I wanted them both.
Damian’s big cock was hard again, and he stroked himself as he reached out and twisted my nipple. He didn’t look anywhere done with me.
Bastian kissed my forehead, then tapped Damian on the shoulder. “Take care of our girl.”
He left me alone with Damian, who just stared at me like a predator eyeing up his next meal. My beautiful monster. They were all sick and twisted, deranged psychos.
But could I ever love them?
I rewashed my hair and skin, desperate to get rid of every trace of the day. The feeling of their hands and tongues on my skin. And the blood that covered almost every inch of me. I could still feel all of it.
I grabbed a towel from the hook on the wall and climbed out of the shower. Smoke fogged the mirror. So I wiped off the condensation away with my hand. As I stared into the mirror, I ran my fingers through my hair to get rid of the knots. My curls were so unruly and hard to tame—kind of like the men in my life.
When I looked up again, Damian was behind me. I gasped at his sudden appearance. He was so damn quiet I didn’t hear him.
We exchanged a quick look before he bent down to grab his clothes from the floor. I worked my fingers through my hair one more time, getting rid of the last kink. Dark circles ringed my eyes. Even my normally pale skin had a sallow look to it.
Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even notice Damian with a belt in his hand. Not until it was too late to run. Still wet and naked, he lowered it over my head and bent me forward, pressing my palms to the counter.
He tugged hard on the leather.
I slapped his hand, gasping for air. “Damian, stop it!”
And then everything went black.
Damian tightened the belt around my neck like a noose, staring at me in the mirror with a vacant expression in his eyes, looking as if he weren’t even in his body.
Where the fuck did he go?
I thrashed and screamed and begged for someone to help me. But as he pulled on the buckle, I struggled to maintain my bearings, losing my grip on the counter. My eyes slammed shut. And before I passed out from the lack of oxygen, Bastian pulled Damian off me.
“Are you fucking crazy?” Bastian slapped Damian on the side of the head. “You could have killed her!”
Damian inched toward him, a sour look on his face.
Bastian raised his hand. “No. Go to your room. Don’t even look at Alex. Don’t come near her. You’re not using this bathroom anymore.” He slammed his palms into Damian’s chest and knocked him into the wall. “Get the fuck out! Now!”
Damian gave his brother one last pouty look before he left the room and locked the door behind him.
Tears streamed down my cheeks, flowing out of me like a dam breaking. My throat burned as I cried on Bastian’s chest, squeezing his muscular arms for support. Why hadn’t I cried after almost being raped? Not even after Damian killed that man. Almost dying at Damian’s hands was the final straw.
“It’s okay, Cherry.” Bastian palmed the back of my head, slipping his fingers through my curls. “I’m sorry, baby. I thought he would be okay by himself.”
Marcello entered the bathroom, chest heaving, his dark hair a fucking mess. He looked like he ran from the café. His eyes widened as he studied my naked body, his intense gaze moving up to the red ring around my neck.
“What the fuck happened?” Marcello reached out to touch the bruise, his fingers soft on my skin. Then his eyes shifted to Bastian. “Please tell me Damian didn’t do this.”
Bastian nodded. “He almost killed her.”
Marcello scooped me up and carried me out of the bathroom. The three of us left my room, passing Damian’s locked door in the hallway. Cradling me in his arms, Marcello sat on Bastian’s bed and ran his hands up and down my arms and thighs. There was nothing sexual about it. Just him trying to make me feel loved and protected.
“Alex is not staying in that room alone,” he told Bastian. “For now on, we’ll rotate shifts. You have her tonight. She’ll sleep with me tomorrow after I get back from my mission.”
“Agreed.” Bastian nodded. “But I don’t think Damian will go near her again. He knows he fucked up.”
Marcello held the back of my head and breathed in my scent as he kissed my forehead. “I’m sorry, princess. I shouldn’t have left you alone. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what else to say.”
I peered into his sad blue eyes. “Say you won’t let anyone hurt me ever again.”