Page 36 of The King of Hearts (The Raven Group #1)

CHAPTER TWENTY

HER

I don’t know how long the utter shock lasts after my devil leaves, but it feels like years.

He fucking left me out here where anyone could find me. On my knees with my arms trapped behind me with his belt.

With my hair a mess and my face probably looking like a horror show. I’m sure I look exactly like what just happened. Thoroughly and freshly face fucked.

But it’s not those things that have me frozen in place, too stunned to move.

I ache. Oh, Jesus, I ache so damn much.

He left me this way on purpose. And I don’t mean out on the terrace with my arms tied behind my back.

He left me unfulfilled. Unsatisfied. With my thighs dripping wet with my arousal and desperately needing relief.

And he did it to prove a point.

That he’s the Master of me and controls my pleasure.

The joints in my arms scream in protest when I wiggle my shoulders, and my knees will probably sport bruises tomorrow from kneeling so long on the concrete.

I jerk my head toward the terrace doors when a loud ring of laughter comes from beyond them.

Silhouettes move on the other side of the curtained glass.

Panic sets in when the silhouette comes closer.

My eyes must be as big as saucers when the figure reaches the door. The knob turns and my alarm heightens.

Oh fuck.

I can’t be found like this. I cannot fucking be found like this. Dad will go ballistic, and there’s no telling what hell my brothers will cause.

I sit back on my heels, my eyes darting around frantically. I feel the whoosh of the blood rushing to my ears, and my heart tries to pound its way out of my chest.

What in the hell do I do?

I look to the shadowed spot where my devil disappeared, and I briefly wonder if he’s still out here watching me.

I’m going to fucking kill him the next time he comes to my room for doing this to me.

I need to get out of sight before someone walks out that door. I’ll worry about my trussed-up state once I’m safe from being discovered.

Just when I make the decision to roll like a fucking idiot to the same shadows he vanished to and hope like hell no one notices me, the shadow beyond the door moves away.

Oh, God. That was close. Too close.

My shoulders sag, which pinches the joints in my arms, sending a tingling sensation to my fingertips.

A noise comes from my left, away from the terrace, in the darkness close to the back wall of the church. A rustle of leaves or maybe a twig snapping. I hold my breath, straining my ears to listen. And then a figure appears. At first, I think it might be my devil having come back to let me go.

But what if it isn’t him? What if it’s another attendee?

“Savina.”

The air wheezes out of my lungs in a rush at the familiar voice. He’s the only one I don’t mind finding me in my current situation.

Marcelo walks up, his black suit blending in with the darkness. He doesn’t rush or act concerned to find me how I am. He appears calm and collected, like he always does in tense situations. Nothing ever seems to faze him.

I wiggle on my knees, trying to twist so he sees the belt around my arms. “Get me out of this, please.”

He squats behind me, the woodsy scent that I always associate with him filling my senses.

“What happened?” he asks quietly.

“Just untie me, please,” I grit out between clenched teeth. The feeling comes back to my hands in a bite of charged tingling when he loosens the belt.

My arms fall to my sides when the belt is finally unwrapped around my arms. I try to lift them to roll my shoulders, but they feel too weak to move. I groan in pain when I force my limbs up.

Marcelo grabs my hand and under my bicep to help me to my feet. My legs feel nearly as weak as my arms. My knees try to buckle, but thankfully, my guard is there to catch me before I crumble to the ground.

“Do you want me to alert your parents?” he asks, staying by my side in case my knees give out again.

I jerk around to face him. “Absolutely not. This is none of their business.”

He gives me a terse nod. “You might want to visit the ladies’ room before you go back inside.”

I lift an arm that feels like spaghetti and finger my hair.

The updo I did for the ball is in complete disarray.

Half is still up while the other falls in tangles down my back.

I wore mascara, so I’m sure my face looks even worse.

And I feel indents on my arms from the belt.

I hope they don’t bruise, because how in the hell will I explain the marks to my family?

“Take me home,” I tell him. “We’ll walk around to the front to avoid going inside. I’ll message Mom and tell her I’m not feeling well.”

Locating the little clutch I came with tonight by the terrace railing, I bend and pick it up. I dig for my phone and send a quick message. Hopefully, she won’t question my sudden illness and come looking for me.

“Let’s go,” I tell Marcelo.

I’m grateful when he holds out his arm for me to grab.

I’m not sure I can trust my legs yet to carry me on my own.

With the moon not on duty tonight, the area around the back of the church is dark and makes it difficult to navigate the grounds.

Marcelo doesn’t seem to have the same problem as he expertly steers us around the side and to the front.

My body sags with relief when I see my parents’ Mercedes sitting at the bottom of the steps. It’s there like it was already waiting to transport me home. My nails dig into the material of Marcelo’s suit jacket when we reach the back of the car.

“Savina!”

I close my eyes and grit my teeth when I hear my name called. It could be worse. It could have been my parents or brothers.

I force my lips to curl into a fake smile and turn around to face Emersyn.

She comes rushing down the steps with Tomas trailing behind her.

The front of the church is lit up, so they both get a good look at my face.

I must really look a fright because she screeches to a halt several feet away from me.

Her mouth hangs open for a brief second before she snaps it closed.

“Jesus, Sav, what in the hell happened to you?” she asks, her eyes roaming all over my face before tracking down my body, then back up.

What I want to say is nothing, but it would be stupid to do so because it’s obvious from my appearance that something did happen.

“Umm…” I mumble. What in the hell do I tell her? I can’t tell her the truth. Well, I could, but I’m not ready for that conversation yet. “I… uh.” I trail off, finding it difficult coming up with a plausible excuse.

She steps up to me. “You look like you’ve been utterly ravished by a madman.”

A strained laugh slips out before I can stop it. She has no idea how close to the truth she is.

My devil is a psychopathic madman. He gives a whole new meaning to “touch her and die.”

“Oh, God,” she whispers, her eyes rounding in shock. “You were!”

Tomas comes to a stop beside her, his narrowed gaze taking in my appearance.

“What in the hell happened? Did someone hurt you?”

Unlike Emersyn, whose lips are currently forming a slow smile, Tomas looks pissed. I love that he’s protective of me, but in this instant, there’s no need for it.

His eyes slide to Marcelo, still at my side, and he takes a step toward him. “Who did that to her?” he asks in a harsh tone.

Marcelo stiffens beside me. “You better step back, boy,” he warns.

Instead of doing what he’s told, Tomas moves closer. The look in his eyes isn’t anything I’ve seen on his face before. He looks seconds away from killing my bodyguard.

I let go of Marcelo’s arm and step between the two men. “Calm down, both of you.”

Tomas looks at me with fire in his eyes. “Did he do this?”

I turn to face him fully and press a hand against his chest, giving him a light push. He steps back a foot.

“What happened was nothing I didn’t willingly allow. And no, it wasn’t Marcelo.”

He looks down, and I internally cringe when he notices the red marks on my arms. He grabs my wrist and lifts my arm until a beam of light from the lamp highlights the marks.

“Tell me who did this,” he demands, lifting his eyes to meet mine.

I shake my head. “I won’t. It’s none of your business, Tomas. Now, I want you and Emersyn to go back inside. Marcelo is taking me home.”

“Savina—,” he starts, but I cut him off.

“Please, Tomas. It’s not what it looks like. I promise, I’m okay.” I give him a smile to show my words are true.

I can tell he wants to argue from the tic in his jaw, but after a moment, he just jerks his chin up in a nod. “We’re going to talk about this later.”

I acknowledge his request with a nod of my own. Sure, we’ll talk about it, but that doesn’t mean I’ll give him all of the facts.

“Thank you,” I say. “And keep this between us. I don’t want my parents or brothers to know.” I look at Emersyn. “And that goes for you, too.”

She gives me a cheeky grin. “Sure thing. But you’re giving me all of the dirty details.”

Some of the tension fades from my muscles, and I return her grin. Like Tomas, I’ll give her just enough to satisfy her curiosity, but nothing more. No one can know about my devil and all the things we do together.

I reach up and peck Tomas on the cheek. Emersyn elbows him out of the way the second I lean back. Her hands smack over my ears, and she tugs my head forward, where she plants a loud kiss against my cheek.

“Jesus, Savina,” she says, yanking her head back. “Your breath smells like?—”

I slam a hand over her mouth. Horror and embarrassment have my eyes widening and my gut clenching. Oh God, can she really smell his release on my breath?

Lips move beneath my hand, and I narrow my eyes at the smile I see in her eyes. Her lips pucker, and I snatch my hand back.

She laughs. “I’m coming over first thing in the morning, and you’re going to tell me all about your nasty romp with this mysterious man of yours.”

“I can’t tomorrow. I’ve got some work to do in my studio, and I plan to spend the rest of the day with Liliana and Harper.”

It’s a lie, but I need more time to come up with an appropriate story of what happened tonight.

She cocks a hip. “You aren’t already avoiding me, are you?”

“No.” I turn to the car and wait for Marcelo to open the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow night and we’ll set up a lunch date with you and Tomas.”

I don’t wait for either to respond before I get into the car. Relaxing my head against the back of the seat, I close my eyes, suddenly feeling exhausted.

Who knew getting your throat fucked would be so depleting?