Chapter 46 #2
That was all he said before he squeezed, pinching the entire inside of my thigh between his fingers and the palm of his hand.
The pain registered immediately, and my legs unlocked on reflex.
He stopped instantly and yanked my shorts off the rest of the way.
I laid there in nothing but my underwear.
All I could think about was how much I hated him.
He could hold me captive for the rest of my life, and I would die hating him.
“Ye are so fucking beautiful.”
I closed my eyes and resigned myself to the fact that no one was coming to save me.
Ronan climbed between my legs and started to play at the waistband of my underwear.
He closed his mouth on one of my breasts with his hand on the other.
I swallowed the sob in my throat and tried to think of anything else, but what was about to happen.
He was destroying not just the here and now, but he was turning part of my childhood into something ugly and wrong.
An engine came to a grinding halt outside of the cabin. I heard Amelia’s voice outside, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. Without any warning, the door to the cabin exploded into the room. I closed my eyes for a split second and when I opened them, I saw Maddox standing in the doorway.
My heart instantly felt relief; I was safe.
The tightness in my chest loosened its grip and I could breathe again.
His eyes locked on mine and then they changed.
His face twisted into a terrifying snarl, and the roar that ripped through him shook me to my soul.
Before I could register what was happening, the weight of Ronan’s body was gone.
I watched Maddox raise him into the air by his throat.
“I made you a promise, and I fully intend on keeping it.”
He pulled Ronan to him and sank his teeth into his throat. He drew blood from him and as he did, I saw his irises turn red. Right before he would have completely drained him, Maddox stopped.
“She was never yours and you will never touch her again. Or anyone else.” He grabbed the front of Ronan’s throat with his other hand and yanked. He dropped his lifeless body and his vocal cords onto the cabin floor.
Before I had a chance to react, Maddox had me untied and was helping me replace my clothes.
He gently grabbed my chin, turning my face from side to side so he could get a look at the damage that Ronan had caused.
I knew my lip was busted, and I was sure I had at least one black eye and a bruised back; maybe a cut on my cheek.
I could feel the anger rolling off him in waves.
I grabbed his hand, that was holding my face. “Hey, I’m okay. I’m not dead.”
He kissed my lips very gently and I tasted blood. Some mine and some Ronan’s no doubt. As soon as I tried to return the kiss, I knew why he tried to be gentle. It hurt—a lot. As he was helping me off the bed, Amelia walked into the cabin with an already healing cut on her forehead.
“I’m sorry, Maddox. I can’t let you take her. She has somewhere she has to be tomorrow.” Amelia smiled at him.
“Yeah, that isn’t going to happen, Amelia,” he said, positioning himself, so he was shielding me from her.
I was getting increasingly worried that this was not going to end well for me. He could protect me from everyone but her. I mean he could try, but he wouldn’t be able to kill her if he needed to.
“What are you going to do? I will never stop coming for her. Once she is dead, then you will come to the conclusion that you are mine. This dumb little girl thinks you’re hers. You let her think that; shame on you Maddox.”
My blood was boiling, but I needed to keep that shit in check. This was a very real situation, and she would love nothing more than to be able to end my life.
“Please Amelia, just let me be happy. She makes me happy, more than anyone ever has. You can have anyone you want.”
“Not you,” she said flatly. “I don’t like losing Maddox.”
He was listening to what she was saying; taking it all in. The look of defeat flooded his face and my heart broke.
“Can we strike a deal?” he asked her. What kind of deal was he talking about?
“You have my attention.”
“If you leave her alone—forever. If I know she is safe, then I will leave with you. I will stay with you.”
My heart sank. That isn’t what I wanted at all. Didn’t I get any say in this? I grabbed the back of his shirt, trying to pull him back.
“Joslyn, let me go.”
My hands dropped along with my stomach. I didn’t want to let him go. My brain was screaming at me to do something; I was finding it hard to breathe again. I didn’t want to do any of this without him. I had no one in this world but him and I didn’t want to go back.
“Maddox no! Please! That’s not what I want.” I was begging him; pleading. If he would only turn around and look at me. “Look at me!” I screamed.
“Joslyn just stop. She’s right. I belong with her, she made me. I love her without my own permission; I can’t help it. I would leave you for her eventually, let me save your life doing it.”
He still wasn’t looking at me. My heart was cracking inside of my chest. I could literally feel it; my knees became weak, and I collapsed onto the floor.
“I hate you. You fucking soulless bitch!” I was screaming at her from the floor between the sobs that were racking my body.
“You poor thing. I know you thought he loved you. He is only putting on a show for you right now; trying to spare your feelings. I will allow him to do it because he will be very hard to deal with if I don’t concede.
Today is your lucky day, sweetheart. I am going to let you live; but remember there really are people that want very badly to get their hands on you. ”
I stared at her with seething hate and just wanted to sink into the floor.
I didn’t want to watch him leave; I wasn’t even sure I could.
I felt empty and numb and exhausted—totally void of hope.
I didn’t feel safe if that is what Maddox thought he was accomplishing.
Who was I kidding? Everyone warned me. Well, everyone with something to gain by us not being together.
He was destined to be with her, and he was done fighting it.
She would destroy anything he tried to love.
I hated this world. I felt like it had taken everything from me.
“Come on Maddox. Come here and show her how you show a woman you truly love her.”
He walked toward her, and I felt every step that he took deep in my bones.
When he reached her, he locked his mouth on hers and I felt the burn of bile in my throat.
I couldn’t pull my eyes away and every move they made was fracturing my soul.
His lips moved from her mouth, and he wrapped one arm around her waist and the other hand he placed on the back of her neck.
His thumb ran along her throat, and she let her head fall back as he kissed her neck.
I forced my eyes shut as the tears started to escape. I couldn’t speak. Was there a point? Would anything I say change his mind? If he did change his mind, then Amelia would kill me. One way or another, she had won. Maddox and I would never be together, and that was all she wanted.
My eyes popped open when I heard a gurgling noise and what sounded like choking.
What I saw when I opened my eyes was the sweetest sight—yet nothing I had imagined.
Maddox had gotten close enough to Amelia that he used his teeth to rip the artery out of her throat.
He was holding her in his arms, and they both fell to the floor.
She was dying, choking on her own blood as she stared into his eyes.
He let her go, and she rolled from his arms as he fell back onto the floor himself.
I scrambled to his side. “Maddox! Maddox! Baby wake up!” What the fuck do I do?
He was dying because he killed her. He told me that vampires couldn’t kill their makers, and he just did.
I shook him and begged him to open his eyes.
My hands planted firmly to the sides of his face.
Pleading and praying for him to just open his eyes. I didn’t know what to do.
Joslyn stop and think. Think. Think. He is a vampire. He drained Ronan; there was nothing left, and Amelia’s blood was all over the floor. Would it even help? Fuck! I jumped up from the floor and ran to the kitchen.
I pulled out the first drawer dumping the contents onto the floor; kitchen towels.
Next drawer; plastic serving utensils. Two drawers left; I yanked them both out, tossing them to the floor.
A knife—I need a fucking knife. There—finally.
It was old and rusted and I gave zero fucks.
I found one; that was all that mattered.
I snatched it out of the pile of stuff on the floor and ran back to Maddox.
I put the blade against my wrist and pressed down hard as I slid it across my skin.
It hurt like a bitch, and I dropped the knife.
The blood began to pool immediately, and I held my wrist to Maddox’s lips.
I squeezed my wrist and kept balling my hand into a fist; willing it to bleed more.
After a minute I laid down next to Maddox, knowing I was going to eventually pass out.
I rested my wrist against his lips and just stared at him; praying for any sign of life.
My eyelids started growing heavy, and I tried so hard to keep them open. I failed and everything went dark.