Page 93 of Betrayal (Corrupt Empire 1)

“Why are you insisting on being with me?”

“You’re upset and hurting.”

“Why did you say I was your light earlier? What does that mean?”

He stroked his thumb across my knuckles.

“My world is full of darkness. So much of it. All the things I’ve done and seen. Dark and twisted. You are full of compassion. You feel for those who’ve been wronged, who hurt. You take that pain and it becomes your own. You’re so fucking innocent and pure. You talk about not deserving things, but you deserve everything. I can’t give you that. I’m not a good person. I’ve hurt you and I’ll keep hurting you. I don’t want to dim your light, but I will because you’re mine and I won’t let you go.”

He was so wrong about that. Aiden had goodness in him, he just couldn’t see it. And pain from him? I’d take that any day over losing him. I’d let him hurt me if it meant I had him. I wanted him. And I wanted him mine too. Just like I was his. Whether that was selfish, stupid or naïve, I didn’t care.

“I won’t let you go either.”

“You sounded like you were ready to earlier.”

A fresh wave of tears hit me. If I said sorry again, he wouldn’t be happy.

“I doubt you’d let me even if I wanted to.”

That made him smile at me. And his smile made my heart flip-flop. How could I desire someone so much even after all the pain and sorrow I’d been through?

“I belong to you, leaving or saying goodbye, it’d be like tearing a piece of me out.”

His eyes flashed with an emotion I didn’t understand.

“Just like you drew yourself ripping out your heart and offering it to me?”

He’d seen it then. How could I explain it?

“I wasn’t in a very good frame of mind when I drew those things.”

“I noticed.”

He squeezed my hand.

“I want to help you. Helping you means I have to turn my back on my family. It meant I have to tear out my feelings, my love for them so I can fight for you.”

I still loved my family on some level, but every time I learnt something new about them, it eroded that love from my heart piece by piece.

“Avery… Will you let me take you to bed?”

How could I continue to make him lie next to me on the cold concrete floor when he looked at me as if I was breaking him inside too?

I nodded. Aiden shifted to his feet before he picked me up off the floor and held me to his chest.

“Fuck, you feel like ice.”

Striding from the room, he kicked the door shut behind us and took me into the bedroom. He pulled back the covers and tucked me in. Then he went to the cupboard and tugged out my warmest set of pyjamas along with a jumper and socks. He tossed them at me.

“Put them on, please.”

He kept his back to me. My body felt stiff, but I managed to peel off my clothes and dress in what he’d given me. I huddled in the covers, shivering.

When he got in bed with me, he wrapped his arms around me and held me against his chest. He’d changed, but I’d been too busy dealing with my own clothes to notice.

“How long was I in there for?”

“You cried for two hours. I didn’t hear a peep out of you for another two. And I think we can add on a further hour just now.”

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