Dark and Damaged: Eight Tortured Heroes of Paranormal Romance: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by Colleen Gleason

  How strange. The room was empty. She’d figured he would still be in bed, recuperating.

  It terrified her how close she’d come to losing him. He’d risked his life to save her sister and those other girls, people he’d never met, all because it was the right thing to do. She let out a slow exhale as the gravity of what he did sank in again. Toryn Flynn literally was her hero.

  The whole time she was gone, she’d ached to be by his side, nursing him back to health, but she couldn’t for reasons beyond her control. But now she was back and she was here to stay.

  She stepped back out into the hallway and saw Sean coming up the stairs. “Do you know where Toryn is?”

  “He’s not there?”

  She shook her head. “I thought for sure he’d be sleeping.”

  “I heard someone in the garage using a heavy bag. Maybe he’s out there talking to one of the guys.”

  When she got to the garage, she was shocked to see that it wasn’t one of the other warriors using the heavy bag, but Toryn.

  His injured arm, the right one, was still in a sling, so he was punching the bag with his left hand only. Although it looked like he’d gone through hell and back, he was still as strong and sexy as ever. She couldn’t wait to run her hands over his body and reassure herself that he was all right.

  “Oh my God, Toryn. What are you doing?” Thanks to Olivia’s healing, there were no stitches, but it still couldn’t be good for him to be doing such strenuous exercise so soon after being injured.

  He didn’t even look over. “What does it look like I’m doing?”

  Jeez. Olivia was right. He was in a foul mood. Maybe that’s what happened when very tough, very strong men became aware that they weren’t invincible. They turned into little boys and got pissy. But it made her all the more determined to reinforce his male ego and show him just how strong and capable she thought he was. In the bedroom would be a great place to start.

  “I’m so relieved you’re feeling better.” She stepped in front of the punching bag so he’d have to stop hitting it.

  Without even looking at her, he tugged angrily at his sling and grabbed his bottle of water.

  She could tell this wasn’t going to be easy. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. Did you talk to Asher?” She stepped forward, tried to wrap her arms around him, but he pushed her away.

  His eyes were dark with anger. “Yeah, I did as a matter of fact. He told me you left as soon as we got back in order to give an interview to that woman. Birdie Lyons.”

  “Yes, that’s true and—”

  “I did some checking. She’s got the highest ratings among all the news vlogs and is known as the Mouth of the Internet. When you get on Birdie’s show, suddenly you’re important. But I’m sure you already knew that, didn’t you?”

  She wasn’t liking where this was going. “What are you talking about, Toryn?”

  “Fame? Recognition? Sound familiar?”

  His words stung as if she’d been struck with a lash. “No,” she said. “No, it doesn’t.”

  “Isn’t that what your goal was? To get your sister back and become a celebrity? Your father is one. Why not follow in his footsteps? It’s in your blood, right? So the first chance you got, you betrayed me.”

  “Oh my God, Toryn. How could you think that about me? I would never do something to hurt you. And I would never, ever want to be like my father. I thought you knew me well enough by now to know that.”

  “I’m not stupid, Keely. Facts are facts, and actions speak louder than words. I may have been slow to pick up on the fact that you’ve been playing me, but not any longer.”

  Her hand flew to her mouth in horror. Who was this man standing before her? She’d opened up her heart to him, felt more connected to him than any other person on this planet. And now this?

  Stunned, she watched as he turned his back on her.

  And that was it. He was done talking and had just dismissed her.

  She fought back the angry tears stinging her eyes. He didn’t even give her the chance to tell him what she’d been talking to Birdie about. He’d straight-up assumed the worst.

  Wiping a tear roughly away, she spun on her heel and left. There was no way in hell she was going to let him see just how upset he’d made her.

  Toryn was a complete stranger to her, not the man she thought she loved.

  CHAPTER 18

  Toryn was sitting in a booth at the back of a tavern, nursing his second beer. Keely had been gone for over a week now, and he’d been utterly miserable. He’d been unable to sleep or eat, and the only thing he wanted to do was get shit-faced every day. He didn’t want to think about the sad, stricken look on Keely’s face right before she left.

  He looked up from his glass when Sean slid into the seat across from him. “Thought I’d find you here.”

  Al’s Tavern was the closest pub to the Iron Haven, about thirty miles away. He should’ve picked a different place. In New Seattle. In the Circus District. Near Sisters Books and Fortunes.

  Screw that. She left him. She abandoned him.

  “Can’t a guy get a little peace and quiet by himself?” he growled.

  “Listen, I don’t give a shit about you.” Sean glared at him from across the table. “It’s Rickert. He needs to talk to you.”

  “What the bloody hell is your problem?” Toryn asked. “Tell Rickert I’ll be back when I feel like it.” The big man didn’t budge. “Go. Leave.”

  Sean sat back in his seat and folded his muscle-bound arms across his chest like the smug sonofabitch he was. “Look at you,” he said, shaking his head, a disgusted look on his face. “You’re a self-centered asshole with a perpetual chip on your shoulder. I honestly don’t see what she sees in you.”

  Toryn jumped to his feet. Sean did the same. Damn, he was big. Normally, the guy backed down when Toryn confronted him, but not this time.

  “Why?” Toryn seethed. “Are you jealous?”

  Sean’s punch came lightning fast, catching him on the edge of the jaw. He sprawled backwards and careened into some empty chairs. A few customers gasped.

  Sean stood over him, a beast of a man. Legs spread, hands on his hips, he grabbed Toryn by the collar, hauled him to his feet and out into the alley.

  “I get that you don’t like me,” Sean said through clenched teeth once they got outside, away from prying eyes. “And frankly, I really don’t give a shit whether you do or not. But for some reason way beyond my comprehension, Keely loves you. She would never betray you. Ever.”

  “But Birdie—”

  “Fuck Birdie Lyons. That gold-digger and her camera crew were at the marina when we got back. They caught wind of what was going on and were waiting for us, ready to go live on the air.”

  Toryn frowned and rubbed his sore jaw. “But that would’ve jeopardized all of us.”

  “Exactly. And Keely knew that. So she made Birdie a deal. Said she’d give her an exclusive interview about her father and what she knew about his involvement with Reaux in exchange for turning off the cameras and not going live with the story until we were gone. And she wanted a chance to tell her mother in person without her hearing about it first on Birdie’s show.”

  “And Birdie agreed?”

  “Hell yeah. Turns out Keely’s father is with a rival blog network and Birdie has been frothing at the mouth for a chance to take him down.”

  Toryn leaned back against the brick wall of the alley in shock.

  How could he have been so stupid? So blinded by his own fears and wounded pride that he didn’t see what he had until it was gone? She wasn’t there when he woke up because she’d been protecting them. She’d sacrificed any future chance she might have had to reconcile with her family in order to save him and the rest of the Iron Guild warriors.

  Sean was right. He was a fucking asshole. Keely Weber was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

  Toryn straightened his jacket. “I’ve got to go find her. Tell her I’m sorry and beg her to t
ake me back.”

  Then he looked at Sean as if seeing him for the first time. He was a kind and hardworking man who saw the good in people…even if they didn’t deserve it.

  “Thank you,” Toryn said. “And I’m sorry.”

  Sean frowned, clearly not believing him. “For what?”

  “Thank you for making me see what a jerk I’ve been. To Keely…and to you.” When he got to the door, he turned around. “You’re a good man, Sean. And a good friend.”

  The big man pressed his lips together into a not-quite smile. “Just remember that actions speak louder than any words can.”

  ***

  Toryn arrived at Sisters Books and Fortunes to see Verla packing up boxes.

  “Where’s Keely?” he asked, looking around the empty shop. “Is she upstairs?”

  Verla shook her head. “No, she’s gone.”

  “Any idea when she’s coming back?”

  “She isn’t. She and Becca are in Cascadia.”

  It felt as if he’d been punched again. “What?”

  “They left a few days ago. I told her I’d get the rest of the shop packed up for the donation truck. It’s coming this afternoon.”

  “She went there without me?” He stumbled backward, reeling with shock.

  He’d wanted to be the one who stepped through the portal with her for the first time. Be there to experience that with her. “But why?”

  “Well, if you have to ask,” Verla said, rolling her eyes, “then you really are an asshole.”

  CHAPTER 19

  Keely was in the pasture behind Olivia’s mother’s cottage, watching a mare and foal kick up their heels in the grass, when she saw a horse and rider approaching. Although she and Becca had been here for almost three weeks, she didn’t think she’d ever tire of seeing people using horses as their only mode of transportation.

  Becca had accompanied Olivia and her mother, Alexandra, to an open-air market and would be gone all day. Keely had been planning to go, too, but one of the mares was due to foal soon, and Alexandra had asked if she wouldn’t mind staying. They’d report back and let her know what they found.

  The women were scouting out possible places for the new shop—Sisters Yarns and Fortunes. They didn’t have access to books here like they did over on the other side, so they’d have to make do with yarn. But Keely was excited. She loved knitting and crocheting.

  The rider rode a majestic horse, a black stallion whose mane and tail were flowing in the wind. As the pair drew near, she realized there was something familiar about the man. The way he carried himself. So tall, so proud.

  Her heart raced and her mouth went dry. It was Toryn.

  Despite her heartache, there wasn’t a day that went by that she didn’t miss him. Desperately. If it hadn’t been for Becca and her new friends, Neyla, Olivia and Zara, she wouldn’t have been able to eat a thing. It made her feel like a selfish idiot to be so down when Becca was the one who’d been through real hell and back.

  Toryn reined in the horse beside her.

  “You found me,” she said. It occurred to her that Becca, Olivia and Alexandra may have known about this.

  “Aye, I did. We have unfinished business to attend to.” He reached his hand down to pull her up behind him, but she took a step backward.

  “If you want to talk, we can do it here,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. A man couldn’t be a complete and utter asshole and then think he could just ride in and sweep a woman off her feet.

  “Please, Kitten. Will you come with me? There’s something I’d like to show ye.”

  She sighed. That nickname. It got her every single time. Okay, fine. She’d go.

  She held out her hand and he pulled her up behind him. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she pressed her cheek to his back and inhaled. She’d really missed how he smelled.

  They galloped down through a narrow basin and into a cottonwood forest. Then he reined in the horse at the edge of a bluff. The view was stunning with craggy mountains all around them.

  He dismounted, then reached up and helped her down.

  “So what’s this all about?” she asked.

  “A good friend told me that actions speak louder than words, so I wanted to show you something…while I grovel for forgiveness.”

  He led her to a semi-circle of large rocks, protected from the winds. He opened up a pack and in a few minutes, he’d laid out a gourmet meal of cheeses, fruits, various meats and breads, along with a jug of what appeared to be wine and a bouquet of wildflowers.

  He sat her down on the blanket and took her hands in his. “First of all, I want to apologize for the way I spoke to you. I was a colossal jerk and can’t believe what I said. It was wrong of me, rude and horrible.”

  “Yes, it was. You hurt me, Toryn. Terribly.”

  “I know.” Regret tightened the corners of his mouth. “And if I have to spend the rest of my life making it up to you, I will.”

  “Okay, maybe that’s taking things a little too far. I mean you were injured, not yourself.”

  His jaw ticked. “That’s still not an excuse. I allowed my fears of abandonment and betrayal to color my viewpoint, which prevented me from seeing the amazing woman I had in front of me. I’m done living in the past now. I’m tired of that yoke around my neck.”

  She caressed his cheek. “I understand all too well how difficult it is to live with past hurts. They affect everything.”

  He leaned into her hand, his eyes sparkling with emotion. “I want to live for now and for the future. I want to live for us.” Then he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small book.

  She took one look at it and gasped. “Is that…is that mine?”

  “Aye. I went to the shop and saw it in one of your boxes to be donated. It’s one of your favorites, isn’t it? The one with the poetry you have tattooed on your arm?”

  She nodded, tears stinging the backs of her eyes. “But how did you get it through the portal? Everything disintegrates when you cross over.”

  “Not dense metal objects or items inside a dense metal object.”

  “But what about the portal sickness?”

  He gave her a wry smile. “I’ve been in Cascadia for almost three weeks. I came over a few days after you.”

  “And you’ve been sick the whole time?”

  He nodded. “Olivia offered to heal me, but I wouldn’t let her.”

  Keely’s eyes widened. “Olivia? She knew you were here?”

  “I made her swear she wouldn’t tell you. But I’m feeling better now. A whole lot better. I’d do anything for you, Keely, anything. But—”

  “But what?”

  He took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “Can you ever forgive me?”

  “Oh, Toryn, I already have.”

  His fingers grazed her jaw tenderly, then he cupped the back of her neck and drew her close. His kiss was gentle at first but quickly turned hungry. When you needed someone as much as the air you breathed, three weeks was an awful long time to be apart. Her nipples tingled and the juncture between her thighs ached with anticipation as they tore off their clothes.

  His gaze darkened with desire as it swept over her naked body. “You are so beautiful, Kitten. I want to lick every inch of you.”

  “Then what’s stopping you?” she breathed wickedly.

  His lips twisted. “Not a damn thing. I just wanted you to know my intentions.”

  He pushed her down on the blankets and spread her knees apart. A low growl came from his throat as he dipped his head between her legs. She would never, not in a million years, grow tired of his desire for her.

  He licked the seam of her sex in one achingly slow motion that had her crying out his name even before he suckled her clit between his teeth. She gripped handfuls of his hair and held on tight as waves of pleasure spiraled through her body, igniting every nerve ending and turning her bones to rubber. Just as she was about to shatter, he broke away, pulled himself on top of her and slipped the head of his cock
between her folds. She was so wet that he easily slid inside. Her inner muscles clenched around him.

  “Oh, God, Toryn…I’m…having another one.” She gave a strangled cry as another orgasm slammed through her.

  He pushed himself up on his elbows, increasing his tempo until his whole body went rigid. Groaning loudly, he arched his head back, the cords in his neck straining.

  God he was beautiful, she thought, still in the throes of her own pleasure. And he’s all mine.

  After it was all over and they were cuddling under the blankets, Toryn rolled onto his side to face her. Tendrils of his dark hair fell over his sweaty forehead. He looked completely sated.

  She smiled to herself, feeling even more satisfied. I did that to him, she thought proudly.

  “Keely,” he said, his broad, warm hand splayed across her belly, “you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I want to be your man, through good times and in bad. I don’t ever want to be away from you again.” He cleared his throat, his voice rough with emotion. “These last three weeks were some of the worst in my life.”

  “Mine, too,” she admitted.

  “Kitten, will you marry me? Will you make this man—this, imperfect man—whole again? Please say yes. Make me the happiest man in the world—two worlds.”

  She held his face in her hands and kissed his lips. “Oh Toryn, I love you. My answer is yes.”

  The End

  Thank you!

  Thank you for reading Rebel's Desire and I hope you enjoyed it.

  When you've finished reading Dark and Damaged, please consider leaving a review for the boxed set. Reviews help other readers make decisions about books and I really appreciate every review my books receive.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Laurie London is the NY Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Sweetblood and Iron Portal series—dark, sexy paranormal romance, set primarily in the Pacific Northwest. Publisher’s Weekly has called her work “sexy” and “sizzling.”