Chapter 24 #3
I lock eyes with Logan again, telegraphing to him that he needs to make it right. He needs to explain it to her. He nods imperceptibly, though a look of distaste is etched on his features. But he disguises it under his classic Logan smirk as he stands up.
“Well, guess I won, fair and square. C’mon over here, Seraphina.”
He grabs her arm, and I notice Vale grinning in his twisted way, just as happy as if he’d won himself. He really doesn’t understand.
Neither does she, I realize a second later, as she wriggles out of Logan’s grasp.
I remember with a sinking feeling that she hates him. She must hate him even more after what I made him do. But it’ll be alright. He’ll explain it to her. And so will I, the minute I can get to her.
I try to tell her now with my eyes. I try to show it to her urgently. To beg to her in silence, even though I’ve never begged before. But I would do a lot more than that for her.
You’re mine. This changes nothing. Go with him. I’m doing this to protect you. Remember who owns you, .
She doesn’t understand. Fuck. She doesn’t. Her eyes are glazed over in anger and fear, and she won’t let me in.
She cries out, “Let me go!”
The others turn to stare. Vale’s mouth parts into a cruel grin. I stand up, anxious to get her out of here.
“Listen to Logan,” I warn, grasping her other arm. “Don’t make a scene.”
She pushes me, and it’s so sudden and unexpected that I almost fall back on the couch.
Vale chortles, and the sound makes my blood run hot.
Why is she choosing this moment to test me?
Furious at the whole situation, I grab her again, this time by the collar, and lift her up so roughly that her feet dangle in the air.
“Cool it,” mutters Logan.
I relax my grip on her, and she takes the opportunity to knee me in the crotch, hard.
Vale’s laughter drives me crazy. I guess it’s a good thing he didn’t see her staple my arm that first day. Now, he’s standing, his arms crossed, waiting to see how I’ll react.
I grit my teeth, trying to make her read the urgent message in my eyes. Do as I say. You’re in danger. Go with Logan!
But she merely glares at me, full of defiance. Behind her, Vale is looking bloodthirsty.
“Aren’t you going to punish her?” he asks.
“What?”
Vale repeats his question in a sneering tone. “I said, aren’t you going to punish her? I wouldn’t have thought a girl could kick Damien Wells in the balls, and get away with it.”
My hand flexes around my belt, even as I’m aware that I’m falling into his trap once again. My heart is going haywire as I try to figure out how to protect her.
I look down at my girl’s small face, and it’s like a lightning bolt has hit me. She’s never looked at me like this before. It’s pure hatred. Nothing is worth the look in those eyes. Not Vale. Not my position in Devil. Nothing.
She may be in danger, but I’ll figure out some other way to save her. There has to be another way.
“Alright,” I say quietly, putting my hand on the small of her back. “Let’s go.”
But she doesn’t budge.
“Come on,” I insist. “Come with me. I’ll bring you back to your apartment.”
She mumbles something under her breath, and I lean in.
“What?”
“I said,” she repeats, her voice small but shaking with barely controlled fury, “fuck you.”
Those words do more to me than the kick in the balls did. I’ve been punched, stabbed, beaten senseless before. But sworn at?
I see red. No. Black.
Before I’ve even made sense of my reaction, I’ve caught her by the collar again and dragged her to the other side of the room, as far away from Vale as possible, then pinned her down over the arm of a chair.
In one fell swoop, I unbuckle my belt, lift her dress and pull down her panties. So she’s angry. Well, I’ll show her anger. Real anger.
The belt cracks down on her ass, and I hear Everest inhale behind me, and say something that I block out. The belt crashes down again, far harder than the previous whipping that led to her sinking to her knees. Yet now, she barely flinches.
By the time I’m done with her, though, she’s sagging against the arm of the chair, not moving at all. Sudden anxiety rises in me, washing away the anger. I realize I’ve gone too far. I’ve gone much too far.
I stagger backward. What the fuck is wrong with me? What have I done? I hurt my girl. I was supposed to protect her. But I hurt her.
“Seraphina?”
She keeps her face turned from me, her arms hugging the arm of the chair as if she’s hoping it will comfort her.
Every ounce of my strength goes toward keeping my body from shaking. Fuck. What have I done? What have I done?
Clearly, she doesn’t want to see me right now. I can understand it. I find myself hoping she’ll want to see me again later. Fear strangles my throat at the thought that I may have lost her for good.
I take a step back, suddenly aware that the others are all staring at me.
Everest is standing by the door, watching the scene, devastated. I’m used to his disapproval, though, and used also to the fact that he would never dare to actually defy me.
Logan looks profoundly unhappy, and that upsets me far more than the look in Everest’s eyes. What is going on with him?
And then there’s Vale. I guess I’ve succeeded in doing one thing. The predator has backed off its prey. That smirk of his has been wiped clean off his face.
I nod toward Logan, who looks back at me, startled, as if I’ve pulled him out of a reverie.
“Well?” I ask, my heart thumping in my throat. I’ve come all this way, might as well put the last nail in the coffin and ensure Vale backs off for good. “Aren’t you going to claim your prize?”
He hesitates, his face ashen, then shrugs. He walks over to her, clasps her upper arm, pulls her up, and then—far too gently, for Logan—leads her to the elevator.
This time, she doesn’t resist.