Total pages in book: 192
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 189782 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 949(@200wpm)___ 759(@250wpm)___ 633(@300wpm)
I nod slowly, the jealousy inside me still raging but well hidden. “Just…be careful. And know that I’m always watching. Always ready to fight for you.”
“I don’t need another savior.”
“You have one anyway. When you need me, I’ll be there. I’ll fucking show up with every muscle of my beating heart.”
Her lips twitch.
“What?” I narrow my eyes.
“The heart has just one muscle. The myocardium.”
My chest expels a huff of surprise.
Christ, her brain is sexy as fuck.
“The marks weren’t meant to hurt you.” Kody meets my eyes, his voice quiet but firm. “We love her.”
“I know.” I roll back my shoulders, freeing the tension, and shift my attention to her untouched breakfast. “Your food is getting cold. Eat.”
She exchanges glances with Leo and Kody, who watch her with the same intense obsession that I do.
Fucking Strakh men. We’re cut from the same controlling cloth.
“Look at us.” She forks up a bite of eggs. “Conversing like adults. There’s hope for us yet.”
Kody grunts.
Leo looks like he wants to pee on her.
I fantasize about dumping their bodies in the Sitka Sound.
She wraps her sexy lips around the fork, closes her eyes, and moans.
I go still, my groin tightening at the sound. Leo and Kody don’t move, either, which reignites my anger.
Her eyes widen, recognizing our reactions and zeroing in on me.
“Oh no.” She sets down her fork. “I didn’t mean…Shit. I can’t do this. Me being here…It’s too much.”
“It’s not.”
It is.
She’s under my skin, in my head, and infecting my bloodstream. She’s everywhere, all around me, yet completely out of reach. The agony is too much.
But it’s my pain to bear.
“You’re safe here.” I keep my face relaxed, my voice soft. “You’re safe with me. In your heart, I know you know that. Even when your anger makes you forget.”
“Safe?” Leo huffs. “You hurt her—”
“Leo.” She touches his arm without breaking eye contact with me. “Let him finish.”
Our gazes clash like midnight thunder, and fuck me straight to hell. I crave her.
I hunger for every beat, drip, and whisper of her pure, unfiltered goddess essence. I want to devour her soul with my kisses until she remembers the depth of my love and adoration. She’s captivating and introspective, a treasure far beyond what any man could ever deserve.
And so fucking strong.
She’s been abducted, drugged, raped, starved, frozen, drowned, cheated on, and attacked by wild animals. She lost her baby, watched her friend commit suicide, and survived a plane crash. And here she sits, with her chin held high, radiating a raw, sensual, feminine power that no amount of fear or trauma can diminish.
With each passing day, she’ll heal a little more and break another shackle. But she doesn’t have to do it alone.
“Everything I have is yours.” I search her face. “My energy, my presence, my heart—all of it exists for you, to support you and keep you safe.”
“She has what she needs.” Kody’s neck turns red. “She has us.”
The impulse to lash out at him slams my teeth together.
She doesn’t deserve my rage. She deserves the things that are the hardest to give.
Like my humility.
That’s what I owe her.
Even though it hurts, even though it feels like I’m swallowing glass.
“She needs all of us.” The words come out hoarse, strained, like they’re being dragged out of me against my will.
My pride takes a hit, a sharp sting that burns in my gut.
I hate admitting it, hate the vulnerability it exposes. But I can’t deny it. She does need all of us. And despite the resentment, there’s a stronger force at play. My love for her, my commitment to see her through this, no matter the cost.
As her stunned silence pressurizes the air, I stare into her eyes, letting her see the depth of my devotion. “I’m here in whatever capacity you require. Whatever you need. Name it, and it’s yours.”
She sits back, lips parted. Then she blinks.
“Okay. I need you to accept them.” She tilts her head at Leo and Kody. “Really accept them.”
Leo starts to interrupt, and she holds up a finger, stopping him.
I frown, my resistance flaring.
“Family isn’t about control or cruelty.” She softens her tone. “It’s not about tearing each other down or causing pain. Family is about love and support. It’s about being there for each other, no matter what. It’s about caring for one another, lifting each other up, and creating a safe space where everyone can grow and thrive.”
Her words hit me hard, and I find myself torn. She’s asking me to love the men in her bed.
I don’t know how to love anyone. Except her.
“They need a healthy family dynamic, and so do you.” She sits taller. “One that’s filled with kindness, respect, and understanding. You should be able to rely on each other, trust that you have each other’s best interests at heart. When someone falls, the others are there to pick them up. When someone succeeds, the others celebrate with them. It’s about being a team, working together through thick and thin.”