Chapter Eleven
I pulled into a parking space before an all-night diner. Staring at the bright lights and the smiling servers, I realized I couldn't deal with demons even if I wanted to. I didn't have a cell phone. Even if I did, Garret hadn't given me his number. I couldn't go inside the diner either, not with my T-shirt ripped down the front. What the fuck was I thinking? I only had one option—go home. The thought brought a measure of relief. I needed to get back to my normal life. Work and . . . well, that was all at the moment. But I'd start over.
And then I thought about Jake's family. I'd have to tell them what happened. Fuck. This was all so insane. I looked down at my bra. It was black lace. Chosen by Silas or whoever Silas told to go shopping for me. Had to be a man. A woman wouldn't have chosen something so sexy and uncomfortable. Seeing it finally drove home what had happened to me.
I've been through some hard times, but I'd never been the victim of rape. Never even come close to it. Now, I understood why some women never recovered from a sexual assault. Michael had barely assaulted me. Even so, the horror that filled me was debilitating. I couldn't even muster the strength to tie my shirt together. I felt so powerless. Doubtless, that was his intention. I didn't want to give him that win, but I couldn't stop the trembling that came when I thought about what Michael was going to do to me.
Raped by an angel.
I started to cry. Couldn't be helped. I bent over the steering wheel and just sobbed my heart out. It was long overdue. I'd been pushing my tears down lately, upset at even feeling the urge to weep. Jake had recovered. There was no reason to cry anymore. Except that there was.
A knock on my window had me jerking away from it. But it wasn't Michael. It wasn't even Jake or Silas or any of his minions. It was Garret. The demon. He stood outside my door as if I had summoned him. Holy shit, did I summon him?
Garret took in my disheveled state and wet face, and his expression went furious. His eyes narrowed and his full lips pressed together. Seeing him like that, it was easy to believe he was the Devil's dog. But I wasn't scared. I knew that look was for me, not against me. He was angry on my behalf. And Garret got control of his anger on my behalf too.
I watched Garret struggle to get his emotions under control. He finally softened his expression and pressed a palm on the window. Just stared at me. That's all he did. But there was so much in his eyes. Jake had a lot in his eyes lately too. But I didn't see someone dangerous in Garret's stare. I saw someone concerned. Someone who wanted me to be safe.
I opened the door.
“Indigo,” Garret whispered and opened his arms.
With a cry, I shot out of my seat and into that embrace. It made no sense, but Garret represented safety and understanding to me. I needed to be there, in his arms. I needed to hear his heartbeat against my ear—it was the only thing that would calm me. He felt like home. Smelled like it too—spicy like cinnamon. A spice that made you think of sweetness.
“What happened, Indigo Darling?” Garret asked. “Tell me. You're safe now.”
I was. I knew it. But I didn't want to tell him. I just cried harder.
“It's all right. I've got you. You're okay.”
“What did those fuckers do to her?” someone demanded. Another man.
My head jerked up in surprise, my stare going straight to the source of the voice. He was blond, big, and beautiful. So fucking handsome, I couldn't breathe. The kind of handsome that shouldn't exist. I'd only seen that kind of beauty once before, at least in person. And that other beautiful man was holding me.
I looked up at Garret. Back at the other man. At Garret again. They had the same eyes.
“I told you to wait in the truck,” Garret growled. “You're going to scare her.”
“I'm not scared,” I said, as I unconsciously pressed my hand over Garret's heart. “Are you part of Garret's team?”
“Part of his team ?” The blond grinned. “You could say that.” He stepped closer, his stare skipping down to my torn shirt, then up again. By the time it reached my eyes, his were twitching. “What happened to you?”
“This is Gideon,” Garret said.
“And I'm Gage.” A third man, just as striking as the other two, stepped around the large black pickup truck parked next to my little Honda. Black hair, angular features, and those same green eyes. His lips were a lot thinner than Garret's, and they nearly disappeared when he pressed them together. His stare had also gone to my shirt. “What the actual fuck?” He looked back at my face. “Did those fucking bastards assault you? I'm going to kill them. I'll fucking rip them into tiny shreds and feed them to the—”
“Gage!” Garret snapped.
Gage cleared his throat. “It's nice to meet you, Indigo. Sorry about that. I don't put up with men who assault women.”
He didn't. He couldn't, not with that reaction. But that didn't go with the whole demon thing, did it? Unless it was just me—just men attacking me that upset them. Could I truly be their mate? Holy fuck. What would that mean? Me and three men? What about Jake? I was leaving him anyway. But to go from him to the men he was fighting against? Men who could be demons. Fuck! Were these guys really demons?
“Confused?” Gideon asked gently. “They must have said some nasty shit about us. Garret told us what was said in front of him, but I can only imagine what kind of filth they spouted after they got you back to that commune.”
Commune. Hadn't I called it that? I couldn't help it—I snorted.
Gideon grinned. “You're a fighter, aren't you? Of course, you are. Whatever happened tonight, you got yourself out of there. All on your own. Well done, Indigo. Well fucking done. I'm just sorry you had to do that alone. But I promise you that you will never have to fight for yourself again. We've—”
“Gideon!” Garret snapped again. “Fuck. I've only just got her back and you two morons are spouting shit that's gonna freak her out. Stop it.” He looked down at me. “Indigo, we're good. I promise you. We are the good guys. We are not evil creatures sent by the Devil to torment the living or whatever nonsense they told you. There is no Devil. But I'll get to that later. For now, will you trust us enough to come with us? I want to get you somewhere safe.”
“You want me to go with you? Where?”
“Our home,” Gage said. “We can defend you better there.” He glanced up and down the street. “They could show up at any time.”
“Silas said that he can be anywhere,” I said. “He told me he watched us. Listened to our conversation.”
“Great fuck!” Gideon declared as all three of the men exchanged horrified glances. “Can he really do that?”
“We've got to get her behind our ward before we talk more about this,” Gage said.
“What's a ward?” I asked.
“It's a barrier,” Garret said. “A magical shield. I know it sounds crazy, but we can cast a shield around people or things that repels other magic. It will keep Silas out.”
“After all I've seen and heard, a magical barrier isn't far up on the crazy list.”
Gideon chuckled. “I like you.”
I grinned at him. I don't know why, but just being around them made me feel better. The damage Michael had done was fading. It was like a nightmare retreating.
“Will you come with us?” Garret asked.
I looked each man in the eye, one after the other, and my right bell rang throughout me. “Yes,” I said.