His face softens a second before he masks it. “Why do you think Linc married Laura?”
My brows pull together. “You know about that?”
“Have a seat, son.” He gestures to the chair I stood from. I fall back into it. “I was best friends with her dad before he even got with Laura. They fell in love immediately. She was his chosen. They got married before they even graduated from Barrington. They wanted to start a family as soon as possible. Laura had a rough pregnancy. Bedridden, very sick. She went into labor six weeks early. Me and your mother were there when they wheeled her back for an emergency C-section. Elli wasn’t breathing. Laura was bleeding. She ended up having a hysterectomy.”
“What does this have to do with Lincoln?” I demand, wanting him to get to the point.
“Linc wants an heir. An Asher heir.”
I frown. “But you just said Laura can’t have more kids. Even if she could, she’s not an Asher…” I trail off, finally understanding. “No.” I shake my head. “Elli wouldn’t…”
“Do you think he’d ask her to have his child?” he snaps. “He’s inserting himself into that house to get close to Elli. He saw what James did. He’ll do the same. You can’t watch her twenty-four seven, son.”
He’s right, and I don’t like the pit I feel in my stomach that I can’t keep her from harm. That she’ll end up like Whitney Minson all over again, and the Lords will cover it up like she never existed. I’d lose my mind, just like Tyson did. After she died, nothing and no one mattered to him. Hell, he gave up his future, knowing that one day he’ll get his chance at revenge.
My father shakes his head. “Lincoln will wait for his opportunity, and he’ll fuck her. Every chance he gets. Against her will or by manipulation. Whatever it takes. Elli is a good girl and I hate what she’s been through, but she’s been groomed for too long. You can’t reverse that type of psychological damage. You know that firsthand.”
My eyes narrow at that. “So you’re saying I’m using her.” Haven’t I? I’ve pretended to be someone else to get her off. I used her body. That night at the Freak Show, afterward at her house. Fuck, she liked it. So did I. Which one of us is more fucked up? Even now, I don’t want to be soft with her. I want her crawling on her hands and knees to me. Begging me to fuck her. To make her my whore. She’s so pretty when she cries. When she begs. The way her body leans into mine. The way her lips part when she’s begging to breathe.
“I’m saying when he gets the chance, he’ll take it. And if you’ve tampered with her birth control, she’ll be having his child. Not yours.”
My hands fist at that thought. Elli will be my wife and she will have my kids. No one else’s. “He warned me. Told me to take my chosen, and if I didn’t, he’d do things to Elli. He already knew he had plans in place.” How will I keep her from that house? That’s her home. Elli may be willing not to go back but her mother will ask questions.
“There is one more thing.” He sighs. “Amelia…”
“I don’t want to talk about her.” I shake my head.
He flexes his jaw. “Son, it’s not going to go away. Plans have been made…”
“Without my approval,” I argue.
“It’s the way it is. You will do what’s best for your children just like I’m doing what’s best for you and your sister.” I’m well aware he left my mother out of that statement. I know where she stands.
Getting up, I turn and leave his study, ending the conversation. I enter my room to find it empty. Rushing into the adjoining bathroom, I shove the door open, making her yelp in surprise.
“It’s just me,” I say, closing it behind me.
She stands in front of the sink in her dirty, ripped dress. Her knees are scraped along with her arms. She’s covered in dried blood from her hand and due to the roughness of how I fucked her in the woods off the side of the road.
“Let me help you.” I take a step toward her, and she crosses her arms over her chest. I stop and her eyes drop to the floor.
I don’t like this Elli. The timid girl who acts afraid. I want my little demon who slaps me across the face, fights me knowing she can’t beat me. Moving closer slowly, I gently grab the hem of her dress. “Lift your arms,” I whisper.
Lifting her arms above her head, I pull the material off and let it fall to the floor. She stands before me in nothing but her underwear, her heels long forgotten over in the corner. I walk over to the shower and turn it on.
When I turn back to face her, she’s standing there shaking, head down. Her bleach-blond hair matted around her face. There are twigs and leaves in it.
I reach out, grab her hand, and pull her into the shower. Placing her back against the sprayer, I face her and unwrap the duct tape and remove the shirt from her hand. I look at the wound. It’s stopped bleeding. Honestly, it could probably use some stitches.
“I need to clean it,” I tell her, and she nods.
I gently wash it and she stands silently still while I clean the rest of her, along with the brand on her leg and piercings. They’re both healing so nicely. Leaning her head back, she closes her eyes and I wash her hair with my shampoo.
When it’s rinsed clean, she lowers her head, and her bloodshot eyes meet mine. “I’m sorry,” she whispers.
I grip her face in both of my hands. “Don’t fucking apologize to me, Elli. You have nothing to be sorry for.”
She sniffs, her chest rising. “I … I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Fresh tears fill her eyes.
I tighten my hands on her face, making her whimper. “Listen to me, Ellington.” I wait for the tears to spill free so she can see me clearly before I continue. “Nothing is fucking wrong with you. Not a goddamn thing.”
“But—”
“But nothing,” I snap, interrupting whatever bullshit she was about to say. “You’re perfect.”
She begins to cry harder at my words. I understand how fucked up they are. She’s who she is because of the childhood she had. And I’m the way I am because of the Lords. They fucked us both up in different ways.
“It’s you,” she whispers, her plump lips trembling.
“What is?” I ask, my eyes searching hers.
She licks her lips, dropping her eyes in shame before whispering. “What I’ve always wanted.”
I’ve known how she’s felt about me for a couple of weeks now. Ever since I read her diary that night after I brought her home from the Freak Show. But to hear her say it out loud, I’m unable to put into words how it feels for her to acknowledge that.
I release her face and run my knuckles down her neck to feel her racing pulse. I press my body into hers, my free hand wrapping around her thin waist, holding her to me. “I’m not going anywhere, little demon,” I say, and she sniffs, biting her bottom lip nervously. “I will be whoever you need, whenever you need me.” I can be the guy who holds her when she needs to break, and I can be the guy who chases her into the woods and fucks her ruthlessly.
I’m willing to be her devil as much as she’s willing to be my little demon. I never want her to second-guess my intentions. For some, pain is where they find comfort. Elli is that someone.