Chapter 15 #2
“I worked six nights a week at the club. After the first six months, the witches’ potions weren’t needed anymore.
My body just… did what it was told.” She flexed her toes as if remembering the phantom instructions.
“VIP rooms started after month two. Mostly it was blow jobs, hand jobs. Some men just wanted me to dance or watch. Some liked it rough. There were nights I thought I’d die in there. ”
Her voice dropped lower.
“Steiner took my virginity. He did it in front of several clients. They paid handsomely for the privilege. Then he made a big show of it, paraded me through the main hall letting everyone know.” She shuddered. “After that, I belonged to him.”
My vision tunneled, black at the edges. The wolf in me screamed, but the soldier kept it on a tight leash.
“He kept me in an apartment a floor beneath his own. It had bars on the windows and an armed guard at the door. I was let out for shows, for VIP sessions, and sometimes for dinner with the other girls. Steiner came down four nights a week, sometimes more unless he was out of town. He said I was his ‘favorite.’ He said I should be grateful, because he was a man of his word and hadn’t hurt Brie.
But he always hinted he could change his mind. ”
She was shaking now, the fine tremor spreading from her knees to her jaw.
“Last week, I’d asked about the contract.
I thought it had to be getting close to the end of the three-year obligation.
But Steiner told me he’d never let me go.
He said there were clients coming in from out of town, that my price had gone up.
That’s when I started looking for a way out.
It was a miracle when I saw you the night you were at the club.
I knew the goddess was going to fix things. ”
I told her I didn’t believe in coincidences either.
She nodded. “I thought I was hallucinating. You looked like a ghost. But then you walked out and never looked back.”
I remembered that night—the way my heart leaped when I caught her scent, the way my bones nearly vibrated out of my skin. I’d left because I couldn’t risk blowing the mission, but in that moment, I’d almost thrown it all away for a chance to touch her.
“I wanted to call out to you. But I was so ashamed,” she said her voice small.
I brushed her hair back from her face.
“The last night at the club,” she said, voice thin as wire, “they told me a VIP was coming. Maltraz. They made me wear the black dress, the one that barely covered my ass. Darlene, the club witch, gave me some kind of tea. It made me feel strange. I remember how tall Maltraz was. And his eyes. The smell of sulfur and cologne. He was monstrous; his skin was gray like iron and every part of him was inhuman. He put his hands around my neck and made me do things. Made me beg.” She trailed off, eyes unfocused.
“It hurt. Then when Maltraz left the room to clean up, Steiner made me finish him.” She shuddered.
“After I changed clothes, Rage walked me to the alley where the truck was waiting to take me home like every other night. But you guys were there. Then you, Wrecker, Papa, and the girls all saved me.”
I wanted to hurt something. I wanted to put my fist through every wall between here and Houston. But I kept my voice level.
I pulled her back onto my lap. “You’re safe now,” I said. “He can’t touch you again. I swear it on my life.”
She shook her head, a miserable, fragile arc. “It’s not over. He’ll come for me. He doesn’t like to lose.”
I reached up and took her hand. “Not while I’m breathing.”
She tried to smile, but failed. The tears ran down her face in perfect silence.
I wiped them away with my thumb, marveling at the resilience of the girl who once pirouetted across summer lawns, who could now sit here and bleed without ever raising her voice.
When the silence settled again, I said, “You’re the bravest person I know.”
She huffed a laugh. “I’m a coward. If I were braver, I’d have run years ago.”
I shook my head. “If you’d run, they could have killed your sister.”
She closed her eyes. “It doesn’t matter now. My mom got Brie out before Steiner could find her. I think they may be hiding in France. I’ve caught snippets of conversations Steiner has had with his men, angry that he can’t find them.”
I had to ask the hardest question. "Why didn't you contact me before you'd gotten into the situation with Steiner? While you were still in school?"
She shook her head as if she were trying to figure the answer out.
"That's the stupidest thing of all. I didn't know how to find you.
You had deployed, and I was young and dumb.
My father had taken away every way I'd had of contacting you; my phone, computer, everything.
I seriously thought I'd be able to find you after I graduated and we'd be able to be together no matter what my father said. "
"Hmm. I guess I can understand that." That was the best response I could come up with. Time and age had taught me that people do dumb things, myself included. Tonight showed that.
We sat there; the fire casting long shadows on the wall until her breathing slowed. When I was sure she was asleep, I lifted her up and carried her to my bed. I tucked her in, set a glass of water by the nightstand, and made sure her phone was within reach.
Then I sat on the edge of the mattress, watching her chest rise and fall, fighting the urge to run through the night and tear the world apart.
For now, my job was to protect her. Later, I’d see about revenge. Beg for her to forgive me for being so covered in my own selfish grief that I failed to consider hers.
But for tonight, this was enough.
When I woke, the sunlight was already slanting in through the open window, a wedge of gold splitting the bedroom in two.
Harper was still asleep, one hand flung out across the comforter, hair sprawled like a field of fallen wheat.
She hadn’t moved since I’d laid her down hours before.
For once, her face looked peaceful—soft, almost young.
I made myself memorize it. There weren’t many times in my life when I’d seen that kind of peace on anyone’s face.
I moved slow, not wanting to jar her awake.
My every instinct said to stay, to keep the world out, to let her rest until she was ready to meet it again.
But my wolf was on high alert—pack business never stopped, not even for love or heartbreak—so I left a note on the nightstand, the same blocky all-caps as before, and let myself out.
There were meetings that morning. Bronc wanted a sitrep on Eyrie; Wrecker had heard rumors of a new shipment at the rail yard. I went through the motions, nodding when expected, barking orders when necessary. But all the while, my thoughts drifted back to the girl sleeping in my bed.
When I got home, Harper was up and about.
She was in the kitchen, standing on tiptoe to reach a mug from the upper shelf, wearing nothing but a pair of my old army sweats and a pink tank top I didn’t recognize.
She’d made coffee—strong enough to burn a hole through the cup—and had started to pour a mugful.
She didn’t notice me at first. Her focus was absolute, mouth twisted in concentration.
It was how she used to look at crossword puzzles, or the maps we’d trace with our fingers, charting the distance from Texas to New York and back.
For a second, I just watched her, letting the sight stitch something together in my chest.
She glanced up and caught me staring.
“Morning,” she said, eyes wary but not unfriendly.
“Morning,” I echoed, and crossed to the fridge. I grabbed a bottle of water and drained half of it, then leaned against the counter, arms crossed, waiting for her to set the tone.
“I read your note,” she said, voice careful. “Thank you.”
I shrugged. “Didn’t want you to wake up alone.”
She traced the rim of her mug, not meeting my eye. “I don’t know what happens now. I don’t even know who I am anymore. Everything that made me me is gone.”
I closed the distance and set my hands on her shoulders, firm but gentle. “That’s bullshit. You’re still you. You just get to decide things now.”
She gave a bitter little smile. “You’re just saying that because you want it to be true.”
“I want you to believe it,” I said, squeezing her shoulders.
“You survived three years in hell, and you came out the other side with your soul intact. That’s more than most people can say.
” I paused, letting the words land. “I know I can’t fix everything.
But I can be here for whatever you need.
I know I’ve started on shaky footing. I didn’t know what happened, and I’ve felt sorry for myself for years.
I’ve been so fucking angry every day for as long as I can remember.
But I never stopped loving you. I want to be here for you.
Even if I’ve fucked things up until now.
I’ll be here for you for as long as you want me. ”
She looked up then, really looked, and her eyes were fierce. “Even after everything? After what I let happen?”
My hands tightened. “None of that was your choice, Prima. Not a single second. You were forced. You were manipulated, tortured, and made into something you never wanted to be.” I bent down, putting my forehead to hers.
“To me, you’re still the girl who used to drag me out to the lake at midnight to count shooting stars.
You’re still the only woman I’ve ever wanted.
The goddess gave me you. If you want to say no, I’ll let you walk out the door and never stop you. But I’ll never stop loving you.”
She closed her eyes, a tear leaking out. I caught it on my thumb before it could fall.
“I was never strong enough to escape,” she whispered. “Not because I was afraid for myself, but because I knew he’d go after Brie. After my mom. Steiner told me, if I ever ran, he’d kill them both and send me the proof.”