Savage Desires (Black Rose Doms Book 3)

Chapter 9

My heart stoppedwhen I heard the gunshots. Lexis and one of the other women darted out of the tree line moments before the shots. I waited to see my Beauty, and when she didn”t appear, I knew in my gut that she was in trouble. My gut has never steered me wrong.

”Where are the others?” I growl.

”We separated,” Lexis gasps, trying to catch her breath. ”They were looking for us.”

”Fuck! I”ll be back. Don”t move.”

I pull my gun from its holster, once again glad that my car has its own mini armory inside a secret compartment. I take off into the trees, heading toward the gunshots. I should probably slow down instead of running headlong into an unknown situation, but the thought of someone hurting my Beauty has me throwing caution to the wind.

It doesn”t take long for me to hear movement in front of me. I slow my steps, listening. There are women”s voices to my left. I pick up the pace again and hear multiple feet moving in different directions. Smart. Spreading out will make them harder for their attackers to find, but it will also potentially make it harder for me to find them.

I hear a choked whimper, and then she steps out from behind the tree she was hiding behind. I wouldn”t have recognized her if it weren”t for her tangled blonde hair and the clothes. She”s covered in blood. She looks like Carrie after she was splashed with pig”s blood. I”m in front of her before I even realize I”ve moved. My hands run over her, checking for injuries. So much blood.

Jesus.

”Not my blood,” she says hoarsely.

I pull her into my arms and bury my face in her hair, not giving a single fuck that she”s covered in blood. She wraps her arms around me. I breathe for the first time since I watched her disappear into the woods without me.

”Fuck, beauty. I heard gunshots… I thought…”

One of the girls steps out from behind another tree, lowering a gun to her side. Where the fuck did that gun come from?

”She”s a stubborn bitch. Can we get the fuck out of here now?” she says.

I”m ready to scold her for calling my girl a bitch, but Willow sways in my arms. I look down just in time to see her eyes roll back as she goes limp. I scoop her into my arms before she can hit the ground.

”Is she okay?” the woman asks, rushing to my side to check on Willow.

”She fainted. I need to get her out of here.”

”The man choked her before I got to him. She… I was almost too late…” she says with shame lacing her words.

”Let”s go. I”ve got a doctor on standby.”

”I”ll get the others.”

She hurries away. Instinct tells me to get Willow out of here now. I don”t like how light she is in my arms and that she hasn”t regained consciousness yet. I can only pray it”s exhaustion and the adrenaline crash that caused her to faint, not something worse. Thankfully, the other three women quickly appear, and we can move. It takes longer than I”d like to get back to the car, but the women are exhausted, and from the looks of it, two of them are injured.

I want to ask them what the hell happened, but we don”t have time for an interrogation right now. The priority is getting the women to safety. Questions can come once we”re out of danger. We get to the car without incident. The girls pile into the SUV. Two squeeze into the front seat while the other three get into the back. I lay Willow across their laps and close the door.

The access road we”re on is completely empty, which works for me because it means no one is in my way. Getting to the main road should take ten minutes, but I get there in five. Even though it”s late, there”s still a good deal of traffic as we get closer to the city.

”Where are we going?” Lexis asks.

”A safe house of sorts. A doctor is waiting for us.”

My eyes flick up to the rearview mirror more than is probably safe, but I need my eyes on Willow. I hate that she still hasn”t regained consciousness. The mere thought of something being really wrong with her has me pushing the speed limit. It takes half an hour to get to the safe house. The garage door opens as soon as I pull into the driveway.

I”m already pulling Willow from the backseat when Dr. Wolfe and Gladys rush into the garage. Dr. Wolfe immediately comes to my side and starts checking her over.

”What happened?” she asks.

”She was attacked and choked nearly to death,” I growl through gritted teeth. ”She fainted and has been out for over thirty minutes.”

”Bring her inside,” Dr. Wolfe says, leading the way.

I leave Gladys to help the other women. Willow is my only concern. Dr. Wolfe leads me to one of the bedrooms that doubles as a medical treatment room. I don”t want to put Willow down, but I know she needs to be looked at. I lay her on the bed and force myself to step away. Dr. Wolfe immediately takes my place and starts checking Willow over.

”Help me get her clothes off so I can check her for injuries.”

I do as I”m told, even though I hate removing her clothes while she”s unaware. She”s had so much taken from her already, and I hate taking her modesty away while she”s unconscious. My only consolation is that this is for her health and safety, not to take advantage of her. The material of her t-shirt sticks to her skin from the dried blood it”s covered in. Anger fills me at the sight of blood on her pale skin. She”s covered in it. Her blonde hair is caked with blood and dirt. Despite it all, she”s still beautiful. The blood is a macabre sight, but it”s visual proof of how much of a fighter she is.

”Grab some washcloths from the bathroom. We need to clean some of this blood away so I can see her injuries,” Dr. Wolfe says.

I find the washcloths and a large bowl in a cabinet. I fill the bowl with warm water and add soap. When I return, Dr. Wolfe is checking Willow”s blood pressure. I set the bowl on the nightstand and wait for her to finish.

”Her blood pressure is low. I”m not surprised. She”s likely dehydrated and, from the looks at her, malnourished. Fluids, rest, and a healthy diet should resolve that issue.”

”Why hasn”t she woken up yet?” I ask.

”She”s been through something traumatic. She”ll wake up when she”s ready. Let”s get her cleaned up and make sure none of this blood is hers.”

We carefully clean Willow and my anger grows as her skin is revealed. She”s covered in bruises. She has a few scratches, probably from her run through the woods. It”s the deep bruises around her slender neck that are the worst. My stomach rolls at the sight. It”s a glaring reminder that I could have lost her. It makes that possessiveness scratch at my insides like a feral beast.

I have no idea how I”ll let her go after this. Not when everything in my being screams that she”s meant to be mine. It”s confusing because I have never felt this way about a woman. I”ve never had the desire to keep someone. I only do casual. Though, I haven”t done that in a long time. I can”t recall the last time I hooked up with a woman.

Seeing my two best friends fall in love changed something I hadn”t even realized until now. It”s evident that subconsciously, I”ve wanted what they have. Why Willow? She”s the exact opposite of who I should want. She”s been hurt for God knows how long. She deserves so much better than a man who would crave her complete submission. It would be wrong to ask that of someone who”s been enslaved and subjected to horrible atrocities at the whims of monsters.

No, she deserves better. Someone who can be gentle with her and help her heal. That man isn”t me. I would never abuse her. In fact, I want to treat her like a fucking queen. I would take care of her like she”s the most precious thing in the world because she would be the most precious thing in my world. None of that matters, though, because there”s no ignoring my dominant nature. My desire for control would send her running. There is no way she would want that kind of relationship.

Dr. Wolfe tsks when she checks over Willow”s bruising. ”Her throat is going to be sore for a while. I won”t know if there was damage to her vocal cords until she wakes up. Otherwise, she”s physically fine. I”m going to put her on IV fluids so we can get her hydrated and give her some vitamins. I will do a more comprehensive physical once she”s awake.”

I know that she”s talking about examining her like they would for any victim of rape. She can”t run a rape kit like the authorities would because we need to fly under the radar, but she will check for injuries and provide medical care if necessary.

”I”m going to go check over the others. Come get me when she”s awake,” Dr. Wolfe says.

Once I”m alone with my Beauty, I return to her side. I can”t stop looking at her. I still can”t believe she was there tonight. What are the odds? I don”t even want to think about what would”ve happened if I hadn”t been there. If I hadn”t been, I never would”ve seen Willow again. She would”ve been killed tonight after her buyer did God knows what to her.

I owe Hera for the tip about Mecca, more than the exorbitant amount of money I”ve already paid for the information. Maybe I”ll send her a new set of custom throwing knives. She loves a good blade but has complained repeatedly about the best knives being made for much larger hands. Even though I can”t keep Willow, I will always be grateful to Hera for inadvertently bringing her into my life.

Goosebumps cover Willow”s skin, and I realize she”s cold. I find an oversized t-shirt in one of the dresser drawers. I hate the idea of putting another man”s clothes on her and am irrationally angry about it until I see the price tag still attached. I dress her, then cover her with the blanket from the foot of the bed. I want to crawl into bed and hold her close but refrain. She”d probably freak out to find me in her bed when she wakes up. Instead, I dim the lights and sit in a chair where I can watch over her from a safe distance.