Damaged Queen (Darkness Within Duet 2)

“They’d been prey, right?” she said.

“Be careful, Harper.”

“Just like me.”

“Those were good men. I came out here to keep you company.”

“You’re keeping me prisoner here, Axel. Let’s face it, my end here is not going to exactly be all sunshine and roses, is it? You and Draven have got big plans for me.”

“We’ve got plans, but you don’t need to worry about them.”

He took a seat beside her, and she stared over at the cages again.

Without asking for permission, she walked across the garden and straight for those cages. One look inside and she saw a dog had given birth to puppies. They looked to be a couple of weeks old, maybe even up to eight.

She knew Axel had followed her, but she ignored him.

Bending down, she touched the cage and smiled as all the pups came close to her, touching their faces near her fingers. They were so sweet, so innocent. In a horrible way, they reminded her of those girls. Their faces flashed before her eyes, making her pause. She shouldn’t touch the dogs. She wasn’t a good person, but vile. Shaking off the feeling, she smiled as one dog licked at her fingers.

Without another word, she stepped into the cage, being careful not to step in any dog mess.

One by one, the pups yapped at her feet, and she couldn’t help the laughter, the joy that flooded her body from seeing them. In the back of her mind, the guilt flared up, threatening to choke her up, but like so many times before, she pushed it down. She ignored the pain and suffering she’d inflicted, and focused on the puppies.

They were all amazingly beautiful white Labradors, so charming, and the mother came up to her, giving her a sniff.

Seeming happy that her pups were safe, she went and collapsed in the corner.

Harper found a clean spot, and the pups moved toward her. One tried to climb into her lap, and she picked it up, pressing her face against the fur, and simply falling in love with the sheer beauty of them.

“They’re all so beautiful,” she said.

“Draven sells the bad ones.”

“Bad ones?”

“The ones that are not going to be cut out for scaring people, Harper.”

She held the one in her arms a little tighter, hating that Draven would discard anything he didn’t see as having any real value.

They were all magnificent, beautiful, and she loved them all—unlike the women who were sold into a life they didn’t want. The same women she’d helped to lead to a life of hell, just so Alan wouldn’t kill her friends, only to now know, one had already died, and another wouldn’t last much longer and get killed.

Glancing back at the house, she saw several people were arriving, men and women.

“Is there a party tonight?”

“Something like that,” Axel said.

She didn’t like how vague he was being and knew it would all be revealed soon enough, when they were ready to hurt her some more.

Don’t you deserve it?

Buck and Jett are dead because of you.

No, she couldn’t think like that. Not now.

They were not dead because of her. They were dead because of Alan. She had to remember that. Her life hadn’t caused death, but she tried not to think about the girls, because without her, they would still be alive. She thought about her mother and Ian instead.

Cutting off each dead end, she focused instead on the puppies, the ones that were filling her with so much joy and love.

“Axel, you can head inside now,” Draven said.

She looked up, and sure enough, Draven was heading in their direction. Part of her wanted to plead with Axel not to go.

For some strange reason, she felt oddly safe with Axel present. Alone though, she couldn’t trust herself. One look at Draven and she was already wet and begging for him.

Get a grip, Harper.

He wants to hurt you.

He’s not your savior.

This is not high school.

One day he’s going to break you.

To tear you apart and spit you back out again as if you’re nothing.

Don’t let yourself fall for him, not even a little bit.

Kissing the top of the puppy’s head, she waited to see what would happen.

“See you around,” Axel said.

Harper said nothing, watching Axel leave. He seemed too sure of himself in his movements, but there were odd fleeting glances where it didn’t seem to be the case.

“You found the pups,” Draven said.

She turned to him, and he was watching her.

She didn’t like to be under his scrutiny, so she quickly turned her attention back to the pup in her arms. Nothing could be wrong with giving some loving to the pup.

The other pups kept coming up and nudging her thigh. They were content with a head stroke and then would wander off back to their mother, or play in the cage.

“You get rid of the ones you don’t think are good enough?”