Page 27 of Fierce Vows

“What is your name?”

“Noelle.”

“How long have you been here?”

“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t.”

She throws her shoulders back and tilts her chin up, making her way to the bathroom.She has some fight left inside her even if it only shows for only fleeting moments.Inside I hear the water running and I carefully walk toward the entrance.I watch her add Epsom salts to the water and even though I know it will burn like a bitch I am grateful for the small measure to avoid infection.

“I need to see your back,” she says, moving back toward me.“Narcisco rarely hits hard enough for stitches, but I need to make sure.”

With a nod I turn and release the material I have clutched to my chest even though I still keep my breasts covered.Her fingers barely touch me as she takes in all the new marks.

“Have you been here before?”she asks, her voice cracking.

I know she is looking at the crisscross pattern of the marks my uncle’s man put on my back all those months ago.

“No.Not all monsters hide.I used to live with mine.”

For long moments neither of us speak before I hear her move.

“Sit on the edge of the tub.I will clean your wounds and apply ointment.You will need stitches to one of them and I will do that as well.”

Who the hell is this woman?

Strangely, she reminds me of Thalia but without the spunk.Is this what my friend lived through?From what I’ve learned she has lived through so much worse.I send up a silent prayer that Rafe will find me before it gets any worse, but I already know the odds are not in my favor.I need to prepare myself for the possibility that I will never see my husband, brother, or friends again.I would rather die than allow these bastards to violate me.

Rafe and Dom have been hunting this piece of shit for years and haven’t found him.This is the closest any of us have been to him and I can’t even put a bullet in him.I suddenly wish Rafe was even more possessive.I know some men track their wives with devices put into jewelry but Rafe wouldn’t do that.If he had, he’d already be here.

My heart aches for my husband as the strange woman washes and patches every inch of me before helping me get dressed in a corner of the room while holding a towel in front of my body.

Through the beating I didn’t cry a single tear, and I didn’t make a single sound.But slipping on the white sundress that has been supplied for me has a sob breaking free before a tear slips down my cheek.

“I’m sorry,” Noelle says softly, not making eye contact.

“It’s not your fault,” I say a moment later once I regain my composure.

“All the same.I know what comes next and I am sorry.”

I nod.Her words send a shiver of fear running down my spine even though I hold myself back from crying once more.Tears won’t do me any good in this situation.I don’t have the luxury of letting myself fall apart right now.

Once more, the lock rattles before the door swings open.The man who tried to beat me into submission last night takes me in before nodding.

“Please follow me,” Noelle says as she walks past him and out into the hallway.

My bare feet feel like lead, but I force them to move.I don’t know what the rest of this house holds for me, but I do know that refusing to do what is demanded of me will only cause more pain.

We pass several closed doors before Noelle knocks on one.

“Enter,” I hear Kirrill call out before she opens the door and waits for me to step inside.

He sits behind a large oak desk.His office oozes masculinity, all wood and dark accents.Large shelves filled with books cover the wall behind him with dark, modern artwork adorning the walls.Three men are seated before him.All of their gazes snap toward me in an instant.

“Willow, my dear.So glad you could join us,” Kirrill says with a broad smile, speaking to me like we are long lost friends.

I glare at him.I want to spew profanities and tell him I’m not a guest at his goddamn tea party.I am able to hold myself back, though.Barely.

“So this is the infamous Willow Hernandez,” one of the men says with a heavy French accent.His eyes undress me as he speaks.“I hear you are a murderous little bitch.”

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