Page 62 of Princess Claimed

No chance will I let either of them out of my sight. Not again.

I follow, willing my eyes to adjust as we leave the glaring luminescence of the star-show that’s surrounded us for the last twenty minutes.

Fuck. Where are they?

There are too many people in here tonight. Many of their eyes are on me, but some are directed on… I spot them.

Phil is now attacking himself. He’s pounding his head and fists against a stone pillar, while Ana tries to reason with him.

Leaping, I land next to her just as Phil crumples to the ground. Ana crouches next to Phil, stroking his back, saying soothing words as he sobs.

I grab a passing waiter. At least I think he’s a waiter. He’s in uniform, so he must work for us.

“Get me a key,” I say sharply. “To the closest private room. If it’s occupied, clear it out. We need it. Immediately!”

The waiter startles, but quickly hands me a key card, pointing toward a spot on the wall, marked with two intertwining heart shapes.

I pass by Ana and Phil. “Come!”

Lifting her head, Ana nods and tugs on Phil’s arm. Trusting her to take care of him, I race to the wall with the heart symbols. Quickly finding the hidden pad, I press the key card against it. A door swings open, revealing a room that’s clearly designed for encounters of the most intimate kind. At least physically intimate.

I shake my head. A sex room is the last thing we need. But right now, Phil needs privacy more than I need to worry about what might happen in this room.

Ana and Phil arrive at the entrance, her arms making their best attempt to wrap around his thick body, and his eyes remain trained on the floor.

“What is this place?” Ana asks in a whisper, glancing around, and then her jaw drops open.

“Fuck!” Breaking free from her hold, Phil crosses to a corner and drops down to sit, putting his bleeding head in his hands. Blood from his head is now mixed on his fists with the blood of his victim.

Ana turns to me. “Scotch.”

Nodding, I rush to the bar at the side of the room and grab a bottle. By the time I get it to him, Ana is sitting at Phil’s side, stroking his arm, and telling him that everything is going to be okay.

I set the bottle down near her, and she shoots me a quick smile of gratitude.

Turning toward her, Phil gathers Ana into his arms, his back still heaving. I’ve never felt more like a third wheel in my life. Not even while watching others fuck. Shit, I’ve watched Blade and Flame fuck Ana and didn’t feel this left out.

What I’m watching now seems a million times more intimate than sex.

I should not leave them alone. For a million reasons I shouldn’t leave them alone. But I back toward the door and re-enter the club.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

Ana

Compassion pushes away my shock. Phil is damaged, wounded deep inside, and he shields himself from those wounds by using his threatening aura, not to mention anger and violence. Or, when he’s in a good mood, he uses his humor. But he is so not in a good mood right now.

I should be repulsed by what Phil did to that vampire, but seeing him so broken like this, so ashamed, breaks me. If this is what Phil does when a man doesn’t instantly take no for an answer, what would he do if someone actually tried to hurt me?

I draw a deep breath. I already know that answer. He drove a stake through Rasputin’s heart.

Crusher leaves the room and gratitude fills me. I know that leaving can’t have been easy for Crusher, but now we’re alone, maybe I can get Phil to open up. These four men are unbelievably close, but it’s clear they hide bits of themselves from each other.

“Would you like some scotch?” Picking up the bottle, I realize Crusher has already uncorked it. So thoughtful.

Not looking up, Phil nods and I set the bottle against one of his hands. Taking it, he downs about half of the bottle, and then offers it to me. I shake my head no, and he sets it down on the other side of him.

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