Biting down hard I taste blood and hear him yelp and curse. His fist suddenly collides with my jaw in a brutal punch that snaps my head to the side and white hot pain bursts across my cheek.
I must blackout for a few seconds because when I come to, he's got my knickers off, and is lowering himself between my spread legs, lining up his repulsive veiny erect dick with my opening. His other hand on my inner thigh is holding me open for him like he has all the right to be there.
Screaming like a fucking banshee, I rake my nails down both sides of his face, taking him by surprise as he rears back. Usinghis momentary distraction to my advantage, I bring my knee up hard, catching him in the balls, and causing him to roar in pain and roll off me. Getting to my feet unsteadily, my head and face pounding, and my vision wavering, I take off at a run, glad my heels have fallen off at some point.
I leave my bag and all my things behind, not caring what happens in my desperation to escape.
Panicking as I hear him try to follow, relief floods me as I realise that he must get tangled in his trousers, because seconds later a crash and grunt sound behind me and I thank all that is holy for the sensitivity of men’s nuts.
The library is completely empty, as are the hallways, and as I race down them, I start to shiver at all of the what ifs that fill my head. I don’t stop running until I reach our door, pounding on the wood and screaming incoherently.
“Let me in! Please, let me in!” I'm sobbing, tears and snot dripping down my face as I continue my assault on the door.
It suddenly flies open, and I look into Kai's wide eyes, which flash with confusion as he takes me in.
“Lilly…” he says, brows pinched, but that's all I see as I push past him with a whimper, knocking him aside.
My frantic eyes alight on Jax, who is standing near the kitchen, his hand poised as if reaching for something on the countertop. I don't think, I just rush towards him, throwing myself in his arms, wrapping my own around his strong neck in a vicelike hold. He's my safe harbour, my protector, and my panicked mind somehow knows this.
He catches me in his massive arms, wrapping them around me tightly as I cry convulsively into him, almost hyperventilating, the neck of his black t-shirt screwed up in my hands as I grip him tight.
“Baby Girl?” he asks, his voice broken and rough with concern.
I can't speak. My head is buried in his chest, trying to breathe in his familiar lemon scent and take comfort from his embrace. But all I can do is relive clammy hands, pain, and the violation that just happened.
“She's bleeding,” I hear Kai say in a worried tone as I feel the others start to close in, making my breath speed up further and I shrink more into Jax. I feel a soft touch on my shoulder, and I jump so hard even Jax almost stumbles.
“Give her some fucking space,” he growls as I sink deeper into his arms.
“Princess,” Ash’s deep voice says from near me, but not too close. There’s a catch to it, like he’s terrified of what has happened to me. “Kai says you're bleeding. We need to see how badly you're hurt.”
I whimper as I feel the blows to my head and face again, experiencing the moment afresh.
“Please, Pretty Girl. Please, let me see,” Loki's voice sounds so distraught from near my face, and he hasn't called me that for so long that it breaks me out of my turmoil, and I look up at him.
His eyes go wide and then become hard, full of a rage that I see him try to get under control. It should scare me, but all I can feel is the claws of my own panic receding a little now that I’m here. With them.
“Oh, Darling,” he gasps brokenly, his hand coming out to touch me then stopping short. “Please, can I touch you?” he asks, his eyes shattered and desperate.
“Loki?” I whisper, blinking, feeling as though I've come out of a nightmare. Only, a part of me knows that this is no land of make-believe.
“I'm here, Pretty Girl. We're all here, and you're safe,” he tells me, stepping towards us, his hand brushing my cheek and making me hiss a gasp at the sharp pain his touch elicits.
“Safe?” I question, lifting my head further to look around me at the other guys.
As I meet Kai's eyes, I can see the glisten of tears, and he's visibly shaking. I catch Ash’s gaze, and there is terror, pain, and a blinding rage in the grey depths. He's practically vibrating with it.
I finally turn to meet Jax's piercing blue eyes. The banked rage in his is intense and should be terrifying, yet Loki is right. I'm safe here.
“Baby Girl…” Jax rasps, his voice rough and filled with the need for violence. His whole body is trembling, his muscles tense as he holds me. “What happened?” he asks me gruffly.
One minute, I'm standing wrapped in Jax's arms, and the next, it's hard hands grasping and pulling and hurting me.
“I'm going to be sick,” I manage to blurt out, tearing out of his arms and rushing for the toilet.
I make it just in time and heave my guts out until my stomach is empty, my head pounding even more. I sit back, away from the toilet. My head thumps and my eyes are closed, so I smell vanilla before I feel the warmth of a body in front of me.
“I need to take care of you, Pretty Girl. Can I do that, please?” Loki's deep voice begs, cracking at the end.