessee. I took the deed in exchange for a debt. Who needed shit like 401k and health insurance when a job had benefits like mine? We called it the safehouse. Linc and I took turns going down there once a week to make sure they were stocked with food and anything else four chicks living in the mountains might need. Now that Lyric was back in Linc’s life, he planned on taking her with him when he went. Lyric had been through some toxic shit herself, so hopefully it would give them someone to relate to. Their physical wounds had healed a long time ago, but the mental shit was here to stay. I knew how that felt. I lived in my own private hell every fucking day.
Lincoln’s eyes met mine. “Yeah. Lyric is there now.”
“Good.” If things played out the way I hoped, she would have a lot of company very soon. Caspian and Grey walked over and stood directly in front of the security guards, unflinching. Unmoving. The rest of the room was silent as I narrowed my gaze on Lincoln’s and mouthed the words, “Three… Two… One.”
