Page 37 of Darkness Falls

"Fine. So, they kidnapped you, and you liked it. Carry on." I wave my hand at her, prompting her to continue.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see the guys leaving the room, giving us some time to ourselves. She goes on to tell me about how Kyler seduced her and brought her back up to the main house so she could indulge in a little double-brother action. That's not what she said, but it's what I was able to surmise. She tells me all about them and the things she did with them while she was here, and I'm almost at a loss for words. Almost.

"That's just the first three months! Are you kidding me, Cals? You've just been living the dream here, getting dicked down by multiple men."

"They're pretty amazing, aren't they?"

"What's amazing is that it seems like you have them all wrapped around your finger. I can't even find myself one partner, and you're over here with three of them."

"Things with Seb are still a little tricky. Wait, I thought you had yourman-woman trio going on?" she questions. It's been so long since we've talked that I haven't been able to fill her in on all the messy details of that break-up yet.

"Yeah, that didn't work out. Tessa went batshit crazy, and the three of us decided it would be best if we moved on. It all ended with me feeling used. Whatever. It was fun while it lasted."

"You'll find someone eventually." She tries to comfort me, but I don't need it.

"I know I'll find someone. I'm amazing," I proudly say. One thing I don't lack is confidence. My parents raised me to believe in myself. They make sure I know that if there's ever anything I want, I should go for it. I am so blessed to have them, especially considering how shitty Callie grew up. Hearing about her childhood made me so much more grateful for mine.

"If you've been here, what happened for the last two months? Why haven't I heard from you, and why do you have so many bruises?"

She glances down at the floor like she's ashamed or nervous about something. I reach out to grab her hand, reassuring her. There's something bad she's about to tell me. We’re about as close to family as two friends can get. She’s never nervous like this.

"Julian," she whispers.

"I knew that piece of shit was involved somehow. What did he do, and when can I castrate him?"

Her eyes meet mine. "His nameisn't actually Julian, it’s Damien."

My free hand comes up to cover my mouth. "Damien, as in the guy your father wanted you to marry?" I ask.

"Yep, they are one and the same." She shakes her head a few times. "He came to the house, shot Kyler, and took me back to my father. I spent the last few months on Rogue's compound."

"Oh my god, Cals." I gasp.

"Ky was in a coma for a few days. They looked for me, of course, but they didn't know where I was for sure because my father had me moving around to a bunch of different places. They tried so hard to break me, and I was close to giving in." She tears up.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through that." I pull her in for a hug as the tears start to slide down her cheeks.

"That’s not even the worst part, Aves. I was forced to marry him, and he…" She trails off. "He did things to me on our wedding night. I tried so hard to not focus on what was happening. The only escape I had was to count in my head. For 295 seconds, he hurt me."

"That son of a bitch needs to be castrated. Fuck, Callie, I'm so sorry." I hold her for a few minutes, letting her cry onto my shoulder.

"When Seb showed up in the doorway of my room the next morning, I thought I was hallucinating. They came for me, and they got me out. My father spotted us while we were trying to leave."

"What happened?Obviously, you got away from him, or you wouldn't be here now."

She gives me a look I've never seen from her before. It's a mixture of accomplished and pained. "We killed him."

"You what?" I definitely wasn't expecting her to say that.

"I don't regret it," she says firmly. "He put me through hell my entire life, but even then, I couldn't be the one to end him. Sebastian had to do it for me, although I did inflict a little bit of damage myself first. Seb killed him with my permission."

"He deserved to die after what he put you through. I'll have to make sure I tell Sebastian thank you."

"I didn't think he cared about me enough to even offer to do something like that. I mean, they kill people all the time, so it's not like it’s the first time he's done it."

"Wait, what now?"

"It's what they do. They're hitmen. Anyway, this didn't seem like a job. The things he said and the looks he was giving me. It seemed like he was upset over the things my father said. Seb's been an asshole to me since they brought me here the first time, so this was a different side of him that I've never seen."

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