Page 43 of Brutal Empire

Her mouth parted in a silent gasp at my admission. I used her distraction to pull her by her wrist and finish closing the distance between us. I felt every ridge and scar in her wrist, and that lit a fire inside of me. Everyone who had ever hurt her was going to die. I knew how fucked-up that sounded, but I would do it as my final act of atonement.

“This is what I desire.” I groaned as I brought my head down toward hers. This was years in the making on my end, and a part of me couldn’t believe I was here. My forehead pressed against hers. She seemed so small and fragile like this. My mouth landed on hers with a chaste kiss, yet this kiss was everything. It meant more than all the meaningless sex I’d had over the last ten years. It did more to fill a void than pussy ever did.

I moved my lips slowly over hers, and I wanted to scream in rage as I felt the unevenness from the small little healed-up cuts on them. How could someone hurt her? How could they stand seeing the pain in her eyes? Daring to push more boundaries, I brought my hands up to cup her cheeks. My thumb traced the scar on her cheek. It was long and bumpy to the touch, something that had never healed right.

My anger grew, and as much as I wanted to get lost in her, I knew that was the last thing I should be doing. I wasn’t stupid and took comfort in the fact that she wanted me at this moment; had she not, she wouldn’t have had any problem laying me out. Cam surprised me when her lips began to move against mine.

“Fuck,” I groaned into her mouth as her tongue peeked out to touch my lips.

The things that could kill us were the ones we found the most pleasure in.

Just as I was going to pull back before I lost control, her arms came to my shoulders, and she raised to her tiptoes, deepening our kiss.

I allowed myself only a few more seconds of this. Now that I had her taste, I didn’t think I could walk away. She tasted like heaven, and that was fucking dangerous for a man living in hell. Despite everything, there was something pure and innocent about her. All I wanted to do was protect that part of her that didn’t get broken for as long as I could.

She parted her lips long enough to let out a soft moan and finally pulled back. Both of us were out of breath from that one simple action. It was tame, and maybe because I had forgotten the basics, it somehow meant more.

When I took a step back, I saw her face fall. That was another thing that was so refreshing about her. She had not mastered her poker face yet. She was like an open book, one that I couldn’t stop reading.

“Go to the end of the hall and pick a room,” I growled.

She flinched, and her eyes went hard instantly. She turned around to get away from me but stopped when I began to speak.

“I want to fuck you so bad, Angel, but I don’t want to push you for things you’re not ready to give.”

She practically ran to the corridor, and my lips tipped in amusement. I watched her leave as I willed myself to calm down. When I heard the door close, I smiled at her self-preservation for picking the last room, the one farthest from me. Groaning, I rubbed a hand down my face.

I didn’t think we would end up here this soon. I had hoped, but a part of me swelled at the fact that she trusted me.Even if you’re the last person she should trust.The world was filled with demons, and I was the one who had always been lurking behind her back.

I stopped dead at the entrance when I made my way to my room. It was just like I remembered it. Time went on, but in the end, it was like it didn’t matter. Everything here had remained still and frozen in time.

This had been the place that Katia and I would have called home until we had been ready to start a family. She was gone, and I was still here with my hands soaked in so much blood that I almost believed I did it to avenge her. It had all been for me because I felt too much guilt for not doing more. Had I paid more attention, I could have stopped her before she spiraled and ended up in a place no woman ever should.

I turned around to the hallway so I could activate the alarm system, and as soon as my fingers touched the keypad, a chill went down my body. It didn’t matter that I had not been here in years; I kept all my places with top-of-the-line security, and no alarm went off when we walked in.

The hall was dark, but I felt it right away—I was being watched. The only thing I wanted to do was run to Cam and get her out of here. Just as I turned around, something sharp kicked at my ribs.

My grunt echoed in the hall.

I felt another kick, but this time, I was faster. My hands immediately held on to a small ankle clad in a high-heeled boot. I should have felt relief, but all I felt was dread.

“What the fuck,” I hissed as I pulled Daphne’s feet closer and elevated, trying to make her lose her balance.

“You’re distracted,” she bit out as she used my shoulders to lift her weight. Yeah, no, she was not going to kick me in the balls. I instantly dropped her, but the pale little bitch landed gracefully like a cat.

“What are you doing here?” I growled, keeping my voice down.

The last thing I wanted was for Cam to come. Not when we had made progress. I had seen the change in her since she came to rescue me. She was so used to being in Daphne’s shadow that she had no idea who she had been reborn into. It has been beautiful to watch her spread her wings, and the last thing I wanted was for her to be caged.

Daphne looked up at me, and there was so much in those gray eyes that she never dared say out loud.

“I knew that once Damian iced you out, the only thing you would have to fall back on would be your name. So, I had you watched.”

Of course she did. My anxiety came back, wondering just how much she watched me and how closely. If there was ever a time to come clean, this was it.

“What the hell is going on, Daph? Where is Damian? Did he put a price on my head? Why now?” I fired all the questions without giving her a chance to answer.

She bit her lip as she played with the tip of her braid.

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