Page 119 of Conquered

“Look at me, Princess,” Ash commands, and I obey immediately, lifting my head up and looking into his grey eyes in desperation. “That’s it, good girl,” he praises, his tone soothing, and completely at odds with how he was moments ago.

The wounded scream of an animal in pain rends the air, and my head goes to turn, but is stopped by a gentle hand on either side of it.

“Eyes on me, Princess. Don’t look anywhere else,” his voice coaxes, and I keep my eyes locked with his. They are full of anguish, yet also some emotion that I can’t, or don’t, dare to name. “Now breathe with me, darling, that’s it,” he encourages as I follow his deep inhales and exhales.

Tears start to fall from my eyes as the screaming turns to whimpers, so full of agony my soul weeps. The sounds stop, and all I can hear is that the song has changed toMonsters,by Tommee Profitt and Xeah, the beat matching my heartbeat.

“Loki, adrenaline shot,” Ash calls out, eyes never leaving mine. Seconds later, the whimpering starts again.

“Ash…” I whisper, not knowing what to say, just knowing that my heart hurts, my soul lamenting.

Not for Robert, he deserves to face the consequences of his abhorrent behaviour. My heart hurts for these men, these boys who have had to do this, and probably a thousand other horrible and depraved things in their lives so far.

“Shhh...it’ll be over soon, darling, I promise,” he says in that calming voice of his, surprising me as he wraps me up in his strong arms, enveloping me in his spicy ginger scent. I breathe him in, absorbing his strength and wrapping my own arms around his waist, burying my head into his chest.

What feels like hours later, Jax speaks.

“All done,” he says in a rumble. I lift my head from Ash’s chest, noticing the mess my makeup has made of his black shirt, leaving smudges of white and other colours on the cloth.

Keeping my arms tight around him, I look up and catch Jax’s eyes. His hard gaze softens as he meets my eyes. “You alright, Baby Girl?” he asks gently, and I nod.

“Is she alright?!” Robert screeches, his voice broken and raspy from screaming. “The fuck does that whore have to be worried about?” he spits as I hear several growls, including the rumbling growl of Ash that I feel vibrating against my chest.

My gaze turns to look at Robert. Blood still trickles from his lip, he’s slick with sweat and shaking. His brown eyes are crazed, pupils blown. I realise that for the first time, the blood doesn’t send me spiralling into a flashback of the day my mother died. That I’m actually glad to see it dripping down from him, and a slow smile spreads across my face. Robert sees this, and his eyes flash with pure undiluted rage.

“I should've fucked you until your cunt was bleeding, and choked you out, watching the life fade from your eyes, my dickstill inside you,” he snarls at me, eyes full of loathing like this is all my fault.

All hell breaks loose before I can even register what’s happening. The guys are cursing him out, Loki grabbing the bloody scalpel and lunging for Robert’s neck, Jax pulls out a dagger from somewhere, and Kai's eyes flash dangerously. Ash is deathly still underneath my arms, like he’s turned into a marble statue.

I know that Robert’s words have tipped them over the edge, and if I don’t do something, they will kill him here and now.

“Stop!” I cry out in a sob. Surprisingly, they all do as I ask and freeze. “If you kill him, his death will be on me. On my conscience. Please, I can’t have another death on my hands,” I beg them, looking into each of their eyes as I speak, pleading with them.

I look up to Ash last, who is still wrapped in my arms as I am in his. “Please, Ash,” I ask, imploring him with my eyes to stop this.

His own have darkened to a slate grey, filled with hatred. Is it just for Robert, or for himself too? They bore into me, digging down into my very soul.

“Jax.” his deep voice sounds out. I hear Jax dropping his knife with a clatter, and then the sound of fists hitting flesh, and grunts of pain as Ash leads me away.

None of the others follow as we head up the stairs, and I don’t dare look back. I can’t bear to see them mete out further punishment. Perhaps that makes me a coward. Perhaps it’s just self-preservation. Or that I just don’t care what they do to that evil man.

These guys, my guys, might be monsters, Black Knights with the souls of demons.

But they’re mine, and I belong to them completely.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

LILLY

Ash and I wait upstairs, a fire roaring in the fireplace. I notice now that although it looks like logs, it’s actually gas. Regardless, the heat wafting from it does nothing to warm the chill that has settled over me, seeping into my very bones.

Some time later, the others come up, and although they’re clean, I can see the evidence of what has transpired downstairs. Loki’s shirt cuffs are stained pink, and Jax has a couple of splatters of blood that he’s clearly missed when cleaning up.

“Let’s head home, Pretty Girl,” Loki mumbles, not meeting my eyes as he leads the way out of the cabin. I want to assure him that it’s okay, but he’s gone before I can.

We arrive back at Highgate just as the sun breaks into the sky. I can hear the dawn chorus fill the air as I exit the car, and it’s so at odds with what just happened, my brain is struggling to compute. The air is fresh and pure, and I take in a great lungful, as if its purity will spread through me and wash me clean from the inside out.

We walk up the stone steps to the huge front doors, and it feels like years, not weeks ago, since I first approached them. I feel even more bone-weary than I did back then, like my whole body can’t go another step. I falter, and Ash catches me before I faceplant into the stone. He must see something in my gaze because he suddenly sweeps me up into his arms and carries me bridal style over the threshold and up the stairs to our dorm.