Damaged Queen (Darkness Within Duet 2)

Draven stared at her. He held a gun in his hands, and it was pointed at his head, resting against his temple.

“Draven, what are you doing?” she asked.

“I’ve got shit I need to do. You’re free to go.”

“What?”

“I want you out of my house and out of Stonewall. If you don’t, I will kill you.” The gun was now pointed at her.

“I don’t understand.”

“What? You think because we fucked last night that something has changed? That I’ve changed? I want you gone, Harper. Out of this house and out of Stonewall. You’ve got ‘til six o’clock this afternoon. I’ve already called Ian. He’s coming to collect you. I suggest you get your shit and leave.”

“You have all my shit,” she said.

Her heart was breaking, but she couldn’t let him see. Not now.

He was pushing her away, and she got it. Boy, did she get it, but why now? He wouldn’t let her go every other time, but now he wanted to—and the irony was she didn’t want to go.

Draven pointed the gun to the corner, and she turned to see that her bag was waiting for her. It hadn’t been touched, or at least to her it didn’t look like it.

“I suggest you leave quietly and without causing a scene.”

“Draven, didn’t last night mean anything to you?” she asked.

“I got laid. That’s what it meant.”

He left. Harper stared at the door and felt so alone. When she first arrived, she wanted to run, but now, she didn’t want to.

Climbing out of the bed, she rushed to the bathroom, and threw up everything she ate last night. After they had made love a second time, they’d gone downstairs, raiding the fridge, and all of that came back up now.

She knew she wasn’t pregnant as she’d gotten a birth control implant in her upper arm. She didn’t have to worry about the pill or taking shots. For three years she was safe from pregnancy.

Leaving the bathroom, she dressed quickly.

Without looking back, with her bag on her shoulder, she ran out of Draven’s house, down toward the edge of the driveway. Part of her expected a bullet in the head. When that didn’t come and she saw Ian walking toward the house, she rushed to him.

She didn’t throw her arms around him, or say anything.

“Please, get me out of here,” she said.

Ian took her hand, leading her to the car. Hannah and his kid were nowhere in sight. She was thankful for that.

Without looking back, she climbed into the car, and Ian took off. She stared at the town she’d not been to visit during her stay, and couldn’t believe that this small place held a lifetime of memories both good and bad.

“Do you think you’ll be coming back?” Ian asked.

“No.”

“Honey.”

“There’s nothing for me here. I know you’re trying, but we’re never going to have that kind of relationship. Never again,” she said, sniffling.

“You love Draven, and he’s here.”

“I loved a lot of things. My mom included, and I didn’t get to keep her. Just take me to the city. I’ll figure it out from there.”

“You can stay with us. I know Hannah and I would love to have you.”

“It’s not going to happen. I’m not even trying to be a bitch with this. I just need to cut this off. To finally leave Draven and Stonewall behind.” They were passing the cemetery, and Harper gasped. “Wait. Stop. Please. I just need to do something.”

Ian stopped the car without saying a word.

She climbed out and rushed into the cemetery. On the way to Buck and Jett’s graves, she stopped at her mother’s. It wasn’t as well-kept as some of them.

She kissed her two fingers and placed them on the stone. “I love you, Mom. I will miss you every single day, but I can’t stay here. I’ve got to go. To get out while I can.”

Her tears started to fall as she moved to Buck and Jett.

“Hey, guys, I really wish you were here right now. I think you’d have been able to talk some real sense into them. You were gone too soon, and if I knew what would happen, I’d never have run. Never left you guys. If you are watching, please, keep an eye on both of them.”

She turned back to the car, climbing inside.

“You okay?”

“No. I’m not okay. I’ll never be okay again, but I had to do this. It was important for me to. I’m ready to go.”

Ian nodded and started the car.

He pulled out of Stonewall, and Harper allowed herself to look back, to watch the town she had grown up in and now left for a second time, get smaller and smaller.

A piece of her was missing.

That piece was Draven.

The love of her life.

The boy who’d been a man, and that man who was now a monster. He needed her, but she couldn’t stay where he didn’t want her. As hard as it was to admit to even herself, she would have taken him, regardless of what he did. Even though it would kill her inside to know he was responsible for taking men and women, for Draven, she would do anything. Ten years ago, she left him to keep him safe, and throughout the years, she’d worked for Alan, to keep him alive. She loved him, always had, always would. He was the other half of her soul. Even as it killed her, she didn’t ask for Ian to turn the car around. He kept on driving.