Page 25 of Torn Souls

Her eyes are glassy with unshed tears when she lifts her head again and looks at me. The pain in her eyes guts me.

“He hurt you,” Maxim’s voice is cold. He doesn’t pose it as a question, just a statement of fact.

“I’ve gotten very good at covering bruises over the years,” there’s bitterness in Oaklynn’s voice that pierces my heart. She clears her throat and shifts in her seat again, wincing at the movement. “He kicked my torso a few times. Nothing is broken this time,” she sounds so dejected, but I have a feeling she’s downgrading what happened.

I can’t take it anymore.

When I stand up and stride toward her, she doesn’t cower away from me and my admiration for this woman grows. I drop to my knees when I reach her and her lips part with a gasp.

“I’m not a man to kneel at the feet of a woman,” I tell her honestly, “but you deserve nothing less.”

Her eyes soften and the pain in her gaze turns into something I covet with everything I am. When my hands cover hers, electricity shoots through my entire body and lights me up in a way I’ve never experienced before.

If this is how it feels to only touch her hands, what will it feel like to have our naked bodies pressed together?

“You will never go back to that house,” I tell her sternly, “I won’t allow it.”

As much as she tries to stop it, one tear escapes and slides down her cheek. She doesn’t try to brush it away or pull her hands away from mine.

“There was a time when I dreamed about being saved from that place,” she admits quietly. “It was never a home and has felt like a prison for as long as I can remember. Freedom was something I had to hide, but I found ways to find my own strength.”

“You are strong,Solnishko,” I murmur.

Oaklynn takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “I didn’t come here expecting marriage.” She shakes her head, a small, sad smile on her face. “Really, I just felt like you should know the truth. Before I was too young to do anything or stop what my father was doing. I don’t believe the men my father associated with would have listened or cared either.”

“They would have killed you,” Baker points out, his tone filled with rage.

She nods, her eyes flicking toward him. “I’m sure you’re right.”

“You didn’t think we would kill you?”

Being this close to her, I watch the way emotions play across her face. Fuck, she’s gorgeous.

“My gut said you wouldn’t,” she whispers. “But I figured if you did then I would accept my fate.”

My hands slide from her hands and up her arms, feeling her shiver under my touch. When I cup her face, my thumbssweep along the apples of her cheeks, and she closes her eyes. Something like bliss covers her face and it makes my heart pound in my chest.

“We will never hurt you, Oaklynn,” I promise.

Her eyes snap open to race between mine. The way she studies me closely, digging into my soul for the lie, doesn’t scare me. She’ll only find my sincerity.

“Once we met you, we knew that Kirill would be accepting your father’s proposal,” Maxim tells her, and I tighten my grip on her face.

“For me?” She whispers with so much hope that my chest aches.

How the hell does this woman make me feel so much in such a short time? I’ve always been decisive, but the way this woman has gotten under my skin is like nothing I’ve ever felt before.

“There was no other choice,” I admit. “I’m sorry that walking away, playing a power game with your father, caused you pain.”

Her sigh is broken as her entire body relaxes. “He was going to find an excuse sooner or later,” her words are hoarse.

I shock myself when I press my forehead against hers, filling my gaze completely with our woman. The beast inside of me stills and focuses entirely on her.

Without a doubt, I will protect this woman with my life. Her father will never lay a hand on her again. I won’t allow it.

And he’s not the only one. If anyone dares to harm her, they will find exactly how ruthless I can be. And the men in this room will do the same. There isn’t a doubt in my mind.

“I’m all in,” Oaklynn’s voice is strong and sure.

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