Page 192 of Filthy Royal

Doomed to fail. But Damien had to admit he got it.

“They both had their reservations about the plan.” Luc shook his head. “But I couldn’t see any better options.”

“Thanks.” That had to have been the tenth time Luc let him know he didn’t think Damien measured up.

Scarlett’s brother didn’t appear the least bit apologetic. “You were an unknown to me and cocky as fuck. Way too ready to swagger in to save the rotation without any idea of the full extent of the complications and danger you were wading into.”

Unfortunately, Damien couldn’t deny it.

“But before I could get it all sorted,” admitted Luc, “all that shit went down with the tournament and the blackmail, and by the time I realized what was happening, Darvish and his minions already had their claws in Scarlett—and me. They took my plan to protect Scarlett and Kadon through a prime omega contract and turned it into a nightmare. Every time I tried to get close, to see her, to plan, my attempts were blocked. I’ve been punished and tortured and locked up more times than I can count. The only reason I’m still alive is because that fucker needed me to control my sister and Kadon. Do you know what that’s like?”

He didn’t give Damien a chance to respond.

“To know that you’re an instrument of doom being used to torment and screw over those you love most? To have to live with the fact that you were trained for one thing, to fight, but no matter how easy it would be to kill, you can’t?”

Again, he gave Damien no time to answer.

“I thought long and hard about taking myself out of the game, except I knew Darvish would only use them against each other. I knew my death wouldn’t set them free. Even if I was no longer a concern, Scarlett was too worried about Kadon, her friends, and the threats against them to leave. And Kadon would never abandon her. Not to mention, he’d still be stuck because if those vids of the two of us were ever released, it would mean the end of his golden boy rep, expulsion from his family, and a death sentence from on high, whether I was here or not.”

Damien couldn’t argue with any of that reasoning.

Plus”—Luc’s voice shook— “I knew they’d blame themselves for my death. Scarlett, because she feels she’s responsible for everyone and should be able to fix everything. Kadon, because he’d be an idiot and think he drove me to it by being the one to make the first move when really… besides my sister being born, he’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

Shit.No wonder Scarlett’s brother was wound up so tight. He’d been through hells too.

“So,” Luc said, “I bided my time, telling myself I’d find a way to protect them in the end, waiting for my chance, then you burst back onto the scene and”—he blew out a breath—“she says she’s fucking happy, and what’s more, she looks it.”

Surprised, Damien stood taller.

“Those shadows are still there,” Luc muttered, “and those damned bruises, but I can tell she means it when she says she feels better than she has in a long time. So… thank you.”

Holy fucking hells. Damien had not expected that.

He opened his mouth to finally get a word in, but the guy stepped back. “That’s it. Nothing more to be said. Now go see to her. I’m going to sit with that wild sister of yours to see what else we can find out by listening in on Consortium comms. It’s been a while since I’ve felt useful, and I look forward to stretching old muscles.”

Then he was gone, leaving Damien to stare at an empty hallway.

Huh.Seemed he had extra good news to relay to his omega.

He prowled down the hallway in search of Scarlett, hoping to catch her naked in that cleaning unit because Maddox wasn’t wrong: Damien had a dirty mind and even filthier soul—and Scarlett was his perfect match.

And, for once, everything seemed to be going their way.

32

SCARLETT

“That’s it, baby. Take it all.”

As Damien’s hand clamped over her mouth, Scarlett moaned.

She clawed at the smooth, tiled walls of the cleaning unit, bent nearly half over as Damien drove his cock deeper, see-sawing his shaft between her closed thighs.

Her tits bounced with every thrust, her legs straining against the cloth tied around them as the heated water poured down on them both and the laser sterilizers painted the small space with a carnal red glow.

Every instinct screamed to spread wide. But Damien had decided otherwise, getting creative as he positioned her as he wanted, his cock forced to push through the resistance of her clamped-together thighs, creating exquisite friction while accentuating her inability to move, forcing her to simply take what he gave.

It was beyond erotic. It was everything.

---