Page 19 of Her Avenging Angel

It wasn’t that there weren’t women around or that the men didn’t screw them, even publicly, but over the last couple of weeks she’d talked to a couple of the women around the clubhouse. While they hadn’t been long or deep conversations and the mamas would never be her besties, she believed Sandy when she said she and the others were there because they wanted to be. That they weren’t being forced into anything.

Sandy had been nice to her, and had even brought in scissors and cut Taylynn’s hair for her, cleaning up the ragged mess that the Demons had left it in. she hadn’t noticed it right away, as she’d been more concerned with the more severe injuries, but her hair, which had been half way down her back and had once been something she’d loved, looked like crap by the time she’d had enough energy to do more than pull it up and out of the way. There were chunks that seemed to have been cut off at the scalp and others that were chopped at weird lengths.

In getting to know Sandy, Taylynn had discovered the other woman had been to beauty school and could at least make it look a little better. They’d discussed options and in the end, Taylynn had asked her to go very short. It was a total change from before. It was easier to take care of, especially since she had limited use of her left arm and if she decided she wanted it long again, it would always grow.

“Don’t worry about it, babe. I’m just glad you didn’t hurt yourself or get cut up by the broken glass.”

“I need to go clean that up.” The reminder of the glass mess she’d created reminded her she needed to do something, and she started to shift, to get up and go clean up the broken bottles.

“No need. It’s already done.”

Taylynn wasn’t sure if it was Dax’s words or Raven’s arm across her belly, keeping her from getting up that made her stop.

“Already done?” she couldn’t help but frown as she looked at him, confused. The Iron Devils would never have cleaned up a mess any of the women, mama or otherwise, had made. They would have back handed her a couple of times, made her clean up the mess then they would take turns fucking her in every way they could until they were too tired to get it up. The memory of the last time it had happened to her flashed in her head, making her shudder.

“It’s okay. The mess is clean, you’re fine.” Raven’s low soothing voice and the way one hand still moved in slow circles on her back did more to calm her than his words.

Looking around herself for the first time since she’d been carried in, she looked around, registering that this wasn’t her room. She didn’t know whose room it was, though if she had to guess, she would say Raven’s, as he was the one who’d brought her there. “I still need to get up. I should go to my own room.”

Chapter Fifteen

“You’re fine where youare, little one,” Raven said, his hand still moving in slow, soothing circles on her back. He hoped she wouldn’t try to hop up and disappear again. He hoped this wouldn’t set her back, though he would understand if it did. It probably would, he knew, and he wished he knew what to do to make it better for her. He hated seeing her like this.

It had taken more than a week for the swelling to disappear from her face and most of her bruises had faded, at least the ones that her clothes didn’t cover. Now, what he could see was more of a sickly yellow than purple or black like they had been for a while. He could only hope the ones he hadn’t seen since that first day were doing the same. But he wouldn’t ask. Not now, not ever. He didn’t want her thinking that her body was all he thought about, at least not in the way he feared she would take the concern.

She would see it as him wanting to know how much longer she would be there. How much longer she would be a burden. How much longer she would be someone they had to take care of. That wasn’t what he was thinking at all, and until he figured out to express what he needed her to know, he would keep his mouth shut.

“Are you sure?” she asked, staring at him with wide eyes.

She reminded him of a child when she looked at him like that. A child who had been abused and mistreated and didn’t know who or what to believe anymore. It made him feel like a dirty old man for the way he thought about her. Not that he would let her see it. Not until she was ready for that kind of relationship, and not until she’d learned she could trust him, always.

Slowly, she relaxed. Dax left, going back to manning the bar, Raven assumed. Freud assured them she was fine and left, leaving the door open so Taylynn wouldn’t freak at being closed alone in a room with a man. Taylynn started to get up, to leave after the medic did, but he talked her into staying. Distracting her from the fact that she was still sitting on his lap by talking to her.

“Tell me more about you, little one. Where did you grow up?” he asked,

Taylynn shook her head. He’d expected that. Talking about herself was something she’d refused to do, other than to give Freud the basics of what she’d been through while she’d been with the Demons. While what little she’d disclosed was bad enough that Raven wanted to hunt them all down and make sure they never treated another woman like that, he knew it hadn’t been all of it. He knew she’d held back the worst of it, or at least what she saw as the worst. That was okay. He would wait until she was ready to tell him. He tried another tactic.

---