Page 82 of Cruel Knots

The sheet falls off me as I sit up, exposing the black clothes Lilja loaned me. My head pounds painfully as I try to recall how I got back from the kitchen last night.

I shouldn’t be drinking so much, I realize with a moan as my head throbs. My throat feels parched. Looking around, I find a bottle of water and strips of differently colored pills near my pillow.

My reaction is the same as a child who’s discovered her presents on Christmas day. I eagerly reach for the water bottle and drink thirstily.

The pills are the same ones I asked Lilja for. Along with them, there’s a strip of aspirins too. Popping one in my mouth, I wait for the headache to recede.

Did Damien do all this? I wonder, walking to the window. Unlike last night, the grounds are quiet and still now. Wisps of smoke rise from the woods but apart from that, everything looks the same.

Memories of last night flood my mind. I could’ve almost imagined the attacks, the thunderous roar of gunfire, the corpses lying scattered in the hallways, and the streams of blood staining the floors.

I think of Damien and his passion as he took me against the wall by the door. My pussy throbs at the memory. The thick scars marring his face hadn’t bothered me while I relished his powerful thrusts.

And then, there was Lilja too. She’s quickly become an ally here.

You’re going to be okay, I tell myself. Damien, Leon, and Mikhail will eventually see I never sided with Callum, and that I always hated him for hurting them.

Suppressing a yawn, I head into the bathroom to wash up.

As I walk in, my gaze falls on the mirror above the sink.

Silver bite marks gleam against the pale skin of my neck. Digging my fingers into the collar of my top, I glimpse more at the base of my throat and along my shoulders.

Bonding marks, my mind whispers.

They were left by Damien and his brothers. A smile comes onto my lips as my fingers caress the silvery crescent marks. As much as they deny it, they’re bonded to me in more ways than just our past.

The sound of movement from outside the bathroom breaks me out of my thoughts. Turning away from the mirror, I walk back into the room and find Leon there.

“Are you okay?” I ask, rushing over to him. “I didn’t see you last night.”

Surprise flickers through those beautiful amber eyes. “I wasn’t home last night.” His gaze roves all over me. “You’re wearing Lilja’s clothes?”

“Yeah.”

Leon is also clad in black. Dark rings circle his eyes. It looks like he’s spent a sleepless night despite not being home during the attack.

Moving toward me, he hooks a finger under my chin and tilts my face up. His amber eyes stare deeply into mine, searching. “I’ve been gone for a day and you’ve changed so much. You don’t seem afraid of me at all.”

“You have no idea how happy I am to finally meet you,” I say, tears pricking my eyes. “I didn’t recognize you in the beginning and that’s the reason I was scared of you and your brothers. You guys were my best friends. You misunderstood me all these years and stayed far from me but things are different from the way you imagined. I hate Callum too.”

“Do you think it’s going to be as simple as apologizing to us, Princess?”

I shake my head. “No, but you can trust me. I’ll never be on Callum’s side.”

His eyes narrow. “Let’s test that theory, shall we?” Before I can say a word, he releases me and steps back. “Let’s go,” he says, offering me his hand.

Suspicion creeps into me. “Are you taking me to eat breakfast?”

He chuckles. “Is that what you want?”

“No,” I mutter. “I’ll be sick if I eat anything.”

He raises his brows questioningly.

“I drank a little too much last night,” I confess.

Sliding closer, he wraps an arm around me and turns me toward the door. “I’m glad you’re not hungry,” he says, forcing me to walk with him. “There’s something I need you to see right now. Although, I can’t promise it’ll make you feel any better.”

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