Unbroken (The Protectors 12)

But all that was gone now.

There was no safe place to go anymore… it had abandoned me when I’d finally stopped needing it. I’d been kind of glad, but now I had to wonder if maybe it hadn’t been too high of a price.

Two years of freedom.

Of feeling safe.

And hoping.

All those things had had an expiration date but that safe spot in my head had been a sure thing. It had become my best friend. And I’d happily cast it aside.

God, I was such a naïve fool.

The first bite of protein bar felt like a rock as it landed in my belly. And I knew in that moment this was one order I couldn’t follow. I felt tears sting my eyes as I began retching. Humiliation went through me as I threw up all over myself. It was mostly just the dreaded piece of protein bar and a little bit of water, but it felt like what little pride I had left exited my body at the same time. I began sobbing uncontrollably.

I heard my name whispered softly then suddenly I was dragged against a broad chest. I was enfolded in the warmest embrace I’d ever known and that just made the betrayal sting even more.

I told myself to push him away.

I told myself to call him every swear word I’d ever heard my brother use.

I told myself to order him not to touch me or I’d kill him.

I didn’t do any of those things. To my horror, I fisted my hands in his shirt and opened my mouth against the spot on his neck where his top button had been left undone. I let out a bloodcurdling cry that didn’t sound human.

I hated him.

I just fucking hated him.

Except I didn’t.

And that was what was so messed up.

What I was feeling wasn’t anger. The pain ripping through me was a thousand times worse than the many times my body had been stolen from me and violated in the ugliest of ways.

“I trusted you,” I cried out. “You made me trust you!”

A big hand came up to clasp the back of my head. “I know, baby,” Vaughn murmured against my ear.

Like how he’d whispered to me on that beach… the one in my head.

My safe place.

The safe place that no longer existed.

The endearment felt like the cruelest of violations though, and for the second time in as many years, I did fight. I shoved back from him, but he refused to let me go. I’d gotten some of my sick on him and I could still taste it in my mouth, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Aleks, listen to me!”

“No!” I shouted. “I trusted—”

“Just fucking listen, Aleks! And I swear on my life, I’ll call Dante for you myself when I’m done if that’s still what you want!”

How many times had I heard that before? That if I just did what I was told, Dante would come and get me. It had all been a lie. I was about to tell him so when he grabbed me gently by the back of my neck and pressed his forehead against mine. “Aleks, my real name is James Vaughn Covello and I was working for Marcus Parks in the hopes of finding someone… someone who was taken just like you.”

I stilled at that and sucked in a breath.

“Please, Aleks… please, just listen.”

Chapter 3

Vaughn

He was breathing so hard I was worried he was going to pass out. I’d closed my eyes when I’d pressed my forehead against his in the desperate hope of getting him to listen. I was reluctant to open them because he was finally still in my hold and it just felt so damn good. I’d never allowed my attraction to Aleks to get out of control, not only because he was just so young, but also because he wasn’t in any position to deal with any of it. But admittedly, it was hard not to respond to his closeness.

I opened my eyes and saw that he was staring at my chest. He was sucking in lungsful of air, probably to try and calm himself. I began rubbing my fingers over the back of his neck. He remained stiff for several beats, then suddenly let out a whoosh of air and closed his eyes as he relaxed a little. My other hand was on his upper arm. I moved it to his back and began trailing my fingers up and down his spine in the hopes of calming him more. I wanted to offer him the water so he could rinse his mouth out because I was certain getting sick had left behind a sour taste, but I was too afraid I’d lose him if I stopped talking. And I sure as shit didn’t care that some of his sick had transferred to me during the scuffle.