Page 44 of Tainted Essence

“Destiny.” Whenever he uses my name I know he’s serious, I’m starting to hate the sound of it coming out of his mouth, I prefer him calling my Slayer or baby.

“Yeah?”

He shoots me a small sad smile. “If there was ever a woman I would want to try with, it would have been you, baby.” If my eyes could widen in shock they would have but all I can do is stare at him in stunned silence. “You don’t need to fight to prove anything, the only person you have to prove anything to is yourself. Remember that.” His words have a lump forming in my throat.

I swallow past it. “When he comes back?—”

“That’s your family out there, he isn’t coming back if they have anything to do with it.”

I shake my head. “I can hear them yelling and understand what they’re saying,” I say as the shouts reach us through the thin walls of the garage.

“What are they saying?”

“Crows,” I answer.

Disappointment shines in his eyes. “It’s Andreas,” he mutters.

“My family isn’t here,” I say dejectedly. “Don’t watch when he comes back, I don’t want you to see it.” I try to keep the bitterness from coating my tone but fail.

His eyes darken as he leans forward as much as the cuffs will allow. “You fight that cunt every step of the way, you don’t give in no matter what they do to me. You get the fuck out of here and get back to your family, don’t look back.”

Tears prick the backs of my eyes when I hear more shouts, Koda’s winning against Andreas and we are running out of time. “I’m sorry you’re in this mess because of me,” I choke out, feeling disgusted with myself for putting him in this position. If he had stayed away from me and never came to the club that first night, he would have been free and I would have been some blonde he met once at a random party.

“I’m not,” he bites back.

“If it’s any consolation, I would cry for real at your funeral.” Shocked laughter rips out of him and quickly dies when the pain in his ribs rears to life.

“Don’t cry over me, I’m not worth your tears.”

I shake my head, denying his claims. “You’re worth more than you think. Don’t let your past define you. Fight your demons and I’ll fight mine.” He darts his gaze away from me, I sigh knowing that I can’t help him get free of the clutches of his past. He has to save himself.

A strangled scream tears out of me when the internal door is kicked open, both Taylan and I snap our gazes that way. A sob forces its way past my lips at the sight before me.

“Mom,” I choke out. She looks like a badass in leather but the shattered look in her eyes almost has me crying out. She rushes toward me, dropping her guns to the ground in front of me as she reaches out and gently cups my face.

“I’m here, baby, I’m right here,” she reassures me as she looks me over, only then noticing for the first time that I am naked. She slams her eyes closed and takes some deep breaths as she conjures up the worst possible ways her daughter was harmed.

I feel like I let her down, she warned me about ending up in a situation like this. I thought I knew better but I was so fucking wrong. I made her worst nightmare come true.

“Mom?” She snaps her eyes open and I hate seeing the unshed tears in her eyes.

“Let’s get you out of here,” she clips out as she moves behind me and unlocks the cuffs. I sigh instantly as she rushes toward Taylan and uncuffs his ankles first before moving to free his wrists. I try to stand and stagger forward, but Mom catches me before I can hit the ground. “Shit, he can barely walk and I can’t carry both of you out of here.”

“Take her,” Taylan grits out as he attempts to stand.

“No, I’m not leaving you,” I snarl, he looks at my mom and nods.

“Anya. Get her the fuck out of here now,” he says as he pushes to his feet and reaches out to tentatively cup my cheek. I press my cheek into his touch. “Go, don’t look back, Slayer.”

“No!” I cry out as my mom throws my arm over her shoulder and wraps the other around my waist and begins to pull toward the exit. “I’m not leaving him!” I scream as she uses my own weakness against me.

“He’s armed, I left him a gun. You are my priority, Destiny. I can’t lose you!” I peer back at him, he stands there clutching his side looking right at me.

“Look away,” he mouths as Mom pulls me through the door. The house is littered with bodies, and gunfire sounds out all around me as Mom leads me toward the back of the house. She snags a throw off the back of the sofa and does her best to wrap it around my body. We duck as low as we can as Mom leads us out the back door, I flinch when she fires two shots to the left and a man drops to the ground.

“I need you to move, your father and uncles have the front covered.” She releases me and pushes me forward while she walks backward, covering my back. She really would die for me and I have been nothing but an ungrateful bitch to her. I press myself against the house as I limp along, trying to make my way to the front where my dad and uncles are. Mom fires another two shots and I quicken my pace, scared to death that she will be shot or injured because of me.

When I reach the edge of the house I stop, Mom pulls me back a step and slips in front of me. She pokes her head out fast before pulling back.

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