Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 61101 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61101 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 244(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Pain.
“This is how you’ll learn to be a man, Dante. Just make sure to grit your teeth. Strength comes from pain. It’s born the moment you know you can no longer go on. But you still do.”
Pain.
More pain.
“In the end, Dante, you will be just like me.”
Those final words force me from my nightmare, and I jolt upright in bed. The sheets are soaked with sweat, and my chest heaves as I try to pull air into my lungs. Shaking my head, I push to my feet.
I’ve survived the memories of my youth by keeping them buried, but I can’t escape the nightmares—they always seem too real. There wasn’t any justice when it came to growing up in the world of Malcolm Savage. When the punishments were doled out, I took mine and, whenever possible, Drake’s. I didn’t want my brother to have to suffer like me.
I’m transported back to those moments when I wanted to run, to escape from my father. I knew if I did, though, he would find me and drag me back into his darkness.
My father always told me Savages are destined to live in the shadows.
I believed him for a long time until I watched my brother break free. He hasn’t entirely escaped, but he’s found happiness and managed to snag some light into his life.
As I glance over my shoulder at the two beauties in my bed, I wonder if I’ll ever forgive myself enough to allow their love to heal me.
Pain and hate are the only things I’ve ever really known.
I head into the bathroom and splash cold water on my face. When I look up into the mirror, the image that greets me is that of a stranger. I’ve never liked looking at myself. Perhaps it’s the fact I recognize the real me in my reflection.
Over the years, my father insisted on telling me who I was, and I’ve come to realize he may have been right. My heart is cold. There’s no feeling there. I can’t love, and I never expected to find someone who would be with me long enough to find that out.
Now I have two women who care for me. I never thought I was capable of love, but they seem to think I’m a good person, and I want nothing more than to prove them right. Deep down, though, I know there are things I crave that no decent man would want.
Leaving the bathroom, I don’t bother getting dressed. Instead, I head out of the bedroom, moving silently so I don’t wake the girls. I make my way into the kitchen to find something cold to drink. My throat is burning, and my head is fucking pounding.
I take out a bottle of chilled water from the fridge, and opening it, I swallow back two mouthfuls before going in search of some painkillers. Whenever I have a nightmare about my father, I always wake with a migraine that feels as if my head is about to explode.
We still have so much work ahead of us. My plan to help Harper and Rayne exact their revenge, so they can find peace, remains a priority. But with every monster we slay, it doesn’t seem like we’re getting any closer to the head of the snake.
Once I’ve swallowed two paracetamols, I return to the bedroom and find Harper sitting up in bed, leaning against the headboard. Her gaze lifts to mine when I walk in. She watches me for a moment, her eyes flickering with concern as her brows pull together.
“Are you okay, Dante?” she asks. There’s a gentleness to her voice, and I can hear the affection in her words, but even after almost a year of being with her, I’m still not used to it.
Her chocolate brown waves cascade over her shoulders as she gets up from the bed and moves like a nymph in the night. She reaches out, and her hands cup my cheeks as she gazes up at me. The small smile on her lips makes her seem ethereal in this light. An angel sent from heaven to save me from the darkness. I don’t understand how she can be so normal when she’s been through so much.
“I have a headache,” I tell her. “I needed to take some painkillers. I’ll be fine now.”
I want nothing more than to brush off her concerns, but I know she will worry whatever I say. She’s started to take on an almost maternal role when she sees either Rayne or me in pain.
“You aren’t alone, Dante. We’re here for you.”
Even though I know she’s right, I can’t help feeling responsible for the two of them. I’ve played the role of protector all my life and changing that now seems futile. As much as I want to ignore how I feel, I can’t stop myself from wanting to keep Harper and Rayne safe and make sure they heal from the traumas I know still haunt them.