Page 18 of The Devil's Redemption

I can’t stand to see her like this. I would give anything to go back to Wednesday night and force my way into her house like I should have.

And fucking Jasper is still out there, somewhere. I want to be one of the ones hunting him down, but I can’t leave her. Not yet. Once she wakes up and I make sure she’s okay, then I can join the search.

I thread my fingers gently through hers. The skin between her eyes puckers, and I hear her moan slightly. I wonder if I’ve hurt her, or if she’s having a nightmare.

“Sasha, I’m so fucking sorry. I should have been there. I need you to fight. Let the strong girl who stood up to me in the hotel room, who ran from me as we were leaving Berkeley Springs, let her guide you through this, and come back to me. I’m begging you.”

Standing, I plant a kiss on her lips. They’re dry and cracked, not at all like the plump, soft lips I’m used to kissing. But they’re her lips nonetheless.

“I love you…”

The only consolation to me right now is the fact that she’s here. Under my roof. Which is exactly where she’ll be for the rest of her life, because I’m never letting her go.

Ever again.

Chapter Eight

Pain.

The pain is back. But it’s different this time. It’s not from someone forcing their way inside of me. It’s a dull, throbbing ache with the occasional feeling of someone stabbing me with a knife.

Stay quiet. Lay still.

The warmth and the pleasure that follows will be worth it.

But no one touches me. I want to know if someone is there, but I’m scared to open my eyes. Shifting my body carefully, I realize the once hard, rough surface upon which I was laying is now soft and warm. I open my eyes a sliver, trying to take in my surroundings without anyone knowing I’m awake.

The side of my face protests when my eyelids part. I can tell without looking that my face is swollen. It has that heaviness to it, the feeling of being larger than normal coupled with a throbbing pain.

From Rooster. He’s the one with the snake tattoo who punched me in my living room. I finally figured out which oaf was which when they began chanting his name as he thrust himself in and out of my mouth, bolstering his ego as he further shattered my soul.

I feel pain all over my body, as though I’m one gigantic bruise.

From Elena… Trixie… Whoever the fuck she is. I remember how badly she wailed on me, both when I was on the bed as well as when I was tied up in the middle of that room.

Blood.

There was so much blood.

And…

Stop it, Sasha.

I can’t think about what happened. It’s too painful.

Reaching up to wipe the tears from my eyes, I feel something attached to my arm. I think it’s another tourniquet and needle, but when I focus on it, I realize it’s an IV. I can barely move my arms, and throbbing pain radiates from my nose as my fingers graze it before realizing it’s partly covered with a bandage. I cry out in pain, but my voice is strangled, and hardly any sound can be heard.

When I finally take in the space around me, the first thing I see are white walls and wooden cabinets above a countertop with a sink in it. There are several containers with different items in them, like Q-tips and cotton balls. It reminds me of Hawk’s infirmary back at the clubhouse. But that can’t be right, can it?

My eyes drop down to my bed, and I catch sight of a pair of shit-kicking boots at the end of it. I turn my head to the right slowly, gasping as I move my neck. I’m terrified I’m going to see one of those goons or another member of Death’s Road in the room with me. But when I lock eyes on the man sleeping in the chair next to my bed, I almost don’t believe it.

Blade.

Thishasto be a dream. I’ve dreamt of him so often the past few… Days? Weeks? Months? I have no idea how long I’ve been here… There…Where am I?

But I wouldn’t be hooked up to monitors and an IV if I was still under their control…Right?

It’s foolish to hope, Sasha.

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