Page 31 of Monster: King of Nevada

“I could have helped her.” He sounds so fucking small.

“Maybe, but not likely. The thing with women in that situation is that they have to want to get out. They need to have a reason to finally say enough. It’s scary for anyone watching from the outside, but it had to be her decision.”

“I’m glad she was sent to you.”

“Me too, kid. Me, too.” I can’t fucking believe I almost sent her away before I’d ever met her.

The conversation with Oliver only makes me wonder just how much she has endured. What the prick did to her and how much she’s hiding from me, from her family. The brutality and lack of care that Blake has shown towards her own brother are more telling than he’d like to believe.

Typically, a man like that will try to charm their victims’ families into convincing the woman to go back to him. To forgive him. It’ll be over my dead body before that ever happens. I’d rather die than allow her to come to any more harm.

19

ELLA

My eyes pop open, machines beep next to me, and there’s a throbbing in my head that thumps with every beat of my pulse. I squint in confusion as the light in the room hurts my eyes, and the feel of scratchy blankets on my oversensitive skin makes me want to get up. But I relax into the bed, take a few deep breaths, and try remembering what I’m doing here. In a hospital. I’ve been in enough of them over the last year to recognize the sounds, smells, and sensations of the sterile environments.

The last thing I remember is Owen coming home with a bruised, cut cheek.

“Oliver!” I shoot up in bed, shouting for my brother, only to find I’m alone. The room is bare, except for a chair and closet. The window is covered with a curtain, but shadows are moving outside.

Flipping the blankets off, I slide out of bed, dizzy but forcing myself to move until there’s a tug in my arm from an IV attached to a stand. Picking at the tape, I rip the tether out, pressing the bottom of my gown to the now-bleeding wound.

“Oliver!”

The door opens to reveal Theias with a container in his hand, worry etched into his forehead. “What the hell are you doing out of bed?” He places the container on the chair and scoops me up, returning me to the bed. “You have a concussion, doll. You shouldn’t be up.”

Once I’m settled back where I started, Theias sits next to me, one hand on either side of my hips, boxing me in.

“Where’s my brother?” I sob.

“He’s fine. They wouldn’t allow him to stay last night after you were admitted. Caleb will bring him by after they get him registered at school.” He brushes a finger across my jaw, and I relax into his touch.

“What happened?” I whisper, unable to restrain the tears welling in my eyes from spilling over.

“You don’t remember?” His head tilts as he searches my face. Shaking my head, he cups my cheek, bringing his lips to mine before pulling back. “You had a panic attack after Owen and Oliver arrived home. You thought Blake was coming for you and tried to leave. When you were stopped, you blacked out and hit your head.”

Closing my eyes, my lungs constrict as I remember the overwhelming fear of Blake finding me. I know if he does, I’m dead. “He’ll kill me,” I murmur.

Theias’ large hand tangles in the hair at my nape, pulling me into him gently. “Nobody is ever going to touch you again, doll. I won’t allow it.” He doesn’t know Blake, though. “Yeah, I do.”Ooops.I must have said that out loud. “I know men just like him, and I know he’s going to crumble under the fear of what I’ll do to him if he even thinks of you again.”

“How can you promise that when you don’t know him?”

Glancing up into his stormy midnight eyes, there’s a flash of something–deadly intent fueled by rage–and I think, I think…maybe, for the first time, I can see how much more dangerous Theias is than Blake.

“I’ve known men like him my entire life, sweet doll. They thrive on hurting those smaller than themselves. Controlling the weak so they feel strong. That’s what Blake did to you.”

“I never thought of myself as weak before.” That’s a crushing blow.

Shifting to face me better, Theias stares into my eyes, and I swear he sees deep into my soul. “You are the furthest thing from weak, Ella. You are the strongest woman I know. You survived a man who sought to beat you down until you shouldn’t have been able to get back up. That would break most men. But women…women are fighters in their souls. Warriors in a way men aren’t and can never be.”

“You really believe that?” My voice is a whisper among the chaos.

“More than anything. But even warriors need wolves to protect them. Let me be your wolf, baby.” Relief billows through me as I close my eyes and lean into his strength.

“Yes, Theias, please.” I nearly cry, I’m so overwhelmed again. I just want to be normal, but I’m afraid I’ve forgotten what that’s like.

“Knock, knock.” Dr. Edwards walks in with a smile on her face. “Everything okay?” I nod as she enters, grabbing a small stool from the corner and sitting at the end of the bed. “How are you feeling, Ella?” Her eyes zoom in on where I ripped out the IV and the blood stains my wrist and hand. “What happened here?”

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