Damaged Queen (Darkness Within Duet 2)

Of course, it meant sitting at the table with him.

She made her way to the kitchen and found Draven at the counter, reading his paper and drinking coffee.

He didn’t even look in her direction. She hated that he didn’t even care enough to give her a few seconds of his time.

Fine.

He wanted to play hardball. She could play this game.

Only, she didn’t know how to play or what his endgame would be. They were no longer kids in high school, and she didn’t know what he wanted from her.

Axel was nowhere in sight, and rather than ask, she stayed silent.

She had to survive.

Whatever this was, it would pass.

Chapter Ten

Harper didn’t come back to him that day, or even for the rest of that week. Draven stayed home dealing with work and whatever held his attention. Ian kept turning up, and he saw the older man wanted to make a relationship with Harper, only she wasn’t giving an inch. Not that Draven blamed her.

Axel had still yet to arrive back home.

He’d gotten a call three days ago that he was fine and not to worry about him, but worrying was Draven’s middle name, or at least in recent weeks it had become that.

Tillie had also been in touch about the new wave of women that were at the club. She also recommended he take Harper with him. She’d enjoyed whipping his woman, but Draven had no intention of letting any of the men or women touch her again.

He wasn’t going to think about why he felt that way. There was no room in his life for doubts.

By the end of the second week, he sat in his office, Harper on his sofa, across the room reading the newspaper or a book. She had both beside her, and each one she kept looking at, growling in frustration, and then moving back to the other.

She’d also snapped at several of his guards this week.

On a few occasions he thought a couple of them were going to retaliate and hit her back. He wouldn’t blame them, but then he’d kill them for touching her.

What Harper needed to realize was he was the man in charge here.

The one they all feared, and if she ever betrayed him again, he would kill her. He hadn’t ruled out killing her yet.

There were still moments when he thought about it, especially when Buck and Jett entered his thoughts.

“What are you reading?” he asked.

“Nothing.” She put the book down, and he watched as she ran her hands down her thighs. “You’ve got nothing interesting here.”

“There’s an entire library of books.”

“And clearly I want to read the book you don’t have.”

“You think getting smart with me is going to help you.”

“I’m not one of your minions, Draven.”

“No. You’re my prisoner,” he said.

She pressed her lips together before looking away.

“You don’t like that?” he asked.

“You think I should?”

“Why not? I don’t see why you should hate being my prisoner. You get fed. Free rein, the works.”

“I can’t go out. I can’t leave. I get chained to a whipping post and beaten.”

He smiled. “You’ve still got an issue with that.”

“You think I’m going to stop having an issue with that?”

“It wasn’t so bad. Other women didn’t get the luxury of walking away from it.”

“Great, so I was held to a post that other women had died at.” She stood up and grabbed her books.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“To go and try and find a book I want to read, you know, seeing as I’ve got less than thrilling conversation.”

He watched her go.

The clothes she wore hid her body, and he didn’t like that. Staring at his computer screen, he had nothing of any importance and so got to his feet and headed toward the library.

He rarely ventured in here as it was a place with a horrid smell. The books had never been read, at least not by him.

Harper stood against one of the walls. Her back was to him, and he saw her hand reaching out. The tips of her fingers touched each spine, and she read the title and moved on.

“What is it you’re looking for?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you looking for a romance?” he asked.

“Could you blame me if I was? I happen to like them.”

“Did you always read them?”

“Yes.”

“With Ethan?”

“Ethan mocked them like you did. He had no problems when I used him for sex though. Not that he was ever any good.”

“Sex?”

She picked up a book, brow raised as she looked at him. “Some of the books are very sexy. Very kinky.”

“They are?”

“You should read one and find out.”

“Is that what your problem has been? You’re horny.”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

He laughed. “You’ve been more cranky than normal. You snap at most of the guys that are only here to make sure you’re safe and protected.”