Chapter 19
Tempest Miller
Icould still taste the intensity of Corvus” kiss as he pulled away, his eyes dark and filled with concern. ”Ben will be outside on the front porch while I”m at the clubhouse, Princess,” he said, his voice deep and gravelly.
”Let him in, Corvus. He can sit on the couch at least.” I couldn”t help but feel sorry for Ben, being stuck outside like some sort of guard dog. It didn”t seem right to me.
Corvus shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. ”You”re too sweet, Princess. But okay, he can sit on the couch. Just don”t go distracting him, alright? He”s here to work, not chat.” His stern tone made me smile, knowing full well that he was just looking out for my safety.
”Got it, VP,” I replied, giving him a mock salute.
The roar of Corvus”s bike faded into the night, leaving me with a sense of unease that crawled up my spine. The front door creaked open and Ben stepped inside, his dark eyes scanning the room before settling on me.
”Hey, Ben,” I said, offering him a small smile.
He nodded, his expression unreadable. ”Hey, Tempest.” He took a seat on the couch, his posture alert and tense, like a coil ready to spring into action at any moment.
I left Ben to his watchful vigil and headed into the kitchen, where boxes were piled high against the walls. I”d come home from work that day to find that the entire house had been furnished, top to bottom, with plain, functional items.
With a sigh, I thought of the brand-new couch in the living room, its pristine fabric harsh against the nicotine-stained walls. In my bedroom, the bed with its crisp, untouched linens waited for me.
I looked at the boxes in front of me, plates and cutlery were still waiting to be unpacked. I glanced at the shiny new fridge, now dominating the corner of the room like some kind of guardian. Even the walls were getting a facelift, the old wallpaper slowly being stripped away to reveal the bones beneath.
As I started pulling plates from their packaging, I remembered how Corvus had put together the bed frame earlier, tearing the plastic wrap off the new mattress. He”d ordered pizza for dinner, too, which we”d eaten in mostly silence.
”Fuckin” hell,” I muttered as I opened yet another box, this one filled with gleaming silverware. It was like some twisted fairy godmother had waved her wand and transformed my shithole of a house into something passable.
With the kitchen sorted, I made my way to my bedroom, the sight of the freshly made bed making my chest tighten. The crisp linens and fluffy pillows seemed so out of place in this beat-up room.
I grabbed my sleep shorts and baggy t-shirt, and headed to the bathroom, desperate for a shower to wash away the lingering grime of the day. As I turned on the tap, I was met with a surge of dirty water, the rusty pipes protesting loudly.
”Of course,” I muttered, rolling my eyes as I stripped down.
The hot water never came, but I gritted my teeth and endured the cold spray, shivering as it washed over me.
Once I was done I headed back to my room, and slipped under the covers of my newly made bed, hoping for some warmth and comfort. But as I stared at the peeling paint on the ceiling, sleep refused to come.
”Fuck,” I whispered. ”Sleep, Tempest. You need it.”
But my mind was racing, so much had happened in the space of days, and my brain refused to shut down. I was also scared of my nightmares again, when I slept with Corvus they didn’t seem to come, or if they did he managed to settle them quickly. But without him here, I was sure they would come. What if Ben heard me screaming?
”1 sheep, 2 sheep,” I muttered, frustration growing in my chest.
And then, suddenly, there was a deafening bang outside, ripping me from my internal turmoil. My heart leapt into my throat as I bolted from the bed and ran toward the living room.
”Ben!” I shouted, panic rising within me. ”What the hell was that?!”
I saw him standing just outside the door, phone pressed to his ear, his eyes wide with shock. And beyond him... My car was engulfed in flames, an inferno raging before my eyes, sending billows of black smoke into the sky.
”Stay inside, please!” Ben yelled, his voice strained with urgency. ”It might blow!”
My heart pounded, adrenaline surging through my veins as I stared at the scene unfolding before me. The fire cast eerie shadows on the ground, flickering and dancing.
The heat was like a living thing, clawing at my skin as the car exploded. I barely had time to register what was happening when Ben sprang into action, throwing himself on top of me and shielding me from the small debris that rained down upon us.
”Fuck!” I gasped, feeling my heart race with terror.
”Are you okay?” Ben asked, his voice strained and breathless.
”Y-yeah,” I stuttered, still trying to wrap my head around the fact that my car had just gone up in flames.
”Let”s get inside,” Ben said, pulling me to my feet and ushering me back into the safety of the house. He closed the door behind us just as I started to hear the distant rumble of motorcycles.
Curiosity getting the better of me, I peeked out the window to see a swarm of bikes riding in and parking out front—there must have been at least fifteen of them. My heart leapt into my throat as I spotted Corvus among them, riding up over the gutter and straight through the broken fence in the yard. He parked his bike with a screech and sprinted towards the house.
”Tempest!” he yelled, bursting through the door, his eyes wild with concern.
The moment Corvus stormed inside, he flung himself around me like a deranged Koala, his hands frantically patting me down. ”Are you okay?” he asked urgently, concern etched into every line of his rugged face.
”Y-yeah,” I stammered, trying to steady my breathing. Though I knew it was Corvus and that he wouldn”t hurt me, the roughness of his touch and the way his hands roamed everywhere sent me spiralling into dark memories—memories of being pinned down, helpless, as unwanted hands violated me without permission.
”Tempest? Talk to me,” Corvus demanded, his voice strained.
”Stop... please,” I managed to choke out, my body going stiff as a board.
He finally noticed my distress and took a step back, running his hands through his hair. ”Shit, sorry, sorry, sorry, Princess,” he stammered, cursing under his breath. He held his hands out in surrender. ”I”m not gonna hurt you, Princess.”
I looked at him, forcing myself to slow my breathing and regain control. ”I know,” I whispered, hugging my arms around myself. ”It”s just...” I managed to splutter out, my heart pumping too fast.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the house, and suddenly Hammer and Trey burst through the front door. My heart raced, pounding in my ears as I struggled to regain control of my breathing.
”Back off, Corvus,” Hammer ordered, grabbing Corvus by the shoulder and pulling him a few steps away from me. His voice was commanding, betraying the tension in the room. ”Tempest, sit down. Put your head between your legs and breathe. Count to ten.”
I did as I was told, my movements robotic, as if I were underwater—detached from reality. My breaths came in shallow gasps, my world narrowing down to the sound of my own heartbeat.
”Ten... nine... eight...” I whispered, counting slowly and concentrating on each number.
”Fuck, I”m sorry, Princess,” Corvus said, kneeling in front of me, his eyes filled with guilt. ”I freaked out.”
”Four... three... two... one...” I finished counting, lifting my head cautiously. My breathing had slowed, but I could still feel the lingering traces of panic clawing at the edges of my mind.
I looked up at Corvus, his eyes shadowed with concern. The lines on his face seemed to carry the weight of the world. ”It”s okay. I”m okay,” I told him, trying to sound more confident than I felt. ”What the fuck happened out there?”
Corvus glanced back at the flickering orange glow from outside and then to Hammer who was standing nearby, his arms crossed over his broad chest. ”I don”t fucking know, Princess.”
”Hammer, check the goddamn cameras,” he ordered, frustration lacing his voice.
”On it, VP,” Hammer replied, pulling out his phone and tapping away at the screen.