Page 44 of Ink Deep Devotion

“Be careful, I’ll bite back,” Dom replies as he reaches up and touches his now red cheek.

“Okay, that’s enough!” Blaze steps between us.“Leave her alone.”

“I always knew you wanted her.” Dom sneers as he widens his shoulders and slips his hands into his trouser pockets.

“Mila is my friend. You once called her that, didn’t you? Before you crossed the line.” Blaze’s tone dips deep like a violin, getting ready to play a tragic melody.“Back the fuck up! Come near her again, and I’ll let the Kings know.”

I know what Blaze is doing. If I were not here, he wouldhandleDom himself, but he doesn’t want me or anyone else to see that side of him.

“The Kings,” Dom spews as he looks down the hall.“You know every king must fall. No kingdom lasts forever.”

Dom steps closer to me.“Come here, Mila,“he orders as his teeth grind like a millstone.

“She’s not—” Blaze reaches for me, but Dom moves, pulling out his hand to reveal a switchblade in his grasp.

“Blaze!” I scream.

I’m too late!

Dom lunges; I only see the blade catch the light for a moment before I see the hilt sticking out of Blaze’s stomach.

“No!” I cry, but Dom grabs me, snapping me to his side like I’m a button falling into place. He cruelly twists the knife and then wrenches it out of Blaze as if his skin is as soft as fabric. The knife is a little needle that a seamstress pushed in and pulled out.

Blaze staggers for a second before the shock forces his knees to hit the floor. His hands splay out, marking the polished tile with bloody prints.

“Stop!” I scream, but it’s weak, captured in shock’s grip. Dom drags me down the hall; I move with him, stuck in the rapid waters surrounding me. Confusion and shock turn me to jelly.

“You stabbed him,” I speak robotically.

A soft, pained laugh comes from Blaze’s direction as he slaps his hand into the puddle again.“You better fucking run, Dom. You have no idea who you just pissed off.” He bellows, but then his eyes fill with worry as they clash with mine.

“Blaze!” I cry and try to run towards him. His eyes look at the knife in Dom’s hands, and then he shakes his head, telling me to comply so I don’t get hurt.

Instead of running to safety, Blaze grapples with his phone.

We reach the door, but right before we exit, Dom pulls the emergency alarm—not the one for fire but the yellow one allstudents are taught to pull if there is an attack. The siren goes off, and locks click into place like dominoes.

Dom kicks open the door, ensuring we are not locked inside. Fresh air slaps me in the face, but it only makes the sickness in my belly grow.

The outside quickly turns into chaos, filled with men in tactical gear. Dom pulls me behind him as armed men rush past us, heading toward their target: the students they are assigned to protect.

“Where are my guards?” I frantically look, but none of the security guards are running to save me. A gentle wind brushes over my face, causing a chill to erupt over my sweat-covered skin.

“They aremyguards. Well, actually, my father’s, but it’s all the same now.”

I glance down and feel a weight so heavy in my stomach that I think it just fell to my feet.“What?”

“Your father asked my dad for two trusted guards. Dad gave them to him. But my dad and I are tired of playing by your father’s rules, so we’re taking over. Therefore, your new guards have been in our pocket all along. They are not coming to save you, Mila. I was never good enough in your father’s eyes.” His fingers bruise my biceps.“Never stern enough; I never measured up to what he thought you needed in a husband.”

“Dom, please,” I dig my feet into the soil.“You’re not making sense.” Security teams and their students form a shield in the distance as they make their way to the front parking lot or helicopter pads to evacuate.

I glance at Dom, realizing this was all premeditated. He knew he was going to take me, so he needed to cause a scene and pullthe alarm so no one would notice or care because they had their own students to protect.

“Well, why don’t I make it all clear,” Dom replies in a calm tone.“Maybe then, after you see my dedication to you, will you give me a chance? A real chance!”

He grabs the back of my shirt, twists it, and urges me forward.“Did you know your dad signed you over to the Kings when you were only six years old? I didn’t know that, and neither did my father. Now I understand why Marcus King was always meeting with your father privately. He was signing you away, making sure my father didn’t know. All those years of thinking I could have you as my wife was a trick! I just wanted to keep you safe. Safe from your father, from everyone. That’s why I used Jared. It was alwaysmein the shadows watching over you. No one else, Mila. No one cares for you like I do.”

“Jared?”What’s he got to do with this?

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