The Initiation (Darkness Within Duet 1)

The day he heard of her suicide, Draven had been shocked. None of the guys knew he’d driven past her home in search of answers. Harper hadn’t been there. The house itself had been empty.

He’d gone to the bathroom where he knew she’d taken her life. He’d stared at the stained flooring.

Harper had no one. Her once-perfect life was gone. Even as it was selfish of him to keep her, he knew he wouldn’t change his mind. He held her hand a little tighter.

“I don’t want to go in there,” Harper said, as they came to the driveway of her home.

“I’ll be in your room,” he said. “Waiting for you. Remember you’re one of us right now. Be fearless. Be a fighter. You’ve got no room for fear or backing down.”

She nodded. “I thought you didn’t have a group name.”

“We don’t, but it kind of fits.”

She laughed. “See you in a minute.”

He watched her go, and smiled. She really was something else.

Chapter Eleven

The days passed, and they turned into weeks. People at school gave them a wide berth, and Harper barely had two minutes to call her own where she could think. Behind closed doors, or at the very least, locked away in either Draven’s home or Axel’s, they trained her, all four of them.

She had the bruises to prove it.

Stepping out of the shower after three weeks of nothing but training, Harper was ready to crawl into bed and sleep for weeks.

She felt stronger than ever before though. With every single hit she took and gave, she felt stronger, ready to take on the world. She no longer felt like she was losing the will to live. It had given her a focus, a drive to be better. To prove to them she could stand by their side.

Harper stopped as she saw Draven on her bed, waiting for her. He’d been sneaking into her room every single night. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d slept alone.

Ian never checked on her. She hadn’t spoken to him since the morning he’d lashed out at her. She came home late or avoided him, or went out.

“Hello, beautiful.”

“I don’t feel it.”

She went to brush past him, but he caught her wrist.

“And why don’t we feel this way?” he asked.

“Oh, you know, fighting. Getting hit, pushed, and shoved will do that to you.”

She gasped as he removed the towel. She was completely naked underneath. The towel dropped to the floor, and now she stood naked in front of him.

“Why is it you’re the one that is always here?” she asked.

“You missing the others?”

She shook her head.

He stood up. “I’m the one that picked you. I started this, and seeing as I’m normally here, the others don’t see a reason to be here.” He kissed her cheek, and she felt her heart pounding as he knelt on the floor, his face next to her stomach.

Her ribs were bruised. In time, she’d heal. She looked forward to the healing.

Learning how to fight was fun. She liked being able to defend herself. Whenever she thought about giving up, she’d think of that guy in the woods. She could have defended herself. Not only that, she loved being with all four of her guys. They were hers just as she was theirs.

It was still surreal to think about, especially as less than a year ago, she would have been going home to her mom.

“I think I need to kiss this all better.”

“You picked me?”

“Yes.”

“Why?” she asked.

“I told you before, Harper. I saw you. I still see you. You’ve always been a good girl.”

She chuckled. “You want to turn me bad?”

“No. I saw you were trapped. I saw you were always doing what others wanted of you and never what you wanted. That’s no way to live, no matter what you think.”

He touched a delicate spot on her body, and she winced.

“I feel like a giant baby.”

“You did good. You’re a fast learner.”

“I like being a good learner.” She stared down into his eyes. The green looked so much darker than she remembered.

She cried out as he cupped her pussy.

“Are you a learner in all things?”

He spread her lips open, and she closed her eyes, embracing his touch.

“You’re always so wet for me.”

“Yes.”

Suddenly, he pulled his fingers away from her pussy, and she whimpered.

“I’m not here to sneakily give you an orgasm. Get dressed. We’re heading out. Wear something nice.”

“Nice? How nice?”

He got up and went to her closet. She picked up the towel and quickly covered her body.

He returned seconds later with a white dress covered in red roses. “Wear this.”

“This is weird.”

“Don’t argue. Come on.”

Harper rolled her eyes, but took it. Draven refused to leave her alone. She dressed with her back to him, even though she didn’t know what the point of modesty was. He’d seen everything.