Page 25 of Savage Captor (Deadly Devotion #1)

Maybe one day we’ll look back on the miserable last two weeks and laugh. Maybe we won’t. All I really care about is that Scarlett stays where she belongs; in my bed.

Secure in the knowledge that I can get to her in a few minutes if I sense anything’s off, I leave my quarters.

If I stay around her right now, I won’t be able to hold my tongue, and even now, I know that my cruelty is unnecessary.

I shouldn’t be fighting with her. She has every reason to despise me, and pressing her weak spots isn’t going to do either of us any good.

I head down the hall, driven by sheer instinct, and stop in front of the door to Maximus’s apartment. He doesn’t have any ops scheduled until next week, so he should be home.

I knock on his door, not bothering to hold my strength in check.

I need to be around a non-corrupting influence right now, which eliminates seeking Cain’s advice.

I need someone to talk to, someone capable of helping me see sense.

I know I’m messed up from Sam’s death, and I need to get the effects of my grief in check if I want any chance of succeeding with Scarlett.

Max opens the door a few seconds later. At first, his expression is tinged with anger at being disturbed, but it relaxes when he sees me. “Were you trying to break my door down?” he snaps, even as he nudges it fully open to let me in.

“Nah. Just need to get out of my room for a while. You busy?” I step into his apartment, glancing around the blue-grey toned living room. I rake an admiring gaze over the impressive gaming setup with a massive flatscreen and series of gaming devices and controls .

“Nope,” Max says drily. “We can do face masks and watch the real housewives of Salt Lake City if you’d like. Oh wait; you already have someone to do that with.”

My lips thin at his jab, even if it's meant as a joke. “I guess you’ve been fully read in.”

“I wouldn’t say fully; don’t know if Cain’s capable of complete honesty, but I’d guess I know about as much as you do. You want something to drink?” Max asks, looking me over. “You look like you can use it.”

“No, I’m laying off the hard stuff.” Numbing my emotions with alcohol has been my go-to since Sam died, but it hasn’t done anything good for me.

It’s a temporary and increasingly inefficient coping mechanism.

Besides, I now have something else to focus on instead of my grief.

The girl who I damn near almost killed—who’s wellbeing now relies solely on me.

“Good,” Max nods, flopping on the couch. “Since you don’t game, I assume you’re here to talk or some girly shit like that.”

“Yeah.” I take a seat on the opposite end of the couch and spend some time staring at my hands.

If I glare at them long enough, I can almost see small pinpricks of blood appearing.

I’ve spilled a lot of damn blood in my years as a contract killer, and I’ve never felt guilty about it until now.

The hits were jobs, completely impersonal and emotionless, but Scarlett wasn’t a job—not really.

I made it personal with her. I liked taking out my anger on her.

I wanted to break her and punish her for crimes she had nothing to do with.

“Is it about the Sharpe girl?” Max asks.

“Her name is Scarlett,” I snap back, then wince at the force of my words. Damnit, now isn’t the time to be lashing out at the few people I know I can count and rely on .

“Scarlett,” Max repeats, holding up his hands in a gesture of mock surrender. “So I assume we’re pretending she has no associations with her father?”

“It’s the truth,” I sigh. “I wish it wasn’t. I wish she was guilty, because then I wouldn’t feel so fucking guilty, but…” I shake my head. “I think her father might’ve hurt her as much as he hurt me.”

“That’s tough,” Max says, nodding slowly. “So, what’s the deal with you two now? When Cain told me about his plans to renew the tradition of every eligible Nighthawk claiming a woman, I was shocked. But…” he trails off.

“There’s a certain sense to it,” I say quietly. “But it could go so damn wrong.”

“It could also go very right. Get the guys to focus up. In the last ten years, Nighthawks have lost 3 guys to chasing pussy. They went out to meet up with hookers, then got assassinated. If Cain brings back the claiming, our boys will have an outlet for their needs. I sure as hell wouldn’t mind someone waiting for me at the end of an op. ”

“It’s an environment that’s ripe for abuse,” I point out. “The Nighthawks who are considered eligible could just treat their chosen women as punching bags.”

“If they do, then I assume their eligibility will be revoked,” Max says simply. “Cain is… complicated, but he’s starkly against human trafficking. He won’t turn this place into a trafficking ring.”

For all his shortcomings and complications, Cain does have his limits.

That’s the one thing keeping me in line.

That, and the promise of Scarlett belonging to me forever.

Even now, when I’m pissed at both of us and up in my head with a maelstrom of emotions, I still want her.

I want her to get better. I want to put her on her knees and teach her how to suck my cock.

I want to find out what her nipples and pussy tastes like—I want to figure her out.

Who she really is. How she got away from her father.

What she’s been doing since. What her plans were, and how I can make her dreams come true, even if it’s in a limited capacity.

“I’m his test subject,” I say. “He’s using me to see if the system works. If I can find a way to get Scarlett to accept her place here, after everything that’s happened, then I can set an example. Problem is, she despises me, and rightfully so.”

“Women tend to feel better if they’re given orgasms,” Max comments. “At least in my experience.”

“She has pneumonia and an infected stab wound, Max. I’m not going to do anything to her until she’s better, which will take time.

” Hopefully just a week or two for her lungs, but her thigh…

that’ll be over a month. At least I know she won’t make any attempts to bolt until then.

And once her lungs are no longer an issue, I could still do certain things…

I’d just need to be extremely careful. I’m not good at careful.

“Besides, I doubt she’ll be eager to accept any pleasure from me. ”

Max gazes at me. “You’ll figure it out. You don’t have much of a choice, especially with Cain breathing down your neck. Say what you will about Boyce, but at least he’s not looking over our shoulders every second of every day.”

“No, he spends his time drinking, whoring, and killing,” I quip.

Max grimaces. “True. But Cain is a different animal. I respect him and I’ll follow him, but I’m not sure his leadership will give room for much leniency. He’s complicated.”

“He is,” I agree. “Let’s hope he’s worth it.”

“Let’s hope you can live up to his steep expectations,” Max replies. “So, what has your panties in a twist? I don’t mind your company, but the unannounced visit is very unusual.”

I sigh. “Got into a fight with Scarlett. ”

“Aw.” Max grins. “Your first fight as a couple. You should mark it on your calendar.”

“Fuck off,” I mutter.

His grin widens, shining with genuine amusement, but he cuts me a break. “What was the nature of this fight?”

“She compared me to her father. I… said some things I shouldn’t have in return, then left her to stew.”

“Sounds like a good start to the courtship.”

“Courtship,” I echo with a humorless chuckle. “ Right .”

“Ownership, then,” Max says. “Whatever the case, the aim with the claiming ritual isn’t to round up a bunch of women and have them live out their lives in misery—at least, not from what Cain told me.

Part of it is probably learning responsibility, how to look after someone, how to have a whole other human relying on you for their wellbeing—physical, emotional, and mental.

You’re the first of your kind, so not to be a dick, but…

don’t screw this up. You’ve got a steeper hill to climb than most of us will, but if you can do it, then the claiming will have a much better chance of working moving forward. ”

“How can I effectively scale that mountain when I hate what I did to her as much as she hates me?”

“Have you tried apologizing?” Max asks.

I shake my head. “She wouldn’t believe me. I’ll apologize when I think she will. Until then, actions speak louder than words.”

Max arches an eyebrow at me. “Right. And your actions in the last hour have been…?”

My lips thin. He has a good point. How am I supposed to build anything with Scarlett, work on the foundations of a functional relationship, if I let my temper get to me and storm out?

I need to take a closer look at my training plan.

When I issue orders, I do expect her to listen—and will punish or reward her accordingly until she falls in line.

If she falls in line quick, her life will be a series of rewards.

But what the hell am I supposed to do when she does shit like compare me to her father?

The man who tortured and killed my goddamn twin? How do I stay calm?

“I think I’m fucked, Max,” I say quietly.

“If you start believing that, all of us are fucked. You’re going to be Cain’s second.

That’s a lot of power. So, start thinking about what you can do.

Shift the narrative. Tell her about yourself, maybe?

” he swears under his breath. “I don’t know.

Whatever the case, don’t give in to her taunts.

If you need to take a walk, then take a walk.

Once she’s able to take it, use a punishment/reward system.

Honestly, I can’t envy your position; you’ve got your work cut out for you. ”

“You’re going to have to go through this soon enough,” I mutter. “If Cain’s read you in, then he’s earmarked you as his third in command.”

Max gazes at the TV screen. “Yeah. I should probably start stalking potential candidates, see who might be the right fit.” He shakes his head. “This is messed up.”

“It could be worse. It could actually be human trafficking.” I don’t know about the other guys that Cain will deem eligible, but I think that Max and I will both care about our chosen ones enough to do our best to make them happy. Even if that happiness might be preceded by some… growing pains.

“Yeah,” Max murmurs. “You should probably check up on your new captive. See if she’s cooled down.”

And it wouldn’t be bad to see if I can at least start building some trust with her.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. Unfortunately for me, it’s a message from Cain, demanding to see me immediately. Goddamnit .