Page 19 of Demon
I momentarily shut my eyes and swallow down the sudden emotion. “I don’t have money. I never did. Whatever Richard said is a lie.” My voice breaks at the end.
A hot, sharp pain radiates from my face. Then there’s darkness.
When I wake, my head is pounding. I’m lying on something soft. When I open my eyes, it’s blurry, but I see Jett. “I’m here, Little Bird,” he says softly, and I close my eyes and fall back into the abyss.
EIGHT
IVY – UNDER THE MC’S PROTECTION
Ivy
My eyes flutteropen to a dimly lit room. Only the lamp on the side table is on, casting soft shadows across the walls. A dull ache pulses in my head as I blink several times, taking in my unfamiliar surroundings. My chest tightens as unease spirals through me.
“You’re safe,” a deep voice rumbles beside me, making me stiffen.
I turn slowly, my heartbeat thundering in my ears, and see Jett sitting on the far side of the bed, his back resting against the wall.
Memories start to flood back in vivid flashes, like a movie I can’t turn off. I sit up abruptly, gasping. “Where’s Sammy?” Panic grips me, making it hard to breathe. “Is she okay?”
“Sammy’s fine,” he says softly, his tone calm and steady. “One of my trusted brothers is watching the house she’s staying at, just in case.”
I freeze. “How do you know where she’s staying?” My voice wavers. What if he got the wrong house?
“She’s with the woman across the road.”
I glance down at my hands, which are clenched tightly in my lap. I don’t ask how he knows. I’m relieved that Sammy is safe.
Then, a new thought strikes me. “Are you hurt?” I blurt, my words spilling out anxiously. I scan his face and then his body, searching for any signs of injury. He looks unharmed, but he has furrowed brows and an odd expression.
He shifts to stand. “No, I’m not. I’ll get Milly.”
“No, wait.” I grab his hand without thinking. He flinches, and I instantly pull back. “Why don’t you like being touched?” I ask before I can stop myself. Seeing him recoil at even the smallest gesture of affection tugs painfully at my heart.
His gaze darkens, a pained expression flashing across his face. “I don’t...” He shakes his head, his voice dropping to barely a whisper. “I’m not worthy.”
A lump forms in my throat. I search his eyes, wondering what could’ve happened to make him think of himself that way. I shift closer and wrap my arm around him, pulling him into a hug. “Yes, you are,” I murmur, hoping my words can somehow erase his doubt. His body remains tense in my arms.
It hurts to see him like this, but I inch back, giving him space. “Where are the men who broke into my house?”
He clicks his tongue, the slightest smirk at the corner of his lips. “Don’t you worry about them,” he replies wickedly.
His face is unreadable. A chill runs through me. “What do you mean by that? Will they come after me again?”
“Nope,” he says drawing the word out and sounding thoroughly amused by his answer.
I press him further. “Are yousureSammy is okay?”
“Yes,” he says, his voice confident and unwavering.
I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, preparing to get up. Before I can stand, his hand closes firmly around my wrist. “Where are you going?”
“I can’t say here...” I look around the empty room. Wherever here is. “I must get back to Sammy.” I need to see her with my own two eyes.
He juts out his chin. “Milly wants to see you. You can stay the night here at the clubhouse and I’ll take you home first thing tomorrow.”
I suck in a breath. “Clubhouse? You brought me to your clubhouse.” My voice rises slightly in disbelief. “Why?”
“We have cleaners at your house cleaning up the...mess.” The men must have toppled furniture over and gone through my things to find money. Jett’s right—I don’t want to return to that. A little voice inside my head questions whether there’s more to it than that.
