Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
Garett
Watching Allison sleep in my arms, in my bed, in my home is the single most peaceful moment I’ve lived in as long as I can remember.
Her red hair is splayed out around her, like a halo of fire and light.
Her smooth skin glows like porcelain in the low light of the moon streaming in through the window.
A goddess—a creature of strength and beauty willingly lying next to me.
Mine. She’s mine. All mine. My chest swells with pride as I watch her burrow herself closer to me.
Even in sleep, her psyche craves me just as much as I crave her.
I might be a fucking demon, a Devil in sheep’s clothing, a monster lying in wait—but I’m her monster.
After fucking her again, slowly, tenderly, in our bed, she crashed. She’s been through so much—with her husband, a presumed stalker, an affair, running, being chased, being caught, submitting to the inevitability of us. She needs her rest. And I’ve always been a big fan of watching her sleep.
I wonder if she’ll still let me drug her and fuck her, even now that we’re together. The idea did seem to excite her when I told her about it in the kitchen.
The shrill sound of my alarm system breaks through the silence.
I swiftly grab my phone off my nightstand and silence the alarm so as not to wake my Sleeping Beauty.
I glance over at her. She stirs but doesn’t wake.
My eyes flit back to my phone. There’s a car at my gate.
Luke’s car. Demanding entrance to my home.
What do these fuckers want?
“Sweetheart,” I gently whisper against Ali’s temple. She grumbles and snuggles deeper into the sheets. “I need you to stay here, love. No matter what you hear, do not come out. Do you understand?” She makes a small huff which I take as a form of acknowledgment.
The doorbell rings from across the house.
Clearly they made it to the front door. My eye twitches at their lack of respect for our sleep.
I hate to leave her—no, I loathe to leave her, especially when she’s sleeping in my arms. But these assholes won’t leave unless I deal with whatever it is they’re here for.
Throwing on a pair of black slacks and a black T-shirt, I quietly make my way from the room, careful not to disturbed my Sleeping Beauty’s slumber.
The buzzing sound of my doorbell rings through the home again. The noise is annoying and grits against my nerves. The buzzer sounds again.
I might actually murder her tonight. Him too. Fuck it.
“Fucking coming!” I growl at the door despite the fact I know they can’t hear me through the thick frame.
Throwing open the door with a huff, I’m immediately met by a figure in my doorway.
A petite and curvy figure stands before me.
Black clothes cling to her like a second skin, making her almost blend into the darkness of the night behind her.
Her raven hair falls loosely around her glowing face.
A mask covers her features. Glowing X’s hide the mouth and eye holes of the mask.
I’d be impressed with it if I weren’t so annoyed.
Slung over her shoulder is an aluminum bat.
We stand in stark silence for a moment before she cocks her head to the side in a way that comes across as completely sinister.
“Hello, Angel,” I coo right before she swings the bat.
The metal meets my diaphragm with such force that it completely takes the air out of my lungs.
I double over in pain, my insides struggling to regain the ability to breathe.
A second sure swing has the aluminum crashing into my jaw.
I stumble backward, leaving a trail of blood droplets on the floor.
“I’m not your angel, you motherfucker,” Celeste seethes.
There’s her fire. About fucking time. This girl was desperate, weak, and lost when I found her.
She willingly went with men she barely knew into the woods with the simple promise of a good time.
Smart girls don’t let a Devil in disguise guide their path.
It’s good to see that time with Luke has given her some of the fight she’d been missing.
My eyes flit up to appraise her just as she raises the bat to swing again.
My hand comes up to meet her blow this time.
It was cute at first, but now I’m fucking annoyed.
I wrap my fingers around the bat, holding it firmly in my grip.
She tries to pull it back, to regain control, but she should know by now—she’s never the one in control when I’m around.
She was a pawn to be used and abused, and the fact that Luke stole her for his own pleasure still grates at my nerves.
I let him keep her and play with her because, truth be told, I did feel a slight bit of guilt about the idea of killing her, and he did seem happy for the first time in a very long time.
It seemed like a win-win. But bringing her to my house to hit me upside the head with a baseball bat, while my girl is finally here willingly and peacefully, that was not part of the deal.
Using my grip on the bat to control her, I move her backward until her body hits the wall behind her.
I am desperate to see the fear in her eyes, hear the small little gasps of surprises leaving her lips, but the damn mask is hiding her from me.
At one point of time, I would have licked that fear from her skin, savoring her pain.
But things are different now. I’m different now.
Last time she saw me I was a desperate man, one small step from chaotic implosion.
Now, I’m content. With a firm grip, I pin her tightly in place.
From my periphery, I catch Luke’s tall frame lazily waltzing into the room, making no attempt to get involved in the chaos that’s ensuing.
“Did you miss me, Angel?” I ask her as I lean in, invading her space.
Luke flinches slightly but doesn’t move from the spot on the wall where he’s currently leaning. Interesting. My best friend is the cool composure, level-headed reason to my chaos. He rarely lets the mask fall.
And then agonizing pain rips through my core as Celeste’s knee connects with my testicles. I double over in pain, blackness filling my vision. I stumble backward, coughing and sputtering.
“I said, I am not your fucking angel, you sick fuck.” Pain sears my head as she hits me again with the bat. “You stalked me, kidnapped me, and tried to kill me.”
With my ass on the floor I chance a glance up. Luke has a snide smirk on his face as he watches the show in front of him. Fucker.
“You gonna’ help?” I ask him as I finally manage to catch my breath. I can feel warm blood dripping down my face.
“Seems like she’s doing just fine all on her own,” he quips while flashing Celeste a wide white smile.
Okay, I’m officially done with this shit now.
Rising to my feet, I grab the bat swiftly. Celeste whines in surprise and pain as I twist the metal in her hand, forcing her arm to spin at an uncomfortable angle.
“Garett,” Luke warns as he pushes from the wall, cause now he gives a shit. Fucker.
“Why the fuck are you two here?” I ask as I pull the weapon from her, tossing it across the room.
The metal hitting the floor sends a loud crack echoing off the walls of my home.
I don’t give a fuck what I hit. I’m over this shit.
I have more important things to deal with tonight, like a beautiful but skittish woman lying naked in my bed.
I swear, if they wake her up…With a few swift steps, I’m in Celeste’s face again, ripping the mask from her so I can watch her cower beneath me.
Her fear is the sweetest sin. Only, when I meet her eyes now, they’re full of fiery determination.
She’s not the same scared girl I hunted months ago it would seem. We’ve both changed.
“They took Liv.” Her voice threatens to break as she whispers the words.
“Liv?” I ask, trying to rack my brain. “The pink-haired bimbo?”
“Call her that again and see what the fuck happens,” the little Devil snarls in front of me.
I smirk at her fire, her fight. “I like this new Celeste.” I snicker at Luke who’s moved to stand close in case he needs to separate us.
“I’ve always loved her.” He flashes her a warm smile that makes me roll my eyes. Luke’s sappy shit makes me want to hurl.
If you love a girl, carve your claim into her flesh, don’t serenade her and shit.
“Then you shouldn’t have let me fuck her in the ass and pussy,” I quip, popping the happy little fantasy bubble they seem to be stuck in. They’re forgetting how this all began. But I’m happy to remind them.
I step back before Luke’s fist is able to collide with my jaw. I sneer at his heaving form.
“Did I hit a nerve there, brother? Did she not let you knock at the back door yet?”
Before he can fall for my goating and swing again, a soft sweet voice calls hesitantly from the hallway behind us.
Fuck.
“Garett?” my Princess asks and my veins turn to ice. She was supposed to stay hidden. I want her far away from this shit-show.
I swing toward her, moving swiftly to grab her and hurry her away. I cross the room but it’s too late. Her gaze lands on the woman in my front room and recognition flits across her face.
“Celeste?” Ali asks as she slowly slips from the shadows of the hallway. “But I thought…”
She trails off, her eyes fall to me. I know this is a lot.
I finally just had her in my grasp, open and willing to hear—to understand.
And now I can see her pulling back. The intrusion is shaking the fragile trust we’ve just begun to build.
Ali shakes her head at me, clearly disappointed that there’s still more pieces to the story she doesn’t know.
“You can fill me in later,” Ali informs me in a cool, cold tone before turning to Celeste. “You need our help? Who’s Liv?”