Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36216 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
“I’ve got one on standby.” That was Azriel, my father’s right hand and co-owner and co-founder of Argent Tech as well as the Shadow Demons. “We need to get her seen as quickly as possible so that burn doesn’t get infected.”
With those words, someone ripped me from Atlas’s arms. I whimpered, reaching for him, but as Atlas stood, another man rested a hand on his shoulder and spoke quietly to him. I couldn’t hear the conversation, but Atlas didn’t follow. His gaze didn’t leave mine, but he wasn’t coming after me.
“Atlas?”
“I got you through this. Now, let your family take care of you. I’ll be in touch.”
“Like hell,” my dad growled.
“Don’t leave me, Atlas!” I was going to fall apart. I’d been with him for such a short time, but something inside me had bonded with him. I thought he’d felt the same way. Was I wrong? Hadn’t he said he’d take care of me and any child I might be carrying? Had he changed his mind? That thought alone had me biting my lip to keep from continuing to beg him for his comfort.
“It’ll all be fine, Rose. Everything will be fine.” Atlas nodded at me, never taking his focus from mine.
As my father carried me out of the clubhouse and Atlas didn’t follow, a sob of despair left me as everything I’d been through in the last few days finally hit home. I also realized that Atlas was wrong. Everything wouldn’t be fine. Not even close.
Chapter Six
Bellarose
It had been two months since I’d last seen Atlas in that stupid compound. I’d kept to myself, mostly, only welcoming anyone in my suite of rooms for the therapy sessions Alexi and my mom insisted on. I’d also had a visit from a medical doctor who’d wanted to examine me the same day they brought me home. I’d refused to let him touch me other than to see to the brand burn. He’d given me a morning-after pill but, though I’d taken it from him, I’d flushed it after he left.
I had no right to hold on to Atlas like I was. He’d taken me in and protected me out of necessity. I’d explained to Dad how I’d come to be there, and he got it, but still couldn’t see past what he saw as Atlas taking advantage of me. And yeah. He’d known we had sex. It was why he had me seeing the shrink. The same woman I was now sitting with, not saying a word.
The silence in the room was broken only by the ticking of a small clock over the fireplace mantel. I didn’t feel like talking to the woman.
Finally, she spoke. “You don’t seem to be making much progress past this,” she said. Her name was Dr. Elizabeth Bailey. She looked to be in her mid-sixties and was very gentle in our sessions. I didn’t want to like her, but I couldn’t help myself. She’d been kind and caring, gently steering me in the direction she’d wanted me to go these last weeks. In all that time, she’d never mentioned my progress -- or lack thereof -- to me directly. She assured me she didn’t tell my mother or father anything, though I had my doubts.
“What would constitute progress?” My question was quiet, and I didn’t look at her -- rather I stared out the window at the world beyond the Shadow Demons’ mansion.
“I don’t know. It’s relative, I guess. Have you left this house since being taken prisoner?”
“No. And I might have not been able to leave that place, but Atlas didn’t take me as a prisoner. He took me to protect me. If he hadn’t, I don’t think the outcome would have been this good.”
“So you don’t blame Atlas?”
My gaze snapped to hers. “No. Not at all. He did everything he could to protect me.”
“And the… intimacy?”
I sighed. “It was complicated. But not one-sided.” I lowered my gaze before looking out the window again.
“I see. Have you spoken to him?”
I snorted. “You know I haven’t. My dad won’t hear of it, and I have no way of contacting him on my own. I didn’t exactly get a phone number.”
“All right. Tell me something, Bella. If you’d met Atlas under different circumstances, would you have looked twice at him?”
That surprised me enough to bring my full attention back to the doctor. “You mean, like if I’d met him at the school or in some other normal way?”
“Yes.”
“I absolutely would have. When I first met him, he stopped to help me change a tire.” I smiled at the memory. “He was charming and funny, once I got past the gruff exterior. Yeah. I’d have been open to getting to know him better.”
“He’s quite a bit older than you. You have to be able to see why your father has… reservations.”