Page 51 of Cruel Knots

It is impossible to tell how much time passed since I was chained down in the basement. I’m sure I spent two days there and a day in this room.

The constant discomfort that assaulted me during my heat has gone away, leaving my body thoroughly drained. Even though my body isn’t aching too badly, I still feel a hangover from everything that happened to me since I was kidnapped from my fake wedding. A sliver of relief passes through me as I realize I’ve gone through the worst of it.

Leon’s words come back to my mind. Giving it a deeper thought, I decide it’s better they keep me here instead of handing me over to Callum immediately.

If they keep me here long enough, Callum would surely start assuming I’m dead. At the very least, his obsession will take a hit. He wouldn’t look at me as a prize if he knew about the things I let these alphas do to me.

Self-pity flares inside me.

Damien and his brothers kidnapped me and abused me, and here I am, counting my blessings for being away from my brother. I desperately hope Dad will stay strong until I can get him out of that house. For now, I just have to find a way to survive being among these men.

I’m lost in my thoughts when the door of the room is suddenly thrown open. To my horror, it’s Damien.

My mind replays the feverish haze that forced me to beg him to relieve my body’s demands. Heat rises to my cheeks at the memories of him rutting into me and giving me the most mind-blowing knot. At the same time, the sight of his scars sends an icy tendril wrapping around my throat.

This man still scares me.

I bolt out of bed and look for a way to escape immediately.

Damien’s gaze zeroes in on me. His ice-blue eyes have a piercing quality to them that makes me feel like he’s stripping me bare.

Shifting my eyes away from his face, I take in his tall, broad-shouldered body. He wears an elegant black suit that molds perfectly against his muscular chest.

If his face wasn’t so ugly, he’d make a very handsome man, I think distractedly. Damien’s original face must’ve shared some similarities to Leon’s since they were brothers. A sliver of pity goes through me as I stare back at him.

His ice-blue eyes catch the change in my emotions. Pursing his lips, he stalks forward.

I automatically step away until my back hits the window sill.

A rush of cold air comes in through the window. I shiver in my thin dress, a gesture he seems to notice immediately.

Shirking off his jacket, he throws it my way.

I hold it in my hand and stare at him.

“Do my clothes disgust you too?” he asks in a deep voice that sends shivers down my spine.

“Uhh-no. No! Of course, not!” I reply, flustered. Shit! I curse silently and hurriedly thrust my hands through the long sleeves.

The jacket is long and heavy. Damien’s heat clings to it, warming me up immediately.

“Thanks, I guess,” I say meekly.

Closing the distance between us, he grabs my upper arm.

Stumbling on my feet, I crash against his broad chest, feeling the hardness of his muscles. His scent, a heady mix of dark chocolate and spicy bourbon, envelops all around me. For a fleeting second, it doesn’t feel too bad to be pressed up against this man.

That’s when I feel the sharp tip of a knife digging into my back.

“Don’t move,” he whispers in my ear.

I stay still, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart.

“You’re crazy!”

Low chuckles rumble in his chest. “Just a precaution, Princess.”

“There are three of you and just one of me. I know I can’t leave this place until you psychos let me go.”

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