AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The pain.
The fear.
The fucking tent.
“Hello,” I stuttered, trying to mask the fear in my voice. I was still disoriented from last night and unnerved by his powerful stare. “Have you been sitting there all this time? How long did I sleep for?”
Declan shifted closer to me, his eyes never straying from mine. “You slept all day. About fourteen hours, actually. I had a few things to take care of, but you were out of it when I got back,” he said finally, his voice low and dangerous. “But what’s more important right now is how you’re feeling.”
With one quick movement, he snatched my hand into his own, squeezing it tightly. The possessiveness in his touch both frightened and exhilarated me.
I struggled to rise, my battered body aching from the torture. Before I could even gather my strength, Declan had already moved toward me in an instant. His strong arms supported me and pulled me against his chest with gentle care. Our eyes met, and there was a menacing strength that made me shudder.
“Thank you,” I whispered softly, my voice quivering with appreciation and dread. “For everything.”
Declan’s piercing eyes softened at my words. “Don’t thank me, Clover,” he murmured possessively even as his thumb stroked my skin soothingly. “It should never have happened like this.” His voice was gruff with apology, but it only served to ignite the fire inside me. He paused for a moment, the power returning to his eyes. “How are you feeling?”
I felt my heart skip a beat as I glanced at him, my throat suddenly dry. His presence filled the room with an almost obvious force, and I was acutely aware that he was lethal, volatile—yet his expression held me captive in a way I couldn’t explain.
My mind wandered to what had happened yesterday, replaying the events until it began to feel like something out of a nightmare. I shouldn’t even be looking at Declan. I’d experienced trauma, something dark and sickening that made my gut coil. Thank fuck he wore a condom. But what if I got pregnant? What if he gave me an STD? What if I was never the same? What if . . .
My horses were out there alone, and I needed to figure out what to do about the men. That was something I could focus on. I needed a task. Something to think about. Something to keep my mind busy.
“I’m . . . I’m alright,” I managed to croak out, though my body quivered. “But I should go.”
He looked at me intently, a deep fire burning behind his eyes.
“You’re not going anywhere,” he growled in warning. “You don’t have to worry about your horses. I brought them back. They’re safe.”
I blinked in surprise, feeling a wave of relief wash over me. “What? How?”
Declan’s eyes glinted, a smirk pulling at his lips as he regarded me. “Don’t worry, I made sure that they were taken care of, no expense spared. Gathered them up and rode them back. Washed them off. Fed them. Gave them water.”
“You went out to the campsite?” I asked.
“I did.”
“Did you see them?”
“I did.”
“And?”
He reached out, gently brushing away a tear that had escaped down my cheek. I gasped, feeling the warmth of his touch on my skin and a spark of awareness rushing through my veins. I tried to take a step away from him but found myself unable to break our connection.
“And I killed them, Wildflower.”
I blinked. Did he say . . .
“Wh-what?”
I was frozen, his words pounding in my skull. My heart pounded against my ribs, fear and relief wrestling within me.
“K-killed?” I repeated, my voice barely a whisper. The reality of his confession stunned me.
His eyes never left mine. “Every single one of them,” he confirmed, his voice steady as a rock, terrifyingly calm.
A cold shock ran down my spine. “You . . . you killed them?” The enormity of his actions began to sink in. The men from last night, the monster who had defiled me, were no longer of this world. Declan had seen to it.
