Page 14 of Silverproof Damsel

I’d known where Winchester had built her chateau but hadn’t yet visited the countryside estate. The drive there was absolutely beautiful. Maybe it was from being locked away for months, or maybe it was the joy I felt at being with my siblings that heightened my awareness of the beautiful, peaceful countryside we traveled through.

Once Winchester had become aware of my inability to leave, she’d chosen to build nearby. Honestly, knowing she was close to me brought me solace and put my mind at ease about not being alone.

As I shifted my attention to my siblings, all absorbed in their struggles, a wave of remorse washed over me. I forced them away from the lives they’d created abroad after they managed to get away from our mother’s abusive iron grip.

Winchester’s decree had forced the others to come here. They’d left behind their homes, businesses, friends, and family. By being incredibly naïve, I managed to ruin the lives of everyone I cared about.

Winchester had told me to run. I’d chosen to stay and not listen. My decision to stay had brought me directly to Rhys, just as she had dreaded. I fell right into his lap, like a prized pet he’d collared and claimed.

Inside the SUV, I felt my stomach clench with guilt at how many lives I’d ruined by my choices. Choices I’d made on a whim, assuming my mother was in dire need of being rescued. What an idiot I must’ve been to think I could play the hero by returning to save her from monsters when she was the biggest monster of all.

It was baffling to me that nobody had openly acknowledged my mistake in their haste to come here. I wouldn’t blame any of them for it. It subsequently landed me on Van Helsing’s dick.

With my hand on my abdomen, I bit down on my bottom lip to steady myself against the surge of emotions. They came at me with the force of angry waves crashing against the beach.

Winchester’s intense argument with a customer distracted me enough to halt tears from flowing, despite my precarious emotional state. Guilt was a troublesome burden to weather through, worse when weathering it alone.

I directed my attention to the rest of the people in the vehicle. Savage seemed deeply engrossed in the audio playing through her headphones.

Beretta was skimming through a novel. A dark romance or something similar in nature, judging by the cover. We shareda love of walking red flags. It could’ve been a genetic thing, though.

Daisy was mindlessly doom scrolling through her social media, and Beretta occasionally peeked over now and then to snoop. Our eyes caught over the top of her book briefly, causing a knowing smile on her lips.

It wasn’t that I disliked the peace in the car. The darkness and gloom in my mind were becoming overwhelming. Bringing my attention back to the fast paced countryside, I leaned my head against the window.

The events of the last few days were so intense that it was challenging to grasp. The guys had all been forced away due to shit occurring in thesupeworld, as they’d dubbed it on their way out the door.

I had extremely complicated, powerful wards on my house. It hadn’t prevented entry against the knights. Conrad had used a connection he had to enforce those wards and runes, but both had failed. If my wards had failed, how would theirs stand up against those looking to harm me?

I couldn’t count on them to protect me currently. Not unless I got in shape and could run with the big dogs. Literally. Well, not dogs. Wolves. Let’s be honest. I wasn’t a runner. I’d end up left alone in the woods, and that hadn’t ended well for me last time.

Faery was off the table as well. I wasn’t about to enter another world where, if you ate the food, you could be enslaved. Hunter hadn’t been studying my food cravings for scientific purposes, and we both knew it. He’d intended to trap me in his realm. His need to be a father was both enticing and tragic.

Ian had offered to fly me to Scotland. The thought of being on a plane while having to use the bathroom every two minutes wasn’t appealing. Plus, I was certain the plane would be grounded or broken before it ever left the runway.

Then there was my bestie, but she had to feed and the bitch was starving. Nymphs had needs. Needs that couldn’t be ignored. She’d tried to ignore them during the first few weeks. It hadn’t been pretty.

Nothing screamedwhat the fuck,like a nymph humping her pillow, screaming profanities throughout the entire night. I’d spent countless nights covering my head with my pillow to ignore the grotesque noises coming from her room. I’d almost called Rhys and surrendered to escape the painful wailing.

If I had to guess where she was, I’d put my money on Nyx being with Acyn tonight, doing what she referred to as ‘the wild willy thang.’

Unless she’d gone to Forged Desires. If we expected to make money, it needed to open its doors, like yesterday. Nyx’s current mission was teaching the newbie nymphs how to enthrall their prey. She wanted them ready for the moment we got the green light to open the club’s doors.

Rhys’ unwavering determination was to keep us living in desolation and squalor. If he sought my attention by stealing the money I’d rightfully earned, he’d fail. It had only made me despise him more than I already did. There were healthier ways to communicate. Something he’d been unable to figure out.

I knew he’d resorted to stalking me from the shadows. I was aware of him being across the street, hidden from sight. He had been lurking in the darkness, stalking me for months, yet never revealing himself to me or anyone else. I’d once stood on the front porch, daring him to come out and taunt me.

It was evident I’d become a masochist. I didn’t want to hear him express how little I meant to him. I desired to hear his voice softly uttered in my ear. His warm breath gently brushed against the sensitive skin below my ear. Rhys’ powerful grip on my body intensified as he drew me closer, his lips eagerly devouring mine.

What could I say? Desperation made a strange bedfellow.

My sexual desire had hit astonishing heights as soon as I entered the second trimester. I’d never been so hyper focused on getting laid before. The sensation of clothing rubbing against my nipples was suffocating and uncomfortable. I had reached the stage where my need to get laid was identical to Nyx’s, much to my horror.

There were countless nights when sleep eluded me, desperately craving release. The predicament was that I lived in a house inhabited by immortals. They were able to detect, hear, and smell the state of my body. They’d likely notice my orgasm before I did.

It left me with a precarious dilemma. Either accept the shame or deal with the never-ending need furling within the pit of my belly. Obviously, I’d chosen the second option.

Then there was Rhys, who’d shown up and protected me. Why? If he despised me that much, why hadn’t he simply let the knight split me in two? It would have provided a solution to the current problem. His hands would’ve been clean as well.

---