Chapter Seventeen
Damon
I TAKE VIOLET back to my Airbnb, partly because I’m sure she doesn’t want to go back to the apartment she shared with that monster, and partly because I’m not sure if she’s going to come out of a state of shock, freak out, and call the cops.
If she wanted to, I’d let her, but first I would convince her to tell them it was me who killed those fuckers.
I would happily rot in jail if it meant she got to live her life in peace.
The pride that I felt watching Violet kill her abusers is indescribable, and it almost makes up for the leftover anger I feel toward those pieces of shit.
While it would have been more satisfying to keep them tied up and torture them for longer, there was no way I was going to take that opportunity from her.
On the drive there, I tell her about the Venatores, about how I got involved with them and how the fair is a front for what we do. She doesn’t seem too surprised, and I can’t blame her considering what she just saw in the torture chamber.
When we get to the house I’m staying in, I lead her into the primary bedroom’s en suite. “You can rinse off in the shower while I draw you a bath,” I say, gesturing to the blood splattered up her arms.
“Oh, right.” Her voice is flat, and she’s looking somewhere far off.
I try to lighten the mood with a joke. “I’m not fucked up enough to want to bathe in their blood, darling.”
That earns me a soft chuckle. “But fucking me while I was covered in it was fine?”
We both burst out laughing, and I think maybe she’ll be okay.
She steps out of her boots and peels off her dress before turning on the shower, checking to make sure the water’s okay before stepping in. I do the same with the bath water before putting the stopper in the drain and pulling out the bath supplies the Airbnb host left for guests.
I pour in the lavender-scented whatever the fuck then stop the water when the tub is full. The bathroom also has a towel warmer, which I hang a fluffy black towel on and turn on.
Violet steps out of the shower, dripping, and glistening, and beautiful. She’s breathtaking. My eyes roam over her body—her soft skin, the swell of her breasts and hips, the water droplets clinging to her skin. I have to hold back a groan at the thought of licking them off her.
She looks at the tub. “Do you think we’ll both fit?”
“Oh, I think we can make it fit.” I laugh at my stupid joke, and she rolls her eyes. There’s that confident, sassy woman I love. “Do you want me to sit in the tub with you?”
She nods and crosses the room to me. “Yes. I don’t want to be alone.”
“Okay.” I strip out of my clothes and step in, sinking into the warm water before guiding her in front of me, her back flush to my chest. I wrap my arms around her, resting my face in the crook of her neck.
I want to spend the rest of my days like this, ending the hard nights wrapped around her, breathing her in.
We sit in silence for a while. It’s so long and she’s gone so still that I think maybe she’s fallen asleep.
Then a violent sob racks her body, and I tense.
“Hey, darling, it’s okay. It’s going to be fine.” I rub my hands over her shoulders, trying to comfort her. Fuck, she’s freaking out. She’s realized what we did, and she’s going to panic and leave and call the cops.
Another sob shakes her as she says, “They would have killed me.”
“No,” I counter, more for myself than her.
She pulls her knees into her chest, like she’s protecting herself. “Yes, they would have. If you hadn’t come back, they would have—”
“No,” I say more forcefully this time. “No, because I was always going to come back for you, Violet. There isn’t a universe in which I wouldn’t have. I truly believe fate brought me here when you needed me most, when we were ready for each other.”
She shifts so she can look up at me. “Do you really believe that?”
“Yes, I do. In this life, and in every life before and after, I believe it’s always been you and me. That’s why you trusted me when you didn’t know who I was. Your soul knew, your heart knew. And mine did the first time I saw you.”
“But you left.”
“I left because I was fucked up and I didn’t want to be some dark storm in your life that took away your light or your happiness. I knew what I needed to do, and I couldn’t bring you along with me. I couldn’t involve you in it.”
She laughs. “I think I’m well and truly involved now.”
I brush the tears from her cheeks with my thumbs. “Yeah, I guess you are.” I can’t say I’m unhappy with the idea of having Violet as a part of my life, even if what I do can be dangerous. I’ll keep her safe.
She scrunches her forehead for a moment, like she’s thinking. “So, did you have a target here in Ridgewater? Is that why you came back?”
“Yeah, I’ve been watching him around town and just waiting for him to come to the fair.” I run a hand through my hair. “I’m honestly surprised he hasn’t yet, but we’re here for another week, so there’s still time.”
“What did he do?” she asks.
I debate whether I want to tell her or not. Obviously she’s not ignorant to the terrible shit that happens in the world, but do I really want to be responsible for her knowing more? I guess if she’s going to stick around with me, she should know the type of people I target.
“His name is Robert, he’s a teacher at the local high school and volunteers for different camps in the summer. He assaulted an eighteen-year-old girl on her birthday, and he got away with it because she wasn’t a minor.”
“That’s terrible.” Violet clenches her little hands into fists.
I grab one and kiss her knuckles. “Terrible people get away with things like this all the time. That’s why we exist. To help the survivors get the justice they deserve. The peace they deserve.”
“Like you helped me get tonight.” Her gray eyes are shimmering with fresh tears, and I can’t help but cup her face, bringing my forehead to hers.
“I’m so sorry you went through all of that.” I place a kiss on her cheek. “But they’re gone now, and you’re safe with me. No matter what happens, even if . . . even if you don’t want to be with me, I’ll keep you safe.”
She shifts fully so she’s straddling my lap. “Of course, I want to be with you, Damon. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.” Then she pulls me in for a kiss that consumes every part of me.
When we finally come up for air, I grab the soap and a washcloth and take my time gently scrubbing her body.
I still can’t believe she’s here, that she chose me.
That I get the privilege of seeing her bare and vulnerable.
If I can help it, I’ll be the only person who sees her like this for the rest of our lives.
After, we both dry off and then I take her to bed.
I lay her down and kiss every inch of her, tracing every curve and dip with my fingers and tongue to commit her body to memory.
Worshipping her the way she deserves. She arches into my touches, gasping and whimpering.
When she’s worked up, practically begging for more, I slowly thrust inside her tight pussy, taking my time.
There’s no rush like the first two times.
I make love to her, savoring every gasp, every shiver.
And when she comes, I’m right there with her.