Page 111 of Cruel Knots

My heart pounds against my chest as my eyes meet his enraged gaze.

“My brothers don’t hurt innocents. They don’t treat their sister like a possession,” he growls, pinning me with his weight. “Don’t ever compare my brothers to yours.”

Regret washes over me. Damien is right. There’s absolutely no comparison between our brothers.

“I’m tired,” Leon says with a yawn. “I haven’t eaten or slept in over twenty-four hours.”

Damien loosens his hold on me and allows me to crawl from underneath him. Sitting up, I glance at Leon. “You’ve been with those men all this time?”

“Yeah. There’s nothing more cathartic than seeing the life drain out of their eyes. Some people smoke pot to relax. I like watching people meet death.”

Leon is a monster to live this way but it was Callum who made him this way. I glance at Damien who’s climbing off the bed. The scars on his face are a constant reminder of Callum’s cruelty and the reason why Leon is so unhinged.

I watch as he walks toward the bathroom. He doesn’t bother putting his clothes on, giving me the opportunity to ogle his naked, muscular body. He might have the face of a monster but his body is that of a Greek god.

“Stop staring at my brother’s ass like that,” Leon mutters from the corner.

“He’s beautiful,” I say with a smile.

“You should be telling him that.”

“I want to but I don’t know if he’ll believe me.”

Getting to his feet, Leon walks over to me and sits down on the edge of the bed. The white sheets instantly get stained crimson. Reaching out, he sweeps the back of his fingers over my cheek.

“We were such fools to fall for you,” he says in a low voice so only I can hear him. “You were a princess and we were a couple of homeless kids. Only an idiot would believe he has a chance to be with someone like you.”

“I’m no princess,” I say with a bitter chuckle. “Stop thinking of me that way.”

“It’s hard not to,” Leon says, swiping a finger over my lips, making me taste the tang of blood. “Our world is very different from yours. We keep wondering whether we’re deluding ourselves into thinking you’ll ever fit in.”

The sound of running water reaches my ears. Damien is either showering or running a bath.

“Can you give me a chance?” I ask in a grave tone. “A real chance where you’re not bullying me or hurting me?”

“This is your chance, darling,” he says, leaning in to kiss me.

I question my own sanity for kissing a crazy guy whose hair is dripping blood onto my cheek. He tastes like blood and death but his kiss consumes me, lighting a fire deep in my core.

We break away when Damien’s voice calls him from the bathroom.

“Lucia, get in here too,” Damien’s commanding voice calls me next.

I glance at Leon. “Why me?”

He grins. “He’ll bathe us both, darling. Come on, let’s go.” Getting to his feet, he heads toward the bathroom.

My cheeks heat at the thought of being cleaned by Damien while Leon watches. My core throbs in response. I’m just as depraved as them for getting aroused at the idea of being watched.

Grabbing onto a sheet, I climb off the bed and wrap it around me like a toga. Bloody shoe prints on the pristine marble floor guide me toward the bathroom.

Damien stands inside the shower stall in the corner, scrubbing his luscious, muscular body while Leon is busy taking off his blood-soaked clothes. My nose scrunches up at the thought of having to clean up all that mess but it’s worth having them both here with me.

Leon shows zero embarrassment as he walks to the tub naked and immerses himself in the steaming water. A deep sigh escapes him as the water rises to his chest.

Crimson mixes into the water and within seconds, turns it a deep red. His amber eyes peek from the gaps between the strands of his soaked hair.

“Get rid of that blanket,” he says with a smug smirk. “It’s not like we haven’t seen it all before.”

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