Page 50 of Torment

“You sure?”

“Yup.”

Then she felt his knee lightly brush against hers, and it took her by surprise so she shot her gaze up to his.

He smiled. But just like Hunter’s words of reassurance, Colton’s smile did nothing to tame the panic and fear inside her gut.

Scarlet closed her eyes, trying to force herself to take deep breaths. Unfortunately, it didn’t help. All it did was open her mind to flashes from the past.

Brent sitting across from her at the dinner table, smirking at her like he knew every ache she was feeling in her body right at that moment—all because he’d been there. All because he claimed it in the worst possible way.

He would always reach for something at the same time she would, touching her in the subtlest of ways, just to remind her that he owned her.

At night, he would walk up to her bedroom door and pause. She would see his shadow beaming from beneath the door, and it provoked a kind of fear inside her that felt like it had the power to tear through her insides.

And then there were the threats. The threats of doing the same to Willow if she didn’t give him what he wanted—if she told anyone about their little secret.

His evil, filthy, dirty moans would echo inside her ear, ripping every ounce of good from her soul while he raped her repeatedly.

And when he climaxed, he would push so fucking deep, infesting her with his evil, making sure she felt every damn pulse of his wicked torture on her body.

It was after the first time it happened, and his promise that it wouldn’t be the last, that she went on the pill without anyone knowing. She didn’t want to give birth to that evil fucker’s demon spawn.

“You need to stop doing that.” Hunter placed his hand over hers.

“What am I doing?” She didn’t look up at him. She just stared at where his skin blended with hers as he held her hands in his.

“You’re allowing your mind to take you back. Don’t.”

“It’s inside me, Ace. His darkness. It’s like it infected me, and it’s not something I can control.”

She felt Colton shift a little next to her and glanced at him. But he was looking out the window—or pretending to.

“Yes, it is,” Hunter replied softly. “You can control it. It’s your choice. You can choose whether you will allow it to control you or not.”

She shook her head slightly. “You’re wrong.”

Hunter took her chin softly between his thumb and forefinger. “Look at me.”

She did.

Green eyes that had become more to her than she ever thought possible stared at her. No, they stared straight through to her goddamn soul.

“Today can either be the day he finally destroys you, or it can be the day you finally destroy him and everything he’s left behind inside you, once and for all. You’re strong. You can do this, Scar. I know you can.”

Right at that moment, Scarlet wished she could melt into him. She wished none of this was going down and that she could just let him wrap his arms around her and keep her against him for the rest of her life.

Only when she felt his thumb softly brush against her cheek did she realize a tear had run down her face.

She bit her lower lip, pushing back the tears. Hunter placed his thumb on her lip, urging it out of her mouth. “And don’t do that. It’s turning me on.” A wicked grin spread over his face.

She nudged him with his shoulder. “Trust you to get horny at a time like this.”

“I remember someone telling me once that sex is how we deal with shit.” When he winked at her, she couldn’t help but smile.

“Once you two are done with whatever it is you’re doing…” Colton started. “We’re here. So it would be real swell if you could focus.”

Hunter snorted. “You’re such a jackass, you know that?”

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