“It hurt, Drake. I’ve never felt that kind of pain before,” she cries harder.
I lift her small frame in my arms and walk out of the basement. I don’t stop until I’m upstairs in my bathroom. I’ve never had a woman in here. I’ve never had a woman in this house outside of the basement and I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it. But somehow it’s okay. Climbing into the bathtub I sit with her still in my arms. Keeping her head tucked against my chest I hold her as she cries.
I don’t know how long we’ve sat in here when I hear Demon stomping through my house. When he steps into the bathroom his face falls. He looks from me to her, his face a mask of stone.
“What the hell is this?” he asks motioning between me and her.
How do I explain it? How do I explain to him that I’m never letting her go? I look down at her sleeping form and I can feel it. She’s mine. Consequences be damned.
“I’m keepin’ her.”
“You’re what?” Evie doesn’t stir in my arms and I’m thankful she cried herself out and doesn’t have to listen to this.
“I’m keepin’ her. She’s mine,” I growl low in my throat.
“You’re losin’ your damn mind.” He might be right. “Cory will find out. Then what?”
“Then I kill him.”
“You were supposed to kill her, Drake!”
“And I changed my mind.”
“Why? What is it about her? Huh? Any other bitch you cut into pieces.”
“With reason.” I remind him harshly.
“With reason? What fuckin’ reason, brother? I’ve never known of a reason,” he snaps back at me.
“That’s because I’ve never told you and it’s not your fuckin’ concern.”
“And her? You took her! What the fuck is the reason behind that?”
I look at my prez, my friend. The man who gave me a place to kill, a home, safety. He couldn’t understand this part of me. He never would be able to. This is something darker than even I can explain.
“I wanted her.” He shakes his head, a scowl on his face.
“This isn’t a game, Drake. This is life. People get killed for this shit, yeah? You can’t just take what you want.” I smirk because I already did.
“Did you know that Cory is a sick fuck?”
“You’re a sick fuck,” he mumbles making me chuckle.
“Yeah, not quite to his level. I don’t expect you to understand this and that’s fine. But I’m not lettin’ her go.”
His eyes move over Evie’s naked form and the monster inside me raises its head. Flames lick at my chest ready to explode into an inferno but I keep it tamed only because it’s Demon.
“This is insane. You think he won’t come after the club?”
“No. Not if I kill the son of a bitch first.”
“Does she even wanna stay, brother?”
Now it’s my turn to smirk. I don’t give a shit if she does or she doesn’t. That means shit to me. Standing easily, I tighten my arms around Evie and climb out of the tub. Carrying her down the hallway, I step into my room and lay her gently on the bed. I pull the blanket over her body before turning and walking back into the hallway, closing the door behind me. Demon stands there with his arms crossed over his chest.
“Say what you wanna say, Demon. Changes nothin’.” There’s a challenge in his eyes, one I’m willing to take. He isn’t going to win this round. I’d be better off dead than letting her go.
“She’s in your bed, Drake. Never seen you like this before. Talk to me,” he urges.
I know he cares about me. He’s always taken care of me, but this, this is different and I have no idea how to handle it. It’s messing with my head and my heart. I can feel that piece of shit thumping in my chest and I don’t know that I can deal with it.
“I don’t fuckin’ know. The need, the urge - it isn’t as bad with her. Sure I fucked her and cut her. I loved watchin’ her blood drip over my skin but it was different. The fuckin’ plan was to kill her and myself, Demon. I was gonna do it. End all of it, but then I looked at her lyin’ there and I couldn’t - I didn’t want to. What the fuck does that mean for me?” I’m just as at odds with this as he is. I don’t think he understands that part. He watches me intently unsure what to say. That makes two of us. He runs his hand through his hair and shakes his head.
“I don’t fuckin’ know what to say here. You’ve never not wanted to kill, Drake. This is different. What makes her different?” I shrug this time because I honestly don’t know. “Fuck, Drake. I want you at the clubhouse on Thursday,” he says pointing in my direction.
I nod my head and watch as he turns to leave. Once I hear the door close, I pull my shirt off and head into the one place that the monster doesn’t find me. It was my safe place as a kid. Climbing back into the tub, I lay my head back and close my eyes. It doesn’t take long before I feel her body pressing against mine and I tense.
“What are you doin’?”
“I need to feel you close.”
Chapter 12
“Why the bathtub?” she asks as her lips skim across my throat. I should stop her. I shouldn’t let her do this, but what’s the fucking point? I’ve already lost myself to her.
“It’s the only place I’m not evil.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’d never come in the bathroom. He stayed away from there. I don’t know why. I never fuckin’ asked, but every time my dad would hurt my mom, I hid there. Until I didn’t.” She pulls her head back and looks into my eyes as I reach up and brush her hair behind her ear.
“What happened when you didn’t?”
I reach for the razor blade on the edge of the tub and bring it in front of her, twirling the glistening blade between my fingers. Evie watches me but doesn’t say anything.
“I saw him. I watched what he transformed into. That ugly monster that crept out of him. I watched what he did to her, the way he cut her. I watched her bleed out. There were times I was glad that it wasn’t me.” I was so fucked by what happened to Tara that I couldn’t fight what he brought out in me, nor did I want to.
“There’s no shame in that,” she whispers reaching for the blade.
I’m hesitant to let her touch it. I’ve never let anyone touch this blade. It’s mine. The first slice of my skin was with this blade. Many memories are attached to it, but when her warm fingers wrap around mine I reluctantly let go. Evie flips it in her hand before bringing the tip of it to her chest. I simply watch her; I’m completely mesmerized by the way she moves, the way she’s acting. She presses the tip into her flesh and a tiny droplet of blood rushes the surface.
“What are you doin’?” I ask her huskily as my cock hardens beneath her. Her eyes find mine and a slow smile crosses her face.
“Do you know how to defeat the monster?”
What the hell is she trying to prove? I shift a little not knowing where this is going until she begins to drag the blade over her skin. I suck in a breath.
“Stop,” I tell her softly, so softly that I almost don’t hear myself. She shakes her head slowly and keeps dragging when I reach up, grabbing her wrist to halt her. Our eyes connect, heat sizzles between us. The air thickens and my chest heaves.