Page 24

Saul

The mental and physical exhaustion took its toll on her. After I fed her, I tucked her into bed, grudgingly giving her the button-faced, smirking little bastard. It didn't make me feel any better knowing her father gave him to her. But she smiled at me when I handed him to her, lifting her arms for my kiss so, for the time being, the fluffy bastard could live.

To watch Maeve unravel in the manner she did hit me harder than I’d ever imagined. My hair rose at the back of my neck at her fury, pain and sorrow. It happened too quickly, but my cruel tactic worked. Her emotions were raw and brutal, yet powerful.

I needed to gather my men to begin the hunt. Athill was mine. Grayson and his men would need to take a backseat on this one. My mind was alight, switching from murderous rage to euphoria from her confession of love. Again, her bravery astounded me.

Maeve O'Neill. Maeve Thorne sounded better. My surname suited us both. We both had blood on our hands, but hers had never taken a life. She didn't need to as long as my heart beat.

I emailed Dylan, tapping away the details I required, breaking them down by the names of people. Athill would need to be broken to get the names of the men who abused her. He stole ten years of Maeve’s life.

I hesitated, ten years of mental torture. I smiled because the devil was about to meet his maker. And it sure as fuck wasn't God. I picked up my phone and called my brother. He was the only one in my family who knew about Maeve.

Sean answered the phone.

“If it isn't my dark and brooding big brother,”

he said, bypassing the hello.

My lips twitched at his sardonic words.

“You know a phone can make outbound calls. You don't need to sit and wait on a call like a precious princess,”

I said, my voice as dry as his.

“That’s Sage’s job,”

he said, smiling.

“I need you to stay over a few nights,”

I said quietly.

“Is she ready?” he asked.

I thought of her upheaval today.

“For our family? No. I’m just giving you a heads-up. If I can get everything together, it might take five or six days,”

I said.

“When are Mum and Dad back?”

“Mmm. They have another month left, but Sage knows the exact date.”

Our sister remembered everything we didn't. We relied on her to remind us of key dates and upcoming events. Our parents were currently travelling in Asia, but my family would be too much for her to handle. I only needed Sean to stay the nights that I was gone.

“Maeve has a long way to recovery, Sean. She hasn't had any social contact with anyone for seven years.”

“You got her name,”

he said with a sigh.

My fingers gripped the phone, and I clenched my teeth.

“Yeah, and it wasn't pretty.”

He was silent for a moment.

“Let me know when you need me. You know I will be there.”

“Thanks. I did drop a few childhood stories, so she knows you're a dickhead,”

I said with a grin before I hung up on him.

There was a time when I pushed my family away.

Sean was the only one I eventually opened up to.

He didn't have to know the gruesome details to be there for me, but he knew enough to understand why I pulled away.

He never asked about the nightmares. He just showed up with beer and shitty movies until I could breathe again.

My phone lit up, and I read Sean’s text.

Sean: It’s good to hear you sound happy again. Fuck face.

I smirked. Translation: I’m glad you’re not a grumpy bastard anymore—Sean’s version of a hug.

Sean: Wait a minute. Did you tell her about the grapefruit?

The screen went blank as his call came through. I ended the call.

Sean: pick up!!!

I shoved my phone in my pocket, but my amusement vanished when I thought of Maeve’s mother.

The ultimate vile bitch who didn't deserve to breathe in the same oxygen as Maeve.

She was second on my list.

Dylan could pick up Morrison. He had no qualms about getting rid scumbags.

Maeve. What a beautiful name.

I checked to ensure my phone was in the silent setting and went upstairs, sneaking into the bed to hold her.

I stared at the bear with the faint stains of blood that Dr Arin couldn't remove.

He was with her for all those lonely years, trapped in a basement.

The bastard was here to stay.

My arm tightened around Maeve, pulling them closer to me until her head rested on my chest.

The need to cocoon her away from the harsh world was overpowering.

Her torment would forever remain with me.

If I could, I would carry all her burdens for her.

She sighed and nuzzled into me. Something in my chest unfurled. The tension that I didn't know I had left my body from her simple action.

If I didn't know any better, I’d think our damaged souls were intertwined.

**

Again, I woke up to clear blue eyes peering into mine.

The puffiness around her eyes was almost gone.

I reached out and pushed my fingers through her golden, silky strands of hair.

She closed her eyes at my touch. I waited until she opened them again. I smiled at my personal ray of sunshine.

“I love you, Maeve Thorne,”

I said, releasing the words I’d held onto. The words tasted like a sweet victory. Like she'd always been mine, she just hadn't known it yet.

“Thorne?”

she asked with a confused smile.

“Yes, your new name,”

I said, in a matter-of-fact tone, as I pushed the tangles out of her long hair.

“Your surname is Thorne?”

she asked.

“Saul Massen Thorne, aka your Master,”

I said, running my hand down to her ass. It was filling out nicely.

She repeated my name. Her voice was soft but with an edge. It was just like her: feminine with a hint of underlying feral. I squeezed the handful of soft flesh.

“Say my name again,”

I demanded, watching her eyes flare.

“Saul,”

she recited with her voice like a knife wrapped in silk.

I didn't need to check her pulse this time to know what she needed.