My heart sank, and I began to shake, especially when I saw her troubled frown. "He could have left hours ago!" she exclaimed, holding her head as she paced. “I had no idea.” "Think back. Did you hear anything?" I inquired with fear in my voice. "Not really. I went to sleep at some point, and when I woke up, I checked on him like usual, but he wasn’t in bed," she said, sighing in exasperation. "At first, I was worried he’d fainted, so I checked every single room, but...” she trailed off as she stared at the floor. Her pupils were dilated, and she had a faraway look in her eyes. After a few seconds, she raised her head and said, “I'm sorry." Although I didn’t let on, this was terrifying to me. He had just come home and wasn’t one hundred percent healthy. If he were attacked or suffered any amount of trauma, he'd be right back to where he began before the hospital. My heart raced as my mind ran through every worst-case scenario. Moments ago, my aching feet had been the
Chasel POVI couldn't believe my ears. Had the girl I used as a human shield done all those things for me? What would make her behave in such a way? Was she looking for the so-called life-saving grace?Who was this Juliana?The first time I remember meeting her was in the hospital. When I woke up, and she was at my bedside, despite my poor state, I was stunned by the purity of her appearance. She was beautiful and was the type of woman who could easily sway the average man in her favor. But I wasn't typical.Also, from day one, my first impression of Anna, with her blocky physique and assertive demeanor, gave me the sense that she'd seen some life and wouldn't shy away from a fight. Though she was older, it hadn't weakened her, and she had my respect.Not only did I respect her, but she was also my host. I had to adhere to what she was asking, and right now, that was an apology. As Anna pointed once more, Juliana turned to me. Despite being taller than her, I felt humbled in her p
Juliana POVMy restraints were tight and painful as I writhed against them. Even though I could barely see through my swollen eyes, it was enough to view the sadistic, greasy grin of this patron. I quivered as I watched him figuratively froth at the mouth, having been granted free rein over my body. He had already torn off my clothes. What else would he do? I felt the light in my heart become dim. Still, I hadn't lost my will. I jostled against my restraints as the client slithered closer. I could tell there was a list he had in mind of what he desired but had never been allowed to act out his twisted fantasies. If he enjoyed sexual contact without consent, he was a pervert, and degenerates like him didn’t ever have good intentions.I chastised myself, briefly believing that part of this could be my fault, but quickly that notion dissipated. Everything in my heart told me I was here because of an angry client and my infuriated, ego-bruised boss. It wasn't my responsibility tha
Salvatore was stunned by the cold stare of death in Chasel's golden irises. I widened my eyes, trying to understand the violent confrontation that just took place. Eagerly, I watched Salvatore’s reaction. My boss wouldn’t take his eyes off Chasel. There was fear in those wide eyes. Chasel slowly approached, like a predator with his prey, threatening to execute the final blow at a moment's notice. My boss's eyes darted around in desperation. He was trying to choose the right words before Chasel decided for him. Then, I watched his eyes glimmer in hope. With a sliver of composure, he stood slightly taller. "Hang on,” he began.”If you kill me, all the rogues in the area will hunt you down for revenge. I have allies. You won't make it to the next alleyway before you're dead." He pointed outside. Chasel didn't need much time to respond. "If I kill you, I'll become the head rogue." His baritone voice penetrated the room. "Isn't that the way this works?" He sure was one for brev
Chasel carried me all the way back, straight into my bedroom. "I want to check your ankle," he insisted once we were alone. "Let me shower and put on some clothes," I told him. "You probably want your jacket back, right?" I had to make light of the situation; otherwise, I would break down. He smiled at that comment, but I nearly had to push him out to make him leave. He was quite concerned.As the water pelted my tender skin, I hoped to mentally and physically cleanse myself of the slime from that customer. After a half hour, I realized there wasn't enough soap in the world to scrub the feeling of that pervert's hands off me. The only thing that could counteract my shivers of shame was what Chasel did to help me.When finished, I stood on the bath mat, staring at the steamy mirror. Limping my way over, I wiped a circle of condensation off to see my face. I was startled in fright at my reflection. My cheeks were swollen, and my lip was cut from the heavy-handed hits of my ex-bos
My life in the rogue slums was difficult when we first arrived, but it wasn't so bad now. In fact, this was the best I'd felt since my mother passed away. I looked forward to waking up instead of feeling depressed like I did when I lived at Gold Valley. Every morning, Chasel did his best to serve Anna and me breakfast. It was a kind gesture, and he wanted to do his part, but in true Chasel style, things didn't always go as planned. He blew up the kitchen more than once, but he wasn't deterred. He never seemed to give up on improving, no matter how hard things were. Today, after I woke up, I could smell Chasel cooking all morning, though I couldn’t say it tempted me. There was the strong scent of smoke accompanied by the sound of pans clanging together. “Oh, you’re up!” he excitedly told Anna and me when we came to the kitchen. "This is going to be a fantastic breakfast. Just you wait.”Of course, Anna and I were skeptical and discreetly covered our mouths, tittering about
That night, I lay in my bed but could not sleep. I kept tossing and turning, recalling Chasel's gentle yet desperate eyes as he looked at me with affection. My face burned from shyness, and I covered my head with the blankets. Did he really say that to me?Secretly, I smiled to myself. The next morning, we pretended nothing happened, especially in front of Anna. However, Anna could sense that something was going on with us. Chasel wasn't exactly skilled at hiding how he felt.Anna's eyes were glued to him, and I could see him becoming uncomfortable. Why would she purposely make him feel bad? Surely, there was a method to her madness, right?While she stared at him for several seconds, her eyes flicked back to me. I was just as terrible of an actor as Chasel was at hiding how I felt! Here, I was thinking I'd be able to play it cool, but Anna's all-knowing eyes pierced my soul. It was like she could see into my every thought. Her eyes snapped back to Chasel. When Chasel noticed h
I dropped my jaw when the tables and stools bent in half as easily as snapping toothpicks. I locked eyes with one of the rogues. Seeing me excited him, and he advanced, clenching his jaw. With all his strength, he swung the iron bar at me. Luckily, my reflexes kicked in, and I dodged it. However, he recovered and came back more zealously, raising the bar high over his head.Just when it would crack down on me, Chasel's sinewy hand intervened, clasping the rogue's wrist. He held on with a vice grip, staring his enemy down. Gasping, I realized Chasel had just fended off a two-handed attack with only one! His golden irises shimmered under the track lighting above him, and he narrowed his eyes. With intense determination, Chasel twisted the rogue's arm around until it was in an unnatural position."No, stop! You're going to break it!" my attacker cried, yelping in pain with each twist. "I'm sorry! What do you want? I'll do anything.""Why did you attack her?" Chasel demanded, jerking