Page 48 of Devils Cut

"Your voice is like a siren," I explained, grinning as she laughed. "You pull men in with it. You've got power, princess."

"Come on, Corvus," she teased, playfully swatting my chest as we walked out to my bike. She glanced at the motorcycle, then back at me as I threw a leg over and sat down.

The bike roared beneath me, a beast waiting to be unleashed. Tempest frowned at it, an uncertain mix of fear and excitement in her eyes.

"Ah, fuck it," she muttered, quickly climbing onto the back, her arms wrapping around my waist once more. I grabbed the helmet from the handlebars and handed it to her. She unwrapped her arms, slipped the helmet on and tightened the strap before encircling me again.

"Ready for another ride, princess?" I asked, grinning as the rumble of the engine rumbled beneath us.

She leaned into me, her breath tickling my neck. "Nope, but I trust you." She replied.

I smiled, "To infinity and beyond," I murmured, making her laugh wildly.

"Ride like the wind, Bullseye!" she shouted, her voice barely audible above the roar of the engine.

Chapter 21

Tempest Miller

We got home around 6 pm, just as the sky was starting to bleed with the colours of sunset. Corvus walked straight into the kitchen, his boots clattering against the floor as he started cooking something for dinner. I could smell the faint aroma of garlic and onion drifting through the air. Taking a deep breath and trying to calm my nerves, I decided to take a walk around the house.

"See what the boys managed to fix up, babe," Corvus called out after me, his voice gruff but warm. I nodded, heading down the hallway, and running my fingers along the freshly patched walls. The scent of new paint and sawdust filled the air.

The house had been a wreck when I first moved in, but Corvus had so many men working on it throughout the day. It was almost surreal.

Throughout the day, the boys had been coming in and out of the bar to ask me questions about the house. What colour tiles do I want? What color walls? Do I prefer wooden flooring?

I was certain that no matter how many times I performed on stage, it wouldn't come close to the amount of money Corvus has spent on this place. It made me feel guilty.

I headed into my bedroom to check what had been done, the walls were stripped bare, not a trace of that godawful wallpaper left. Instead, they looked clean, almost pristine, ready for a fresh coat of paint. My fingers skimmed over the smooth surface, and I couldn't help but think about the colour I'd chosen, it was a dark forest green, and it was to be painted around the whole room, including the roof. I had seen an episode of House Rules where they had done it, and it looked amazing.

I cast my gaze downward, noticing the floorboards for the first time. They were sanded back, the rough edges now smooth to the touch. A few had even been replaced, the new wood stark against the old. This room was transforming before my eyes, and it was all for me. All because of him.

"Fuck," I whispered again, my chest tightening with guilt. How could I ever repay him?

Reaching out I grabbed my sleep clothes off the bed, and walked over to the bathroom, unsure what changes had been made there, too. Stepping inside, I found the floor had been removed, leaving the room bare and exposed. A post-it note on the cracked mirror reminded me to put down a tarp before using the shower, so the floor wouldn't get wet. Glancing at the sink, I spotted the blue tarp and quickly laid it down.

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath as I searched for the door, only to find the bathroom was devoid of one. Just fuckin' great.

"Shit." Corvus had seen me naked once before, but that didn't make me feel any less self-conscious now.

I clenched my jaw, my heart pounding in my chest as I peeled off my clothes, feeling exposed and vulnerable in a way that went far beyond physical nakedness. With trembling hands, I reached for the curtain, drawing it shut with a swiftness born of fear.

"Fuck," I muttered under my breath, trying to steady my breathing as the hot water pounded against my back. It was just a shower, but everything felt so much more significant these days—every moment heavy with the weight of choices made, ones I had chosen myself.

I scrubbed at my skin angrily, wishing I could wash away the scars that marked me as his—wishing I could erase the memories of pain and humiliation that still haunted my dreams.

"Get it together, Tempest," I whispered to myself, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill over.

I finished up my shower in record time, unable to shake the sensation that I was being watched, even though I knew Corvus wasn't the type to invade my privacy like that.

"Here goes nothing," I mumbled, taking a deep breath before pushing the curtain aside just enough to peek out into the room. The coast appeared to be clear, and I quickly wrapped a towel around myself, hiding the evidence of my past from view.

The thought of Corvus seeing all of my scars was terrifying, but there was also a part of me that longed for him to know the truth—to understand the depths of my past and the price I'd paid for my survival.

I hastily threw on my clothes, the fabric a barrier between the world and the secrets etched onto my skin. My heart raced as I stepped into the kitchen, the air thick with the scent of grilled chicken and steamed vegetables.

"Smells fuckin' good," I said, trying to regain some sense of normalcy.