Damaged Queen (Darkness Within Duet 2)

“She signed her own death sentence, and you went to Hannah,” Harper said.

“I was so sick and tired of hearing her moan, hearing her complain. I was earning good money, and she still wasn’t happy. Hannah, she never complained. She never made me feel like a piece of shit. I should have known Alan had set it all up for Hannah to be with me.” Ian laughed. “I should have known really. Your mother was incredibly beautiful. Like you are. You’ve got her hair and eyes. I should have known then that Draven would fall for you.”

“He hasn’t fallen for me.”

“Don’t be blind to his feelings.”

She laughed. “Are you crazy? He had me chained up and whipped not too long ago. He doesn’t have feelings for me, so stop trying to make yourself feel better by thinking it’s going to be okay. It’s not going to be okay, far from it. It’s going to be very fucking hard!” She stamped her foot.

“I know you don’t think he cares, but he does.”

“Is this what the deal is with you guys? You think hurting us is going to make us fall in love with you? Is that what you did to Mom?”

“I loved your mother so very much.”

“Not enough to stick around.”

She turned her back on him, looking into the sink, wishing for oblivion.

“Do you ever go and visit her grave?” she asked.

Harper didn’t know how he did it, considering she killed herself, but her mother had a resting place. Suicide was frowned upon, and yet there was still a place for her mother to lie. Knowing what she did now, she imagined a lot of money and threats helped.

“Sometimes.”

“Do you care for it?”

“I have someone who does it.”

“Why don’t you?”

“Because as always, Harper, it’s too painful for me to go and see that. To go and see what I did. That’s why I don’t do it.”

She turned to look at her father and watched him. He looked genuinely remorseful. A face could say one thing and be thinking another. She’d been living her life for far too long with Ethan.

“I’ve got to go.”

Brushing past him, she didn’t stop to his calls, to anything. She kept on walking, needing to get away.

She went to Draven’s study and to his table of alcohol. The whiskey she picked up looked expensive, but from the house and his lifestyle, she guessed he could handle the expense of losing a costly bottle of alcohol. She went to leave, but a picture of Alan caught her attention.

Moving to the desk, she lifted it up, and sure enough, his smile was on display for all to see. Draven was there, and Axel, and Alan looked so fucking smug.

“I will win this. You may have ruined all evidence of that day, but I will win.”

She put his picture down, slamming his face to the desk, and wishing she’d done that ten years ago.

There was no satisfaction in destroying a picture.

With her bottle and glass, she went to her room, ignoring the guards that lurked everywhere once again.

Chapter Nine

Draven piled the wood high and set fire to the papers he’d placed in between, watching as the chemicals he sprayed all over to help with the flame lit up. Blowing out the match, he tossed it into the fire and stepped back, admiring his handiwork.

The whipping post should have been removed years ago, when he’d taken over. After he killed his father, five years ago, he’d taken control of all elements of the business. The whipping post simply didn’t register to him as a problem. He had more important things to deal with. He’d never gotten around to it. Each time he saw it, he thought about taking it down, and something would drag his attention away until it didn’t get done.

He spent a great deal of time wanting to get things done and never actually achieving it.

“This is a little too late,” Axel said.

Draven looked to his only surviving friend. Axel looked tired and worn out.

“Harper did this.”

“Are you going to punish her for it?”

“No, she saved me a job.”

Axel laughed. “That’s like Harper. Saving jobs for people. I take it she’s not a fan of the whipping post.”

“I doubt any woman is a fan of this post.” He stared at the flames watching them burn. Harper was proving to be a problem to him. She had spirit, no doubt about that.

“Did you conclude your business?” Axel asked.

“Yes. One of the girls in Tillie’s club was finally purchased. Her new Master is taking her for a brand-new life.”

“Is she going to end at the bottom of the river for it?”

Draven shook his head. “No. He wants to make a life with her and in turn, get her out of her servitude.”

Axel started chuckling, and it quickly turned into a full-on laugh. He listened to his best friend as he got more and more hysterical.