Page 13 of Wicked Oath

I look up and see Viper standing in the doorway, leaning on the doorframe. “We should get ready,” I say dismissively as I get out of bed.

“Morning,” Viper says, making Delaney snap her head to the door and pull the covers up to her neck. “I brought you some clothing, Delaney.”

“Uh… Thanks,” she says.

“We’ll meet you downstairs,” I say to Viper. He nods and leaves the room, shutting the door behind him. Delaney gets out of bed, and I notice that she winces a bit. “Sore?”

“You have a huge dick,” she remarks. “And I’m not exactly used to getting my cervix pummeled.”

“No?” I laugh.

“Logan would… he would only hurt me with anal. He’d make me bleed,” she says. “When Vince would rape me, he would hurt me a bit, but it was mostly emotional.”

I understand her pain more than she, or anyone, knows. My nights are filled with memories of Vince holding me down and raping me while my mother laid on the bed beside us, pretending to be asleep. Logan knew what his father did to me, and instead of helping or showing he cared, he chose to make fun of me crying and bleeding. He was just happy it wasn’t him shitting out his father’s come.

These memories sometimes come in flashes and cloud my thinking. It’s hard for me to function when all I can think about or feel around me is Vince. I try to shove it all down and let it stay packed away, but standing here looking at this woman, I realize that I need to get out of this room and away from her before I make things worse. All I do is just escalate things and I never know how to come back from it. The thought of hurting her more than I already have is not something I want to consider. She already thinks I am a monster.

“Get dressed,” I say flatly, pointing to a bag in the armchair. She sighs, a frown on her face, and walks over to it to get dressed. I take my attention off her and find something to wear. Maybe if I keep pretending that Vince didn’t violate me, my mind will stop reminding my body what it felt like to be helpless.

These memories are going to destroy her and I both if I don’t find a way to process them.

Chapter Five

Delaney

I am starting tonotice a pattern to when Talon shuts down and goes cold. He refuses to show any emotion that would reveal his thoughts. He’s proven that he is compassionate by checking in with me this morning, and that’s more than anyone has ever done. One day I will get him to open up, but until then I plan to be the biggest fucking brat. I might be guessing wrong, but I feel as though hewantsme to push him. He wants someone strong, and he has no problem helping to make me strong.

I feel better today than I did last night, and I think that has a lot to do with how I woke up with Talon clinging to me, crying. I knew he was asleep, but it was heartbreaking to see him so broken. All I could do was hold him and tell him everything would be okay. I want to believe that it’s true. I want to believe that we will be okay. This can’t be all for nothing or what’s the use in trying?

I am staring out of the window as we drive. Viper and Rogue are up front and Talon is in the back with me. I can feel him watching me, but he doesn’t say anything. I don’t look up because I am so goddamn scared right now, but I don’t want him to question me. My fear has nothing to do with him, but it kind of does. I’m afraid that Logan will kill Talon and in turn take everything from him. Talon is dangerous, but he is not Logan. He is not evil.

We stop in the parking lot of the courthouse, and I am fidgety. They have called my name seven times, but I am too busy trying to not cry. My door opens and Talon turns me in the seat before resting his forearms on the edge of the truck so that he can lean in to be at eye-level with me.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, sniffing back tears.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m scared,” I admit quietly.

“Laney, I am not exactly giving you a choice here, but I do want you to walk in there with me willingly. Can you do that?”

“I’m not scared of you,” I say. “I’m scared of… Logan has so much riding on us getting married Saturday. He will lose the deal with my parents… they need your shares to get a loan to keep the company from going under. I’m scared they will kill you and take me back.”

“What can I do to give you reassurance?” he asks.

“Kill him,” I say simply.

“I’ll write your name on the blade that I plan to slit his throat with. How does that sound, Little Flower?” he asks with a gentle tone.

“Sounds like we are going to be a good match for marriage, because that’s the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me,” I say honestly.

“Come on, Laney,” he says. “It’s time.”

I nod and he grabs me by the waist, pulling me out of the vehicle to set me on my feet. I’m wearing a simple pastel pink dress that comes to my knees. It is form fitting, but flairs out at the base of my ribcage. I feel pretty for the first time in a long time. I don’t have makeup, so my bruises are extremely visible.

We get inside and take the elevator to the third floor. When we step out, I can tell right away that these men are with Talon. “Holy shit, Hawk,” a man says. “You said…”

“Shut the fuck up,” Talon frowns. “You know damn well those bruises aren’t from me.”

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