Damaged Queen (Darkness Within Duet 2)

Draven hadn’t left, and she stared at him, hoping just once that he’d see she wasn’t lying. That she wasn’t running from him. She’d never run from him.

“Hannah and Ian will be here.”

He left without another look, and she collapsed against the bed, sobbing. She let out all of her tears.

She didn’t know how long he was going to be gone for. All she hoped was that when he was gone, she got stronger so when he got back, she fought him at every single turn.

****

“You should be resting. Not out here, staring off into space at nothing,” Axel said.

Harper looked up at Axel.

She’d not seen him since her whipping, and seeing as now her back was healed, it had been some time. Hannah had told her she’d been out of it for seven days, plus another four with Draven gone.

“You’ve been gone a long time,” she said. “You find any evidence you need?”

“No, not yet. I’ve not had a chance to look.”

“How come?” she asked, sipping at her coffee.

“You’re not worried that I’m going to hurt you?”

“If you were going to do it, you’d have done it already. I’ll worry when you come at me with a gun. Besides, I know I’m not lying.” She shrugged.

“Are you missing Draven?”

“No.” She spoke a little too fast.

“Are you plotting his demise?”

“Do you have a toolshed?”

“I’m not going to tell you that,” Axel said. “I’ve been out of the country. We’ve got some Italian contacts, and Draven wanted me to go and check on some … potential family business.”

“Are you married?” Harper asked.

“No. You know I’m not.” He held up his hand as if that was all the explanation she needed.

“Just because you’re not wearing a ring, it doesn’t mean anything, not in this day and age.”

“I’m not married, Harper. What about you? Missing Ethan?”

Harper stopped. She hadn’t thought about Ethan, not really. Not even in the past couple of days after the whipping.

“Did you love him?”

“I didn’t love Ethan,” she said. “I cared about him.”

“If you didn’t love him why were you going to marry him?”

She snorted. “Please, as if you care about love.”

“I may not believe in it, Harper, but there was a time I was sure I saw it, and knew of its existence. I also know you wouldn’t marry anyone unless you loved them, so it makes me wonder, why?”

“I … let it all happen with Ethan. We met, and it was kind of like moving. You have to keep walking, keep moving because if you stop and allow yourself to think you realize all that you’ve lost, all that you’ve missed, and it doesn’t help you. It only breaks you apart even more.”

“You’re broken?”

“A little, yes. I’m broken. I’m damaged. I allowed Alan to hurt me all those years ago, and now I’m paying the price.”

“I don’t want to talk about that,” Axel said.

“You haven’t found anything, and you’re not here to kill me.”

“I’m not going to kill you until I’m sure I’ve looked everywhere. You know, Draven thought a lot about killing you.”

“Wow, you don’t want to talk about Alan’s lies, but you’re more than happy to talk about Draven’s desire to kill me. Good talk.”

“He was completely in love with you, and I know it broke him thinking you’d left.”

She didn’t want nor did she need to hear this. She was very much aware of the pain that it caused leaving. Not a day went by that she didn’t feel it herself.

Axel got up.

“Is that it?” she asked. “You’re not going to impart more wisdom?”

“No. I just think you should realize that he wanted to kill you. Thought about it, talked about how he was going to deal with you, and yet he couldn’t go through with it. You’re still alive.”

“I was chained to a whipping post where he had his little friend hurt me and then did it himself.”

“Tillie’s not his friend. You were just a plaything. A bad girl needing to be taught a lesson. It’s the first one he’s ever given on the post, I admit. Usually, they’re made an example of somewhere else.”

“Forgive me for not giving a shit.”

Axel laughed. “It’s good it hasn’t broken you. I was worried that it would. I’ll be seeing you soon, Harper.”

She watched him go. For the past couple of days, she’d been watching a lot of people come and go out of her life.

Getting to her feet, she ignored the guard that followed her around, constantly watching her. She hated his eyes on her. She couldn’t help but be curious about what he’d do if she made a run for it. He held a gun.

If she couldn’t kill herself then maybe using the guards would be her best option.

It was a thought.

One she hated having and yet, it was there.

Moving from her spot near the house, she made her way out toward the whipping post. She would never forget where it was, set back from the house but close enough for one bedroom to see it.