Page 119 of Ink Deep Devotion

“Damian!” He and another man block my door. I want to rush towards Damian, but the other man makes me waver. He’s tall and muscular, marginally bigger than Damian, just as handsome, but lord, he terrifies me. He has a short mohawk and tribal tattoos on the sides of his head that extend down his neck. His wide arms are covered in a black shirt, but when his hands appear again, more tattoos cover his knuckles. But it’s what he holds that makes me think today might be the day I die.

“Why do you have an ax?” I step back, eyes glued to the polished, sharp blade in his hand.

“I told you to put that away. It’s scaring her.” Damian grunts towards the man.“This is Anders,” Damian answers as he comes forward.

“Why does he have an ax?”

“Anders is weird. Just ignore him.”

Anders grins. Jesus, is that a smile or a smirk from a predator who is hungry for blood? I take a step back, which only makes his grin stretch wider.

“Stop looking at me like that.” I snap instantly, regretting it.

“How should I look at you, Mila Michelson?” Anders purrs my full name with a sadistic delight.“As my target instead?” He rubs the hilt of the ax with his thumb.

“Knock it off.” Damian steps in front of Anders.“Don’t give him attention. He craves it.” Damian tells me.

“Don’t be shy, Mila. I think you can handle me. You certainly have Dash wrapped around your tiny fingers. What about you is so captivating?”

Damian rolls his eyes. “Look at me, Mila.” He demands.

“How,” I shake my head,“How did you get here?” I close the gap and hug Damian, then I make a mistake. I can’t help it. I glance at Anders again. He winks! It sends an electric shock through my body, making me tremble. All of a sudden, the bars of the cage surrounding me don’t sound so cold and lonely.

“Where is Dash?” I whisper.

Damian’s arms enclose me. I inhale deeply, smelling his scent, and then I begin to cry.“Where is he, Damian?”

“We’re going to take you to him, hopefully.”

I tip my chin up, but then Anders says,“We need to go. It’s time to make our appearance.”

Damian cups my cheek,“Just trust me.” The lethal look in his eyes has my heart sputtering.

“Please don’t hurt my father.”

“We won’t.”

“Who’s we?” Anders's laugh sounds like the start of a symphony the devil would applaud.“The man locked you up.” He swings his small ax in the air, creating a whistling sound.

“Anders, knock it off.” Damian rubs my biceps to halt the shiver, trying to cover me.

“Fine,” he holds up his hands with the ax in a tight grip.“I’ll try. That’s the best I can do, princess.”

I cling to Damian’s hand as we walk down my hallway, soon spotted by the guards who don’t dare try to grab me since Damian has his gun out and Anders his ax.

“Mila!” my father shouts as he comes running down the stairs. His worried face draws my attention to the front door. All this security is useless against Damian and Anders. They are too trained, which means Dash is, too. He could have grabbed me and fled at any time, but he chose to stay.

He will always stay in this world.

“Mila is coming with us.”

“Like hell she is.”

“I promised Mila I wouldn’t hurt you, so let me make this crystal clear, Greg.” Damian squeezes my hand.“Mila is coming with us to attend Marcus’s funeral.”

Dad takes one step off the stairs.“Funeral? I wasn’t invited.”

“It’s for family only.”

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