by René, Dani
“He’s going to find you, and when he does, this will all be the biggest mistake of your life,” the asshole grunts. His voice is low as if he’s trying to whisper the threat at me, but I don’t give a shit what my father does to me.
“And the biggest mistake of your life will be when I end you,” I inform him as I move closer to the doorway. I tread lightly, making sure to not alert him that I’m almost at the threshold. The gun still held out in front of me.
The moment I’m close enough, I spot his leg and take aim. My finger presses down, and within seconds, I’ve hit him right in the shin. A groan of agony bounces off the walls of the hallway, and the clank of his gun falling to the floor has me moving forward.
* * *
By the time I’ve moved both bodies outside and deep into the forest, covering up the shallow graves, I hear a car pull up to the house. I don’t have to look to know it is Dax’s men. When I turn around, I find my old friend Kael along with Axel. Both men I’ve met a few times since knowing Dax. Even though we weren’t necessarily friends, they were always around with Kael’s sister, Theia. She was the one who hung around to catch Dax’s attention.
“Seems like you got this all sorted,” Kael smirks, offering me a hand to shake. I’m reminded of the times we used to watch him spend hours at the easel while we drank beers. The long, curly brown hair with the ripped jeans and T-shirt suit him. He looks like he’s really relaxed after what went down with his dad.
“I managed to get two clean shots in. I need to clean up inside and get Vera somewhere safe,” I tell him.
“Well, Axe and I can help with that. I have two cars circling the area, making sure there aren’t any more assholes hiding away,” he tells me.
“Thanks for coming.” I slap him on the shoulder before I turn my attention to Axel. “It’s been a while, man.”
“It’s been far too fucking long,” Axel responds, his British accent thick. “Dax mentioned you’re coming back to the city with us?”
“Yeah.” I nod. “I need to end this shit storm my father started. Going after me is one thing, but he went after my girl.” Both men nod in understanding. They know what it’s like to have the women in their lives in danger because of some asshole who should never have intervened.
“Sounds good,” Kael says before following me toward the cabin. There’s not much inside I need to pack, merely some clothes for Vera and myself, and my computer, along with her devices I grabbed from the apartment when I took her.
Anything else can be locked up. Even if Dad gets into the house, he won’t find anything he can use against me. I’ll have the most important thing—Vera.
“Do you want anything to drink? Or are you ready to head out?” I ask as we step into the living area. The open plan offers up a view of the kitchen as well.
“I’m good. I think the sooner we leave, the better.” This comes from Axel, and I know he’s right. “If you want to shower first, we’ll wait.” He gestures to my clothes, and I notice the blood and caked-on mud I’ve brought in from burying my father’s men.
“Yeah, make yourselves at home.” I leave them downstairs, making my way up to the bathroom, where I quickly strip off and hop into the shower. I can’t be long. The more time we waste out here, the easier it will be for Herbert to send men back to claim Vera.
Back in the bedroom, I pull out my phone and tap out a message to Dax to ask him to send a doctor to my apartment once we get there. I want Vera checked out. I don’t trust my father. Even if he says she’ll be okay soon, I’d rather have a medical professional take a look and assure me she’s alright.
By the time we reach my old apartment, I’m exhausted. We got Vera into the bedroom, placed her on the bed, and I’ve finally gotten an hour’s worth of sleep. The moment Axel and Kael left, I flopped on the sofa and allowed my eyes to shut. It’s been one whole day, and she’s still not awake.
I know the doctor will be here soon enough, but I’m stressed. My muscles are stiff, and my jaw is aching from me grinding my teeth. Tension has taken hold of me, and I know it’s not going to let go until she’s awake.
I’ve been scrolling through websites, looking up information on what my father did to her. What I found has my blood boiling. She could be out for a couple of days or even weeks. The need to go to him is at the forefront of my mind, but I’m not leaving here until I know my Beauty will be okay.
The buzzer sounds and I push to my feet to answer the intercom. “Yeah?”
“Doctor Novak here for Logan Oakridge,” the man answers, and I give him instructions on how to get to the apartment. When the elevator dings, I open the door and meet the older man. “Nice to meet you. Dax said your girlfriend needed a check-up?”
I nod. “To be honest, I don’t know what’s wrong with her. I think she’s been put into an induced coma,” I tell him as I lead him into the apartment and toward the bedroom. “I just need to know she’s safe. That she’ll wake up soon.”
He doesn’t respond. Instead, he just follows me into the bedroom. At Vera’s side, he opens his bag and pulls out a stethoscope, along with a small flashlight. I step back, allowing him to do his thing, but my eyes never leave the bed.
Time ticks by, and with every passing second, my stomach tightens with anxiety. Finally, after I’m not sure how long, the doctor looks at me.
“She’ll be fine. She is in a sort of dreamlike sleep, but she’ll wake up soon. I can’t tell how long exactly. It depends on her fighting through whatever drug was administered.”
I sigh in relief, shaking the older man’s hand before saying, “Thank you, doc.” He packs up, and I escort him to the door, shutting it behind him.
Once Dr. Novak leaves, I pick up my cell phone and dial Dax’s number. He’s at the club right now, but I know he’ll answer, no matter what. Seconds into the ringing, his voice comes over the line.
“Hey, man,” he greets. “Sorry I couldn’t come through. I had shit to deal with at the club. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, just looking forward to meeting my father face-to-face.”
“When are you making a move?”
Shaking my head, I lean against the soft cushions of the couch. “Not for a while. I need to wait for Vera to wake up. If I leave her and he has his goons find her, I’ll never forgive myself.”
“I know what you mean. Let me know when you make your move because I’ll be right beside you. Theia is capable of running the club without me for a while.”
“I can’t ask you—”
“You’re not asking,” Dax interrupts me. “I’m telling you I’ll be there because we’re friends. I consider you a brother, and I’m not letting you walk into that shithole alone. I know my men will be right behind me as well.” He is confident in his promises, and I know he’ll never let me down.
His assurance calms me somewhat. Even though I know I should refuse him; I don’t. I know I can’t ask them to walk into whatever my father has planned, but at this stage, I don’t have a choice.
“Okay,” I finally acquiesce. Something tells me if I did refute his offer, he’d be there anyway because that’s the type of man Dax is. He’s there for his friends, he doesn’t hide from danger, and he’s a violent motherfucker who will kill anyone who stands in his way.
“Good,” he tells me. “I better get back to work, but if you need anything at all, you have my number.” He hangs up without a goodbye, and I lean my head back against the couch once more. My eyes focus on the ceiling. The smooth, white paint has no marks, no scuffs, and I stare at it until I feel weariness taking over me.
28
Logan
A whole two days have passed, and Vera is still asleep. She’s been flinching, but nothing more than that. Each time she does, my heart stutters. The chair I’m sitting in overlooks my bed, where my beauty lies sleeping.
Lying in bed beside her is difficult. Especially when she’s asleep and looking so beautiful. All I want to do is touch her, to feel her body against mine. I lean in, pressing
my lips to hers. My eyes close, and I revel in her warmth.
My father was right in one respect. I want her, even like this. My mind is filled with images of all the things I can do to her while she’s like this. We’re alone, we’re safe . . . for now . . . and I want to let go and lose all control. But I could hurt her, and that’s not an option.
I take in her sleeping frame, her hands crossed over her chest, and her lips slightly parted. Her body is so still. I can’t stop myself from placing my hand on her leg, feeling her warmth. I trail my fingertips up her thigh, toward her hip, and over her flat stomach. She’s soft, delicate, like a doll that is also fragile.
My cock is rock-solid against my jeans as I watch her lashes flutter along the apples of her cheeks. I wish for a moment this was a fairy tale, and my kiss could wake her because all I can think about right in this moment is fucking her senseless.
My phone buzzes, dragging me away from her and my dark thoughts. My father’s number glares at me from the bright screen. I don’t want to answer it, but I force myself to swipe my thumb along the screen.
“Haven’t you done enough?” I bite out angrily.
“Have you fallen to your natural cravings yet, son?” he chuckles into the speaker, causing my fingers to tighten around the device, squeezing it. I want nothing more than to end him, to wrap my hands around his neck and watch him struggle for breath. “Because you know you will. You want to do it. Don’t you?”
“Fuck you!”
“I thought so,” he tells me noncommittally as if I were falling right into his trap, and I must admit, I think I am as well. My gaze casts over to Vera, who looks like a vision with the silver light of the moon streaming through the window.
“I’m not a monster,” I inform my father, but deep down, I don’t believe it. He’s right. I close my eyes and focus on my breathing rather than how my blood is running hot in my veins, how the desire is taking over me, and how much I do want to fall prey to the need so clearly gripping me.
“You know, when I was your age, I went through something very similar,” he speaks, slow and steady as if he’s waiting on my shocked response. But I don’t give it to him. “Your mother stood by me. She knew I had no control over what I craved so deeply. It’s inside your DNA, Logan.”
“I will never be like you.”
“You already are.” His voice drips with satisfaction. “Look at her, son. Really take her in, so helpless. Her body is yours, a toy to revel in while she sleeps. That’s what you are, an Oakridge. It’s in our blood to crave darkness.”
I fist my free hand, the nails digging into the fleshy palm. Pain skitters up my arm, but as much as I fight it, as much as I want to deny it, my father is right. It is in my veins, and I don’t know how to get it out.
“The more you fight it, the more violent it gets.” Those are the last words he speaks to me before he hangs up, leaving me in the darkness with Vera. While she sleeps, I battle with myself, and it’s a war I’m slowly losing with every minute that passes.
What if he’s right about the violence?
What if I can’t stop myself and hurt her?
“No,” I tell myself. “I’m not him. I’ll never be him.” I turn away from Vera, my gaze locked on the window, taking in the city below. It’s been so long since I stepped foot in Chicago it looks foreign to me. The lights glitter in the darkness, and from so high up, the cars look like toys, racing from point A to point B.
My hand instinctively moves to my cock, the hardness still straining the front of my jeans. I glance over my shoulder, looking once more at the girl I’ve fallen for. I knew I loved her before, but this is something more. It’s become all-consuming.
My feet move on their own accord. I’m at the bed in seconds, leaning over her, looking directly at the way her chest rises and falls. How her breasts look mouthwatering. The yearning that courses through me has my body shaking.
“I want you, so fucking much,” I tell her. The silence that responds is ear-piercing. It’s wrong. So fucking wrong, but I can’t stop my hand from moving to her lips. I swipe my finger over the plump bottom one.
Moving over Vera, I hover along her body, my cock aching and throbbing against the apex of her thighs. It would be so easy just to feel her, to press myself against her, harder and faster. But I don’t. I focus on my mouth molding over hers. A soft whimper tumbles from her when I kiss her.
My eyes snap open, taking her in. She’s still asleep, she’s not moving, but when my tongue darts along her lips, tasting her flavor, she moans once more. It’s a soft, gentle sound, but I hear it.
Her fingers jolt, and the moment I’m convinced she’s waking up, no more movements come. I wait for a long time, just watching her, but there are no more signs of her being aware of what’s going on, of what I’m doing to her.
I lean in closer, listening to her breaths, and I whisper in her ear, “You don’t know how difficult it is for me not to fuck you right now.” I trail my hand down her body, remembering the day she role-played for me, lying on my bed, pretending to be asleep. When I felt her body limp, as she tried to feed the hungry beast that resides within me. She gave me that. Something no other woman has ever given me.
“I love you.” My words are a whisper, skittering along the smooth, creamy flesh of her cheek. “I’ve fallen in love with my Sleeping Beauty, and I don’t know if I can ever let you go. My inner demons want so much to play with yours,” I tell her. “They want to devour you just like this.”
A soft murmur tumbles freely from her parted lips. “Please.” It’s barely audible, and for a moment, I am convinced I imagined it. Perhaps the drugs are wearing off. Maybe she can hear me. My hand moves between us, and I press two fingers against her pussy. Her heat is scorching. The shorts she’s wearing are tight against her mound, and I circle her clit through the material.
Her body jolts at the contact, but I don’t stop. I can’t. Another moan slips free from her, and I continue my ministrations until I feel her wetness seeping through the clothing. My fingers would be drenched if I slipped my hand into her panties, but instead of doing that, I focus on her.
The soft tremble that shoots through her suddenly causes me to still all movement. She’s silent, but her hands are shaking, her lashes are fluttering wildly, and I can see movement behind her eyelids.
I push on, teasing her pussy until I see the corner of her mouth tilting. Her lashes dance along her cheeks, which are now turning a soft pinkish shade. My cock is fighting its way through my jeans, the zipper almost painfully pressing against the shaft.
“Oh god,” Vera whimpers suddenly as her eyes flick open, and they lock on mine. Her body shaking with the orgasm, I’ve just coaxed from her. “Logan?”
“My Sleeping Beauty,” I mumble down at her. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t—”
“I . . . That was amazing,” she whispers, her hands coming up to cup my face. The gentle touch sending me spiraling into darkness. “Where are we?” she questions, realizing the walls are no longer wooden logs, and the light shimmering through the window is slightly different from being out in the middle of the forest.
“My father found us, found you,” I tell her, not moving. Needing her closeness to focus on my confession. “He drugged you. You’ve been in an induced coma for three days.”
“What?” Her mouth falls open in shock. “Where are we?”
“In Chicago,” I inform her. “I’m here to take the asshole down. What he did to you was taking my feud with him too far.” I reach for her face, trailing my knuckles along her cheek. The softness forcing the monster back into hiding. “I’ll never let him near you again.”
“I trust you,” Vera whispers.
“You shouldn’t.”
“You could’ve hurt me, but you didn’t. You could’ve done so much worse,” she murmurs, looking directly into my eyes as the guilt slowly seeps its way through my veins.
“He was right.”
“Who?”
“My father,” I tell he
r. “He told me I’m broken. That I’m a monster, and he was right. I couldn’t resist the pull of your beautiful sleeping body. I craved to touch it, to use it for my pleasure.” My voice cracks on the last words. Pain is evident in them, and I know Vera heard it because she’s shaking her head.
She may try to disagree, but I know it’s true.
I am a monster.
I’m certainly not the prince she needs.
I’m the dragon she needs to slay.
29
Vera
He won’t believe me. I know he won’t. I can see the resolution in his eyes. Being so torn and broken is something I can understand. But he can’t push me away because we are made for each other. I’m convinced of it.
“I want you to do something for me,” I tell him, keeping my voice steady. I push off the bed and make my way through the apartment. Finding my way into the bathroom, I don’t bother stopping to take in the beauty of my surroundings. I’m on a mission, and it’s something I need to do before I know Logan will believe me.
I read something online about Logan’s affliction. A while ago, while searching for ways to find pleasure in my desires, I stumbled upon a website that spoke of kinks that most people balk at. It’s where I found my solace, knowing I wasn’t alone.
I open cabinets, shutting them again when I don’t find what I want or need. Logan’s fierce demeanor shrouds the space when he stops at the door, his face a picture of confusion and worry.
“What are you doing, Vera?”
“Looking for something,” I tell him without glancing at the man I know will have a fit if he knows what my plan is. On the website I’d found so long ago, I read about a man and his wife who were in our predicament.
The wife wanted to role-play a scene of force. The man, on the other hand, enjoyed her asleep, and they found a way to get both. Logan isn’t cursed or broken, he’s merely a man who enjoys somnophilia, and I don’t balk at something like that. I never judge others for their wants and needs, the same way I hope he doesn’t when he hears my proposal.