Page 45 of Devils Cut

The moment Corvus stormed inside, he flung himself around me like a deranged Koala, his hands frantically patting me down. "Are you okay?" he asked urgently, concern etched into every line of his rugged face.

"Y-yeah," I stammered, trying to steady my breathing. Though I knew it was Corvus and that he wouldn't hurt me, the roughness of his touch and the way his hands roamed everywhere sent me spiralling into dark memories—memories of being pinned down, helpless, as unwanted hands violated me without permission.

"Tempest? Talk to me," Corvus demanded, his voice strained.

"Stop... please," I managed to choke out, my body going stiff as a board.

He finally noticed my distress and took a step back, running his hands through his hair. "Shit, sorry, sorry, sorry, Princess," he stammered, cursing under his breath. He held his hands out in surrender. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Princess."

I looked at him, forcing myself to slow my breathing and regain control. "I know," I whispered, hugging my arms around myself. "It's just..." I managed to splutter out, my heart pumping too fast.

The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the house, and suddenly Hammer and Trey burst through the front door. My heart raced, pounding in my ears as I struggled to regain control of my breathing.

"Back off, Corvus," Hammer ordered, grabbing Corvus by the shoulder and pulling him a few steps away from me. His voice was commanding, betraying the tension in the room. "Tempest, sit down. Put your head between your legs and breathe. Count to ten."

I did as I was told, my movements robotic, as if I were underwater—detached from reality. My breaths came in shallow gasps, my world narrowing down to the sound of my own heartbeat.

"Ten... nine... eight..." I whispered, counting slowly and concentrating on each number.

"Fuck, I'm sorry, Princess," Corvus said, kneeling in front of me, his eyes filled with guilt. "I freaked out."

"Four... three... two... one..." I finished counting, lifting my head cautiously. My breathing had slowed, but I could still feel the lingering traces of panic clawing at the edges of my mind.

I looked up at Corvus, his eyes shadowed with concern. The lines on his face seemed to carry the weight of the world. "It's okay. I'm okay," I told him, trying to sound more confident than I felt. "What the fuck happened out there?"

Corvus glanced back at the flickering orange glow from outside and then to Hammer who was standing nearby, his arms crossed over his broad chest. "I don't fucking know, Princess."

"Hammer, check the goddamn cameras," he ordered, frustration lacing his voice.

"On it, VP," Hammer replied, pulling out his phone and tapping away at the screen.

Chapter 20

Corvus King

That morning, I stared at the grainy footage, my jaw clenched in frustration. Nothing. Not a damn thing on those cameras installed outside the house. It annoyed the crap out of me.

"Corvus, man, there's nobody around the car,"Hammer said, leaning over my shoulder when we watched it last night."It just...caught fire and blew up on its own."

"Like hell, it did," I muttered, rewinding the video again. No one walked up to the car, no one touched it. But cars don't just spontaneously combust. Something was off, and I didn't like it.

I had gotten Hammer to arrange for it to be taken to Danny’s shop today to see what happened.

"Fuck," I whispered, anger boiling inside me. Whoever was behind this wasn't going to get away with it. I'd make sure of that.

I nursed a cup of coffee and mulled over Tempest's words. She had told me the car was old, bought from some shady guy in LA when she first landed. Maybe it really did just blow up on its own. But my gut said otherwise.

"Fuckin' piece of shit," I muttered, taking a swig of the bitter brew. The thought of her driving that death trap made my blood boil. I wanted to protect her and keep her safe, but there was still so much I didn't know about her past.

"Everything alright?" Tempest asked, walking into the room, her eyes full of concern.

"Fine," I grunted, not wanting to worry her more. "Just thinking."

"About what?" Her curiosity piqued.

"Nothing important." I waved it off, not ready to delve into the mess surrounding her car.

"Corvus, you can talk to me, you know." Her voice was soft, vulnerable.

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