Desolation Road (Torpedo Ink 4)

Savage walked toward the door shaking his head. “You’re so damn intelligent, but you don’t seem to have one single grain of common sense. Don’t let her leave you, because that’s in her head right now. I guarantee it.”

Scarlet wound a towel around her body, knowing Savage was absolutely right. Leaving was in her mind whether she wanted to or not. It was a matter of saving herself.SIXTEENAbsinthe stared at the bedroom door for several long moments after Savage had closed it with his controlled anger. Swearing under his breath, he rubbed at his pounding temples. He had a vicious headache, the aftermath of a flashback. They were becoming more frequent, much more intense and more difficult to come back from. His mind wouldn’t let go. Savage was often a trigger, as was Steele or Alena.

“Shit,” he whispered and turned to look at the fireplace. He’d lit it for Scarlet. She’d become his little pet, one he needed to keep the nightmares at bay, but to keep her warm, he’d activated the fireplace, another trigger. Savage had come with Steele to talk to him about changes they had to make the following day due to a big blowout barbecue Code had discovered the Venomous club was putting on down by the river. Alena had come with them, bearing gifts of her orange-and-cinnamon-spice cookies she knew he loved to make up for the late-night visit. He should have known, with the flames rolling and the three of them close, he would snap. “Damn it,” he whispered again.

It was his fucking wedding night. Scarlet deserved one night before the universe dragged her completely down into the mire with him and showed her she hadn’t gotten such a bargain. She’d already accepted his strange needs in the bedroom and yet, clearly, she was expected to accept more. She still hadn’t emerged from the bathroom, giving him a bit of a reprieve, and he was grateful. He had no idea what he was going to say or do when she decided to join him.

He picked up the bushy tail Scarlet had thrown at him and ran his hands lovingly over the fur and jewels. Ice was a master at designing beautiful jewelry and accessories. He’d outdone himself when it came to these tails. He needed to clean this one and put it away. He just needed to act calm and in control. Scarlet responded to his voice and authority in the bedroom.

Absinthe sauntered into the master bath as if everything was all right and found Scarlet sitting on the edge of the tub wrapped in a towel. He crossed to the sink and began to clean the plug meticulously using the soaps he had. Very casually he raised his eyes to meet hers in the mirror. His heart stuttered. She’d been crying. She still was, although she’d dashed at the tears the moment he entered the room. Worse, she was shaking visibly.

Laying the tail on a towel on the sink, he turned to her immediately, taking several steps toward her. She stood and backed away from him, shaking her head, one hand up defensively. He stopped. She looked scared. Confused. Angry.

“Baby, don’t cry. Did Savage scare you? He wouldn’t hurt you.” He kept his voice low, gentle, his eyes meeting hers in the mirror.

She had the most expressive eyes, and right now, they were a vivid green, almost pure emerald, the tears making them look as if she was drowning in emotion, and maybe she was, maybe they both were. He reached out on their connective path, needing to touch her mind, to know what she was feeling, but she had completely shut him out. Completely. She folded both arms over her breasts, holding herself away from him. Making herself small. Tears still ran down her cheeks but she cried silently. It was the shivering that got to him, that continual shaking that wouldn’t stop.

“Don’t defend him. You have no idea what happened and yet you’re immediately defending him.” Her voice shook with both fear and fury and her hand crept up to her neck, fingers touching the collar that was still there, declaring her his. The pads of her fingers slipped above the thin leather and rubbed as if her neck hurt.

Absinthe’s gut clenched hard. “Scarlet, Savage didn’t touch you. He wouldn’t do that.” He poured conviction into his voice, wanting her to believe it. “He wouldn’t hurt you.”

“Why the hell are you defending that monster?”

“He isn’t a monster.” He reached behind his neck and tried to rub the knots that formed there. Scarlet had done that for him. He despised this conversation. “Let’s go into the bedroom and calm down. There’s no point in talking about Savage. He is what he is …”

“No point? You don’t even want to know what he did? He’s psycho. For God’s sake, Absinthe, that man you’re defending could be a serial killer.”