Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105679 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 528(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 352(@300wpm)
Serafina had mistaken their excited barks for aggression, their playful advances for threats.
And I was a cruel bastard.
I had used her fear against her, a weapon in my arsenal of cruelty.
“I got her,” I murmured to my dogs, kneeling beside Serafina. Her breathing was shallow but steady. I brushed a strand of hair from her face, my fingers lingering on her cool skin.
She was so still, so quiet. So unlike the fiery woman who had challenged me at every turn and pointed a knife at me, wanting to spill my blood.
With a sigh, I carefully gathered her into my arms, cradling her against my chest. She was lighter than I expected, her body limp and unresponsive. The smell of her perfume mingled with the metallic tang of blood and the earthy smell of the forest. The musky scent of her fear filled my nostrils.
Poor, little wife.
Nyx, the only female in the pack, barked at me when I lifted Serafina in my arms. “Hey now, I’m just taking her inside. That’s enough damage for tonight.”
Nyx had always been the calmest of the three, but she was the fastest and surprisingly, looked to be the most protective of my wife.
They crowded around my feet, staring at me. Concerned. Suspicious. Of me.
What the fuck?
“Seriously?” I asked them. “You’re protecting her from me?”
Orion barked in response as if he understood me. Shadow sniffed at Serafina’s dangling feet as she remained unconscious in my arms.
I sighed. “She’s fine. Just a little scared. She’ll wake up tomorrow and she’ll be pissed. But what’s new? My wife is always mad these days.”
And that was all my doing.
But I liked her furious, the way her eyes lit up with fire.
She was beautiful in her fury.
And I had been a mad man in mine.
“Let’s go home,” I said to my dogs.
They fell into steps behind me as I made my way back to the house, their sleek forms moving silently through the darkness.
Always protecting.
Always in control
Always loyal.
And I was none of that.
Fuck, I was worse than a dog.
Serafina had been right when she called me a savage, a beast.
The journey back seemed longer than it had been before, each step heavy with the weight of what I had done. A reminder of my cruelty, my rage, my inability to control the darkness that lived inside me.
Serafina’s head lolled against my shoulder, her face peaceful in unconsciousness. In sleep, the hatred and defiance were gone, leaving only the woman I had married.
Beautiful, vulnerable, and utterly at my mercy.
When we reached the house, Elena was waiting at the door, her face a mask of concern.
“Sir, is she—”
“She’s fine,” I cut her off, not wanting to hear the question. “Bring me the first aid kit and some warm water.”
I carried Serafina upstairs to her room and laid her gently on the bed. Her dress was beyond saving, torn and stained beyond repair. I hesitated for only a moment before carefully removing it, leaving her in just her undergarments.
Her body was pale, her curves enticing.
But this wasn’t about desire or possession, it was purely necessity.
Elena appeared with the supplies I had requested, her eyes widening slightly at the sight of Serafina’s battered body.
“I can help,” she suggested, eyebrows furrowed.
“No,” I said firmly, dismissing her with a wave of my hand. This was my mess to clean. “I’ll do it.”
Elena nodded and retreated without another word, closing the door softly behind her.
That was why I liked Edmund and Elena. They never asked questions that had nothing to do with them. They never wanted to know more.
They didn’t care what I did.
The father and daughter duo worked quietly and efficiently, and no one would dare question their loyalty.
I worked methodically, cleaning the dirt and blood from Serafina’s feet, wincing at the sight of the cuts and abrasions that marred her delicate skin. Her arms were scratched from branches and her knees scraped raw from her falls.
Such beauty, so broken.
A hollow ache expanded through my chest, crushing the air from my lungs and filling the organ with poison.
As I placed a bandaid on her elbow, her eyes fluttered open.
For a moment, she just stared at me, her hazel eyes wide and unfocused, a brief second of vulnerability before recognition dawned.
And with it came pure, unadulterated fear.
Serafina scrambled away from me, pressing herself against the headboard, her eyes wide and terrified. The sheet pooled around her waist, leaving her upper body exposed, but she seemed too frightened to notice or care.
I sat back, waiting for her to speak, to unleash the torrent of hatred and accusations I had come to expect. But she remained silent, her chest rising and falling with rapid breaths, her gaze fixed on me with undisguised terror.
Had I finally broken her?
The thought should have brought satisfaction, but instead, it left a bitter taste in my mouth.