Forever (Betrothed 7)

I remained steady, with my arms across my chest, staying calm despite the profanities and the threats. He was drunk, so he probably wouldn’t have said half of the things sober he was saying now. But his anger was completely real…and valid.

“You’re lucky I don’t hit women…because I’d do to you what I’m about to do to him.”

I took a deep breath in fear, but I hid it as much as I could. I refused to give in to his threats because that would give him all the power in the situation. That would give him more adrenaline, more energy to feed off of.

His chest continued to rise and fall deeply, while the vein down his forehead bulged. The red tint to his face didn’t disappear, so dark it showed all the blood that bubbled directly underneath the surface, right below his skin. “I’ll see you soon.” He turned back toward the door after he dismissed the conversation.

I’d expected this to go on all night because he was so anxious to break down the door and get to me. Now it was jarring, as if I’d missed something. “What’s that supposed to mean?” If he had his way, there was no reason to speak at all.

He opened the slightly cracked door and stepped into the hallway. He turned back to me, staring at me with a menacing gaze. Heartbeats passed, and his thoughts were a mystery, as if he already had a detailed plot hidden up his sleeve. “You’ll see.”

When he was gone, I called Damien.

It rang a couple times before voice mail picked up. I knew I was paranoid to fear Liam had already gotten to Damien, which was simply impossible. Then I heard the front door open and close.

I turned back around and lowered the phone.

Damien was inspecting the back side of the door, indicating he’d noticed the crack when he approached the entryway. He tested the locks to make sure they worked before he turned back to me, a mix of concern and anger in his eyes. A shadow was on his jawline, and his thick arms stretched the sleeves of his black t-shirt. His jeans were also black, along with his boots. His eyes quickly roamed over my face, neck, and arms, making sure there were no signs of abuse.

“I’m fine.” I set the phone on the end table and crossed my arms over my chest. I had furniture in my apartment now, and that was all new to him. The one time he’d been there, the place had been empty except for my sad mattress on the floor.

“I was around the corner just in case.” He examined the room like a detective looking for clues, trying to paint a picture of what had happened in here. He no longer looked at me like I was the only woman in the room, like he couldn’t take his eyes off me. Now, he was on the job, acting like the criminal mastermind that he was. “What happened?”

“He yelled at me for a bit. That was it.”

One hand slid into his pocket as he shifted his weight to one leg, bending the other knee. He was calm despite the predicament we were in. But that was a sign of a strong man. Not panicking when everything went to shit. He turned quiet, pragmatic.

“Said our marriage failed because of me…not him.”

His eyes studied my face.

“I don’t think he’s completely wrong about that.”

He kept his opinion to himself.

“But then he said some other things…and I didn’t feel so bad about it anymore.”

“Did he threaten you?” His deep voice reverberated against the walls.

“I’m not sure. But he did threaten you…”

He didn’t give any reaction.

“Said I should consider myself lucky that he doesn’t hit women, because he would do to me what he’s about to do to you.”

His eyes showed a slight reaction, but still very minimal. “If he really said that to you, you shouldn’t feel bad at all.”

Liam probably wouldn’t have said that if he weren’t drunk, but it was still a shitty thing to say. “Said he would see me soon, but he didn’t give any details.”

“Then you should stay with me.”

My arms tightened over my chest. “Stay with the man who’s on the top of his kill list?”

“He doesn’t know who he’s dealing with.”

I didn’t want to stay with him, though. That would only make Liam angrier. “I’m fine here.”

“Then stay with Hades and Sofia.”

I would never burden them when this wasn’t their fight. “They have nothing to do with this. Don’t involve them.”

“Hades is my best friend, and you’re the woman I love.” He stood near the back of my couch, his frame outlined in shadow, and he studied me with those watchful eyes, like a falcon that could spot its prey a mile away. “So, he’s already involved.”