Page 84 of Black Hearts
“Go upstairs and wash yourselves off,” Markus ordered. He glanced at Theo, who still held onto me, and everyone knew what that was code for: leave me alone with Juliet.
As much as I didn’t want any of them to leave, no one wanted to go against Markus right now, so they left. One by one, they left the basement, though they each touched me softly before going. My arm, my face, my hair. Theo gave me a warm smile before he left, and then, as they disappeared down the hall, into the stairwell that led to the rest of the house, I was left alone with my personal savior.
My Prince Charming.
My devil.
I didn’t dare glance inside the room; if I saw what my father’s body looked like, I knew I’d have nightmares about it. So instead I stepped closer to Markus, reaching for his hands. They were covered in blood, slick and red. My skin against his looked pale in comparison.
“I should’ve killed him a long time ago,” Markus whispered, causing me to tilt my head back and meet those dark eyes once more.
Without saying a thing, I lifted a hand to his face and brought his top half down to me. I kissed him, even though he had the blood of my father on his hands. I kissed him even though he was my opposite in every way, dark, cruel, and controlling. I kissed him because I loved him.
Markus Scott. The man, the monster, the beast.
And he was all mine.
If you would’ve asked me whether or not it was possible to get into a routine at the Scott estate, my answer might’ve been dependent on when you asked. If, say, you would’ve asked me in the beginning, before I knew the truth about my father and my upbringing, when I was just a terrified little girl in a sea of monsters, I would’ve looked at you like you were crazy.
But if you would ask me now? Oh, I’d say it was much more than possible. I learned to live every day like tomorrow would never come, and I had my guys with me the whole while.
Did they have bouts of jealousy every now and then? Yes, but it was nothing we couldn’t handle. They were willing to put in the time and effort our relationship required because they loved me and needed me, and I felt the same about each of them.
Markus, Jaxon, Will, Theo, and Bennet. Five men who shouldn’t have captured my heart, body, and soul, but five men who did anyways. I wouldn’t know what a life without them would be like, and I didn’t care to. This was where I belonged, even if I didn’t agree with everything they did.
Speaking of… all that time in the house trying to find my purpose, I think I had an idea. I wanted to bring it up to Markus, along with one other thing.
One day when Tori was busy doing her homework next to her father, Killian, while he was trying to feed the newest addition to the household: a red-haired baby, when I decided to. I’d give you one guess as to who the father of that baby was.
Stella was off relaxing with Ed and Lincoln, and little Klaus was doing his darnedest trying to suckle on anything that wasn’t the bottle Killian was giving him.
I know. No sister for Tori. Not yet, anyway. I’d heard that Ed wanted to father a child, and since Lincoln and Killian had already done the same, I didn’t know how Stella was going to get out of it. Tori was desperately for it, because she still yearned for a sister.
But… maybe a cousin wouldn’t be so bad.
So, it was with that thought and my idea in mind that I went inside to find Markus. I assumed he was in his office and headed straight there. Silly me, I didn’t stop to knock—one of Markus’s pet peeves. I just walked right in.
And I walked right into a meeting with a man I didn’t recognize and a dog that instantly barked, growled, and went to lunge at me.
“Brutus!” the unfamiliar man called out to the dog. “Heel!” The slender yet muscular dog, a Doberman I think, stopped instantly, laying down on the carpet a few feet in front of me, whining as it stared at me. Almost like the dog wanted to attack me.
“A remarkably well-trained dog,” Markus spoke, his eyes shifting to me. He sat at his desk, and he wore all black. My favorite.
“I can’t say the same about your people,” the other man muttered.
“She’s mine,” Markus warned. “She does what she wants, even if that means no knocking, apparently.” Both he and the other man stared at me.
The other man was in his twenties, I’d say. He wore a button-up shirt, though its sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Tan skin. His hair was a dark brown, slicked back. A clean-shaven jaw on an impeccable appearance. Handsome, in a strange way, I supposed. The only thing that stood out to me was the short leather gloves he wore.
“People are so much harder to train than dogs,” the man spoke, “though that doesn’t stop me from trying.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, ignoring what the man said. “I didn’t know you were in a meeting. I can wait—”
“Nonsense. We were about done anyway.” The man got up, showing me just how tall he was. His height had to rival Markus’s. He whistled, and his dog got up. I moved aside, letting them both exit the office, watching them go.
Markus got up and followed, made sure he actually left. I waited for him to come back. Whoever that guy was… he left a bad taste in my mouth. I couldn’t say why.
After a moment, Markus returned, slow to move around his desk and take his usual seat. I asked him, “Who was that?”
