Page 46 of Savage Desires

While Willow sleeps, I start making arrangements for Lucy to go home. The faster that woman is gone, the better. I don't like that she upset my Beauty even though her bitchiness was the catalyst for Willow admitting she would be happy to be mine. It's a blessing and a curse to know that she wants to be mine. There's no way she feels the same way I feel, though. She sees me as her hero and feels safe with me. It doesn't go deeper than that for her; I need to keep reminding myself of that. Making a move on her would be taking advantage of her in a way that would make me no better than the men who took her from her life.

Willow whimpers in her sleep and shifts restlessly. Her brow furrows, showing her distress. I run my fingers lightly over her furrowed brow. Some of the tension leaks away, but she's still restless.

I stroke her hair until she sinks back into a peaceful sleep. I don't stop touching her. It's a necessity to care for her. I need to take care of her. I might not be able to keep her, but for now, she's mine, and I will worship her.

I finish coordinating Lucy's departure with Amy, a brilliant hacker. Amy is one of the many women I've helped over the years and wanted to stay and help others like her. Lucy will be on a plane to California by noon tomorrow. Usually, we move slower to make sure the women we save make the right choice, but getting Lucy's negativity out of here is motivating us to get her gone faster. Good riddance.

Willow is still asleep when Gladys quietly knocks and lets herself in two hours later.

"Well, that was fun…"

"They give you a hard time?" I keep my voice low so I don't wake Willow.

"Only the bitchy one. She decided to join our conversation. That girl is a real piece of work," Gladys says with a disgusted look.

It's surprising because Gladys is the kindest person I know. She's endlessly patient and does anything and everything to help the women who come into her care. I've never seen her dislike someone so intensely. It makes me feel even better about my decision to fast-track Lucy's ass out of here.

"She'll be out of our hair tomorrow. Did everyone else decide where they're going to go?"

"They did. Tabitha and Lexis decided to go to Nevada. Stacia decided to go to California… I'm giving you one guess as to why," Gladys says, rolling her eyes. "Reghan is going to Seattle. She seemed happy to put as many miles from herself and here as possible. Her only question was what the furthest location away from here was. I got the feeling that if we had a Hope House in Alaska, she would've been prepared to take a dogsled to get there."

"Are any of them in the right frame of mind to tell me what they know about the organization and how they got to Mecca and the mansion?"

Gladys thinks for a minute. "Tabitha is a fighter. I think she'll be happy to help in any way she can. Lexis is reserved, but she's also incredibly grateful to us for helping her out and giving her the opportunity to start a new life, so she will definitely help, too. Reghan is fragile. Questioning her could be traumatic for her."

"Then I won't push her, but I'll give her the opportunity to talk if she'd like to. Her well-being is our priority. We can get information in other ways," I say easily.

It's not a hard decision because I love getting information the hard way. Using my skills to extract information from the people guilty of such atrocities is immensely satisfying. Paying them back for the things they do to innocent women and children gives me a perverse amount of joy.

"What about your girl? Do you know what she wants to do?"

"No, not yet."

"I want to stay here," Willow says quietly.

"Hon, this is just a stopping point, not somewhere you can stay. It's too chaotic here for anyone to recover," Gladys says regretfully.

"Not here here. I want to stay with Kisten."

Her words hit with the power of an atomic bomb. My heart stutters as her words play on a loop in my head. She can't mean what she said. There's no way she really wants to stay with me. She deserves a fresh start, not to be with a man like me. If she stays, I won't be able to help myself. I will own her. Someone as dark and violent as me can't give her what she needs in the long run. Despite my desire to keep her, I know I can't be that selfish.

"Beauty—" I start, but she cuts me off.

"I want to help you take down the bastards that tortured me," she says fiercely. Her eyes burn with anger. I can see the same fire that was present when she attacked me like a hellcat. It's fucking sexy as hell, and I'm disgusted with myself and by how hard my cock is at that show of ferocity.

"Wilow, hon, that's not an option. It's too dangerous," Gladys says before I get the chance to respond.

She's not wrong. I hate the idea of giving her up. Knowing that she wants to stay and punish the people who stole years of her life makes keeping her all the more tempting. But then I remember seeing her stumbling towards me in the woods covered in blood and how gutted I was when I thought she was hurt. Then she fainted in my arms and spent hours unconscious.

Every minute was torture as I waited for her to wake up. Then there's all the bruises marring her pale skin. The handprints around her delicate neck are a sickening reminder that she could have died in those woods before I got to her.

I would have gone back to the mansion and burned it to the ground, no matter the consequences. I never make rash decisions, but all bets are off when it comes to Willow. I'll do anything to protect her and avenge her. Making the people who hurt her pay is my new life goal. Savada still needs to die, but for the first time ever, I have something else driving my need for vengeance.

"I don't care if it's dangerous. I can fight. You saw me fight," she says, jutting her chin out with a stubbornness I shouldn't find so attractive.

I like my women submissive. Absolute control is what I crave, and I know Willow will never give me that after everything she's survived. I would be a real bastard if I gave in to my desires. I would never risk retraumatizing her. No, she can never be mine the way I crave. No matter what, I will always do what is best for her.

"There's no question that you're fierce, beauty. You're a fighter for sure, but what I do isn't self-defense. I won't put you in danger."

---