CHAPTER14
Valentin
Scars. We all had them, whether internal or external, they were always painful, at least for a lengthy period.
Mine were ugly, created from sheer torture, wounds that had nearly cost me my life.
I wore them like badges of honor, memories that should never be forgotten.
Sometimes they were a product of violence, a bloody and gruesome event such as war, whether fought for honor of a country or that of a territory. Sometimes they were self-inflicted, wounds that were picked on time and time again in an effort to dull the pain of everyday life. Then there were those that created a dull ache, a hollow feeling that never went away entirely because of heartache and loss.
I could tell hers were internal, a part of her life closed off because she’d believed it was necessary.
I held both scars, but only the ones inside had ever caused significant pain. Somehow, I had a distinct feeling another heavy graft of scars would soon form, pooling in my heart and soul, festering to the point of rupture.
The beautiful woman sitting beside me had mentioned she was falling in love. In my world, that was detrimental. While my father had loved my mother, there was no burning passion, only comfort that they could share the joys and sorrows together, even if they hadn’t shared a bedroom for as long as I could remember. That’s all I’d ever known, along with often unsaid rules regarding whatever vice a powerful man’s children might consider partaking in.
There was no doubt I wanted her in my life, yet there was no chance that was possible. But the passion, the need for her only continued to build, fracturing the thick metal shield that had formed years before.
Yes, there would be lasting scars that would never heal.
As Cassidy rubbed her fingers across my back, tracing the scarred skin where I’d been shot several times, I thought about what she’d said, her words still cutting into my gut much like her dazzling blue eyes did every time she looked at me. No, when she saw straight through me.
The light breeze had turned chilly and as she pulled her knees to her chest, she winced from the pain of her discipline
“Did I hurt you?” I asked.
“Aren’t punishments supposed to hurt?” She offered a wry smile then lowered her head, peeking her face in my direction.
I chuckled softly and glanced at the sky. “You’re right. They are. However, there is a time and place for all things.”
“You say that as if you’re uncertain about being here.”
“Perhaps I’m realizing that in order to protect you, there are certain people who need to be confronted.”
She pulled her hand away, a sudden cold look appearing in her eyes. “I don’t need your protection.”
“Are you so certain of that?” While challenging her at this point wasn’t what I’d intended, she needed to embrace the fact I could be the only man able to keep her alive.
“Do the wounds hurt?”
The fact she’d ignored the question meant she continued to hold back information.
“Not any longer. I deserved the pain.”
“Why?”
“Why don’t they hurt?” I knew exactly what she meant.
She rolled her eyes. “Why did you deserve it?”
“Because of the things I did, the requirements of my position.”
“Orders of your father?”
I nodded, taking several deep breaths. “He has a way of making certain his soldiers perform a certain way.”
“Is that what you do with your men?”