Stolen Beauty (Jackson Family 1)

EMMALINE

A groan of pain slipped past my lips as I slowly turned my head. Pain pulsed through the back of my skull, and I whined, reaching up to cradle it.

“Easy, little one.” James’s soft voice spoke from next to me. “You have a head injury.”

I slowly opened my eyes. The lighting in the room was dim – only a lamp on in the corner – for which I was thankful. I licked my dry lips. “Water?” I asked, my voice kind of scratchy.

James quickly stood from the chair he was in and strode over to the sink where he grabbed a bottle of water and a straw. After sticking the straw inside, he walked over to me and placed the straw at my lips. I greedily drank the water, my throat so sore that it felt like it was raw.

Once I was finished, James threw the empty bottle and straw into the trash can before he took a seat on the edge of the hospital bed I was lying on, his body turned to face me. “How are you feeling?” he asked me.

I shrugged. “My head hurts,” I told him honestly. “Otherwise, I feel okay.”

James’s jaw clenched, but his touch was gentle when he reached out to run his hand over my hair. “My father ordered the hit on you,” he said quietly.

“I know.” I drew in a deep breath. “Alfonso told me when he came to kill me.” I swallowed thickly. “He wanted to – to—"

I couldn’t finish my sentence. I closed my eyes, sucking in a calming breath, trying to slow my racing heart. Fear and disgust slid through my veins. “I know, little one,” James said quietly. “And if you hadn’t killed the son of a bitch first, I would have for you,” he swore. “No one touches you and gets the fuck away with it.” He brushed his fingers over my cheek, relaxing me. “A king always protects his queen.” He gripped my chin. I opened my eyes, looking up at him. “I’m sorry that I failed to protect you, little one.”

“You still came,” I said quietly. I reached up to trail the tips of my fingers over his jaw. “You came home for me.”

He nodded. “I’ll always come home for you, little one. Anytime you need me, I will be here,” he swore. “But my father? He’ll fucking pay for this,” James promised, a low, threatening growl to his words.

I stared up at him in horror. He couldn’t turn on his family for this. “James, you can’t kill your father.”

His eyes flashed dangerously. “Watch me, little one.” I swallowed thickly. “He fucked with you – fucked with what’s mine. He fucking dared to cross me, and he’ll pay.” He leaned down until his face was mere inches from mine, his hand still gripping my chin. “I’m not the good guy, Emmaline,” he reminded me. “Blood stains my hands, though you can’t see it. I’ve killed people for less.” Fear lodged itself in my throat. “When I finish with my father, I’ll look like I bathed myself in his blood.”

I’ll never hurt you. His previous words to me were ringing in my head, and I was clinging to them with desperation.

I ran my eyes over his face. “You still promise that you’ll never hurt me?” I asked him quietly.

He nodded at me as he leaned down and lightly brushed his lips with mine. I sighed in contentment, my body relaxing even further into the hospital mattress beneath me. “That’s a promise I’ll always keep, little one. Even if you cross me wrong, I’ll never hurt you,” he swore.

I frowned up at him. I could never betray this man. He’d given me life.

Reaching up, I cupped his cheek and brushed my thumb over his cheekbone. “James, I would never and could never turn my back on you,” I told him honestly. His lips twitched with a small smile. “You have given me so much. I’m finally free and can be my own person.” I swallowed thickly, my next words almost getting stuck in my throat, but I would never hide anything from him, even if it might send him walking away from me. But there was no relationship between a sub and her dom if she wasn’t one hundred percent honest with him. “I’m pretty sure that I’m falling in love with you,” I hoarsely admitted.

“Oh, little one,” he breathed as he captured my lips with his, taking them in a slow, deep kiss that tore apart my soul, yet put it back together all at once. “I will cherish those words forever,” he promised.

“Please don’t feel like you have to say it back for my sake,” I begged him. I would rather him not say anything at all than lie to me to protect my feelings. “I just – honesty is important, and I wanted you to know that.”

James grabbed my hand in his and placed a kiss to my palm. “I’m not sure if I’m capable of loving anyone, Emmaline,” he told me honestly, his blue eyes steady on my own. I licked my lips. His eyes focused on them for a moment before locking back on mine again. “But I promise to always cherish you and to take care of you – to be what you need me to be to the best of my ability,” he swore. He drew in a deep breath. “I was raised to be a cold-blooded killer, little one – nothing more. I tolerate my mother out of respect, but you’re the first person I’ve shown any kind of care and feelings towards since I was a little kid.”

I frowned up at him, sadness circling my heart as I stared up at the broke, hardened man in front of me. “Oh, James, they ripped away your childhood.”

He shrugged. “I can’t miss something that I never had the opportunity to experience,” he told me honestly. I swallowed thickly, so much pain and anguish for this man in front of me ripping through my soul. “Which is why I don’t want kids,” he told me bluntly. I felt my heart rip out of my chest as he ripped that dream away from me. “I don’t know how to be a proper father, Emmaline.”

Forcing myself to keep my face neutral, I nodded at him. “I understand,” I told him, thankful that my voice came out strong.

There was no point in telling him that I’ve actually wanted children for as long as I could remember. And I hadn’t realized that I had been holding that hope with him until he ripped it to shreds. Children were out of the question now. Because I was collared. The only way out of this with him was death.

Whether that was by him or me was unknown, but it was the only way out of this with him, and I couldn’t lose him.

A light knock came on the door. James stood up and walked over to it, opening it to reveal the doctor. I vaguely remembered him coming into the bedroom with Adrian, but it was fuzzy since my head had been hurting so much then.

“It’s good to see you awake, Emmaline.” He looked at James. “Is it okay if I do my examination?”

James nodded. The doctor walked over to me. “How’s your head?” he asked.

I shrugged. “It could definitely be better,” I admitted. “It’s hurting a bit.”

“Well, you certainly gave yourself a pretty bad concussion,” the doctor began to explain. “There was some swelling to your brain, so I had to place you in a medically induced coma to reduce that swelling. You’ve been out for about a week now.” I stared up at him with wide eyes. A week? “Your headache will probably remain for another week or two. I suggest staying hydrated, make sure you’re taking extra good care of yourself, and no strenuous activities.” He looked at James and then looked back at me. “Sex is tolerated, but nothing strenuous,” he ordered.

I blushed and reached up to cover my face with my hands. I heard James’s husky laugh as I did so. “She’ll be taken care of, Doc. How long until she can be released?”

“Emmaline, can you answer some questions for me?” the doctor asked me. “It’s just to test your memory – see if you forgot anything.”

I slowly pulled my hands down from my face. “I can try,” I told him.

He nodded. “What is your full name?” he asked.

“Emmaline Louise Arnold,” I answered.

“Good.” He nodded. “Now, when is your birthday?”