Rose’s POV The first thing that hits me is the smell. I don’t think I’ll ever find the words to describe it, but I can taste it in the back of my throat every time I breathe in. It’s cold and silent except for my panicked breaths and my pulse thundering in my ears .The last thing I remember is running down the beach, looking back at Phoenix and seeing wolves attacking, then a gunshot. Now, here I am, blindfolded and tied to a chair in a place that smells like a teenage boy’s gym bag.“You won’t get away with this.” I shout, sounding braver than I feel. I don’t even know why I said it. It’s the first thing that came to mind. Maybe I’ve seen one too many movies for my own good.Footsteps behind me have me turning my head as if I would be able to see who is there. They don’t say anything, but the smell of cigarettes adds to the stench of the place. “What do you want with me? I have no money, I’m not worth anything.” It’s a sad fact, but a fact all the same. Why would anyone kidnap me
Phoenix’ POV We have searched the entire pier, under it, the arcades, every coffee shop, nook and cranny, twice. Rose is nowhere to be found. Wherever she is, she is barely dressed and probably freezing and confused. Why did I have to drag her out of bed? I can’t think clearly around her, and it shows. She would have been safer locked in the house, not running down the beach half naked and scared. I could have kept them out. My brothers were close by. I should have known they would be there in moments to have my back, they always are, it’s what we do.“Let’s go back to the house and check again, we might have missed her,” Jackson suggests, most likely aware of all the attention I was drawing to us with my raised voice and the rumble emanating from my chest. My other brothers, Jackson and Braydon, joined the search after we couldn’t find her where I told her to wait, and they felt my panic over our link.“Where the fuck is she? I told her, hide under the pier. I couldn’t have been any
Rose’s POV “Smile sweetheart. You don’t want them to think you aren’t having fun, do you?” The boss man’s voice sounds so familiar. Having fun, what the hell is he talking about? It takes a second to remember he sent someone to get a camera, and my blood runs cold at the thought of him taking photos of me like this.“Here, Vin, you take the picture.” I listen, but don’t try to move. In my head I’ve gone from thoughts of fighting and trying to get away, to giving up and accepting my fate, to praying to a God I have never believed in that I make it out of here alive. That’s where I know his voice from. My mind flits to granny Gwynn, and I wonder if I’ll be seeing her again sooner than I thought. He was at her funeral. Mr Ant... something. I have never met him before today but I’m sure it’s him. Something about the way he said my name earlier was familiar, the way he rolled the R, just like the man at the funeral.Even through my blindfold I’m aware of a camera flash lighting up the ro
Phoenix’ POV The red neon sign for Angelo’s Gym comes into view, and my heart, which has been slamming away since I realised she was gone, slows down ever so slightly. She is in there. I’ll have her in my arms in minutes. Now is the time to slow down, think shit through and don’t fuck it up.“So, we will go in first and take down Antonellia and his men. You get Rose and get out. Do you hear me Phoenix. You can make him pay later, just get her out of there.” Jackson holds my head in both of his hands and gives it a shake. We have been over the rather loose plan a few times. I know my brothers can deal with whatever we are walking into, and all I have to do is get Rose out of there quickly and safely.“Yes, I hear you. Get her out.” I know why he is treating me like a wet behind the ears pup. When it comes to Rose, I seem to forget my training and act on instinct, which isn’t a good thing considering I’m a trained killer and my wolf seems to be teetering on the edge of feral.Our phone
Rose’s POV Sitting in his lap is nice. I’ve dreamed about being this close to him for the last three years. The experience is ruined when every bump in the road jolts my body and sends stabbing pains up through me from my very sore and swollen private area.When he asked where I hurt, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. As if being found tied up and naked wasn’t bad enough, I wasn’t about to tell him what that monster did to me. I’m not sure I could even form the words. It all feels so unreal, like maybe it didn’t really happen and I might wake up at any minute.I think he knows though. The look on his face and the anger I can feel rolling off him in waves tells me he at least has some idea. I should tell him what happened in case he is imagining the worst, thinking that I was raped. I don’t want him to see me like that, imagining me being damaged or soiled or broken beyond repair. Phoenix has always been my hero, but the thought of him seeing me as a victim makes my heart
Phoenix’ POV Well, here she is, at our place just like the guys wanted, especially Ranger. I can’t help feeling like maybe I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. After seeing that video, there is no way I or my wolf could bear the thought of letting her out of our sight, so bringing her home made perfect sense. Shit, I’m struggling to even think of putting her down. She feels so damn right, curled up in my arms, all soft and warm.We get to the bunker about ten minutes after the others. They ran ahead to get the lights on and fire going and check to make sure there hadn’t been any activity in the vicinity whilst we had been gone. Jackson has made up the guest room for her, fool that he is, really thinks I’m leaving her after what she has just been through. The only place she will sleep is my bed. I don’t care if I spend every night of the rest of my life sleeping in a chair. She belongs in my bed, nowhere else.You wouldn’t know our bunker is here unless you were really looking for it
Phoenix’ POV “I’m here, if you want to talk... about tonight... about anything.” I broach the subject delicately. I saw her embarrassment earlier, and even now, I feel her face heat against my chest, but the kind of trauma she has just endured shouldn’t be swept under the rug and left to fester.“He didn’t ra..” she swallows, “he didn’t rape me.” She forces the words out, her face mashed against my chest like she can’t bear to look at me.“Look at me, Rose.” I wait for her to comply. It takes her a moment, and I feel her take a deep breath before she lifts her head, and her swollen, tear streaked face looks up at me.“You have nothing to be ashamed of. What happened, whatever happened, is on him, not you. He has absolutely no right to be in your head, and you need to know you are stronger than him. You are stronger than anyone I know.” I try not to let on that I know exactly what happened. I saw the depraved act with my own eyes, and that shit will be burned into my memory for as lo
Rose’s POV I wake up in a bed that isn’t mine, and panic starts to creep in until I remember being carried through the forest by Phoenix. I recall him tucking me in, kissing my forehead and sweeping my hair off my face. I thought it was another one of my dreams, but when his fingers brushed my cheek, my body fizzed with something, not excitement but something like it. That feeling doesn’t happen in dreams. When I go to sit up, throbbing pain radiates between my legs, and I lay back down carefully. For just a second, I forgot all about last night. My giddiness about Phoenix and the way he has been with me had been on my mind even in my sleep.“Aaaah, jesus.” My hand goes straight between my legs, and the memories of everything that happened comes crashing back. My labia are sore and swollen, and everything down there feels bruised and tender.A rustling noise at the end of the bed startles me, and I stop feeling around to assess the damage and lay perfectly still. I’ve heard of being
Rose’s POV His fingers brush gently over my skin where my neck and shoulder meet. His soft touch makes little sparks dance all over me, and I draw in a shallow, shuddering breath. The silence in the room is comfortable, but the atmosphere is palpable. His warmth at my back is comforting and familiar, and I feel like I’m in a dream.“Let’s go and get breakfast, then I’ll give you the grand tour.” He pulls his hand back quickly, and just like that, my head clears. What was that? He has never had that effect on me before, even when I so desperately wished he would. I’ve read about it in my books, fantasised about it happening to me, but I didn’t really believe that that feeling of belonging, need, the pull of someone you know is your destiny, was real outside of my books. It all just seemed so ridiculous, until now.“I’m not really hungry.” I look down at my feet and mutter awkwardly, mourning the loss of his touch. I don’t want to face his brothers. I don’t want to answer questions a
Phoenix’ POV I beat a hasty retreat just as my cock comes to full mast. This woman was sent to torture me, I’m sure of it. Between her and my wolf I am definitely destined for the loony bin.Seeing her in my bed, and when she sat up and the duvet fell around her waist, fuck, I felt like an absolute dick. All I could think about was taking her nipples into my mouth and feeling them harden against my tongue. I bet she is responsive as fuck. I don’t know how I know, I just do. I feel like I know everything about her, and what little I may not know, I can’t wait to learn.I know she has been through some shit in recent days, and I don’t doubt it will take her time to process that and learn how to live with having such a crappy thing in her history. But I am only a man, and the way I want her is so deeply ingrained, I couldn’t have stopped my body reacting the way it did if my life depended on it.I have never been with a woman, never felt the need strongly enough to take that risk, none
Rose’s POV I wake up in a bed that isn’t mine, and panic starts to creep in until I remember being carried through the forest by Phoenix. I recall him tucking me in, kissing my forehead and sweeping my hair off my face. I thought it was another one of my dreams, but when his fingers brushed my cheek, my body fizzed with something, not excitement but something like it. That feeling doesn’t happen in dreams. When I go to sit up, throbbing pain radiates between my legs, and I lay back down carefully. For just a second, I forgot all about last night. My giddiness about Phoenix and the way he has been with me had been on my mind even in my sleep.“Aaaah, jesus.” My hand goes straight between my legs, and the memories of everything that happened comes crashing back. My labia are sore and swollen, and everything down there feels bruised and tender.A rustling noise at the end of the bed startles me, and I stop feeling around to assess the damage and lay perfectly still. I’ve heard of being
Phoenix’ POV “I’m here, if you want to talk... about tonight... about anything.” I broach the subject delicately. I saw her embarrassment earlier, and even now, I feel her face heat against my chest, but the kind of trauma she has just endured shouldn’t be swept under the rug and left to fester.“He didn’t ra..” she swallows, “he didn’t rape me.” She forces the words out, her face mashed against my chest like she can’t bear to look at me.“Look at me, Rose.” I wait for her to comply. It takes her a moment, and I feel her take a deep breath before she lifts her head, and her swollen, tear streaked face looks up at me.“You have nothing to be ashamed of. What happened, whatever happened, is on him, not you. He has absolutely no right to be in your head, and you need to know you are stronger than him. You are stronger than anyone I know.” I try not to let on that I know exactly what happened. I saw the depraved act with my own eyes, and that shit will be burned into my memory for as lo
Phoenix’ POV Well, here she is, at our place just like the guys wanted, especially Ranger. I can’t help feeling like maybe I’ve bitten off more than I can chew. After seeing that video, there is no way I or my wolf could bear the thought of letting her out of our sight, so bringing her home made perfect sense. Shit, I’m struggling to even think of putting her down. She feels so damn right, curled up in my arms, all soft and warm.We get to the bunker about ten minutes after the others. They ran ahead to get the lights on and fire going and check to make sure there hadn’t been any activity in the vicinity whilst we had been gone. Jackson has made up the guest room for her, fool that he is, really thinks I’m leaving her after what she has just been through. The only place she will sleep is my bed. I don’t care if I spend every night of the rest of my life sleeping in a chair. She belongs in my bed, nowhere else.You wouldn’t know our bunker is here unless you were really looking for it
Rose’s POV Sitting in his lap is nice. I’ve dreamed about being this close to him for the last three years. The experience is ruined when every bump in the road jolts my body and sends stabbing pains up through me from my very sore and swollen private area.When he asked where I hurt, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me. As if being found tied up and naked wasn’t bad enough, I wasn’t about to tell him what that monster did to me. I’m not sure I could even form the words. It all feels so unreal, like maybe it didn’t really happen and I might wake up at any minute.I think he knows though. The look on his face and the anger I can feel rolling off him in waves tells me he at least has some idea. I should tell him what happened in case he is imagining the worst, thinking that I was raped. I don’t want him to see me like that, imagining me being damaged or soiled or broken beyond repair. Phoenix has always been my hero, but the thought of him seeing me as a victim makes my heart
Phoenix’ POV The red neon sign for Angelo’s Gym comes into view, and my heart, which has been slamming away since I realised she was gone, slows down ever so slightly. She is in there. I’ll have her in my arms in minutes. Now is the time to slow down, think shit through and don’t fuck it up.“So, we will go in first and take down Antonellia and his men. You get Rose and get out. Do you hear me Phoenix. You can make him pay later, just get her out of there.” Jackson holds my head in both of his hands and gives it a shake. We have been over the rather loose plan a few times. I know my brothers can deal with whatever we are walking into, and all I have to do is get Rose out of there quickly and safely.“Yes, I hear you. Get her out.” I know why he is treating me like a wet behind the ears pup. When it comes to Rose, I seem to forget my training and act on instinct, which isn’t a good thing considering I’m a trained killer and my wolf seems to be teetering on the edge of feral.Our phone
Rose’s POV “Smile sweetheart. You don’t want them to think you aren’t having fun, do you?” The boss man’s voice sounds so familiar. Having fun, what the hell is he talking about? It takes a second to remember he sent someone to get a camera, and my blood runs cold at the thought of him taking photos of me like this.“Here, Vin, you take the picture.” I listen, but don’t try to move. In my head I’ve gone from thoughts of fighting and trying to get away, to giving up and accepting my fate, to praying to a God I have never believed in that I make it out of here alive. That’s where I know his voice from. My mind flits to granny Gwynn, and I wonder if I’ll be seeing her again sooner than I thought. He was at her funeral. Mr Ant... something. I have never met him before today but I’m sure it’s him. Something about the way he said my name earlier was familiar, the way he rolled the R, just like the man at the funeral.Even through my blindfold I’m aware of a camera flash lighting up the ro
Phoenix’ POV We have searched the entire pier, under it, the arcades, every coffee shop, nook and cranny, twice. Rose is nowhere to be found. Wherever she is, she is barely dressed and probably freezing and confused. Why did I have to drag her out of bed? I can’t think clearly around her, and it shows. She would have been safer locked in the house, not running down the beach half naked and scared. I could have kept them out. My brothers were close by. I should have known they would be there in moments to have my back, they always are, it’s what we do.“Let’s go back to the house and check again, we might have missed her,” Jackson suggests, most likely aware of all the attention I was drawing to us with my raised voice and the rumble emanating from my chest. My other brothers, Jackson and Braydon, joined the search after we couldn’t find her where I told her to wait, and they felt my panic over our link.“Where the fuck is she? I told her, hide under the pier. I couldn’t have been any