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“Better than ever,” she says with a smile, flexing her knee for good measure. “I’ll be doing gymnastics in no time.”
Dr. Louie laughs and pats her knee before standing. “Well then, I’d say you’re all healed, my girl.”
Her smile falters a little. “Not yet,” she murmurs, looking down. “I can’t be yet.”
Dr. Louie seems to understand what she means—that she may be healed physically, but she still has internal things to mend. With Roger still skulking around, I don’t blame her. It’s like her trauma is literally haunting her, a problem we’ll soon take care of.
“It’ll come,” Louie murmurs before he reaches for her shoulder and gives it a squeeze, ever a source of comfort in the cirque. “You’re family. This is where you belong, Ember.” When she looks up at him in question, he adds, “We take care of our family.”
She nods and stands. “Thank you, doc, for everything.”
In her eyes, I see the knowledge that she belongs here, that this is her home, and she’ll fight tooth and nail to keep it safe.
I wouldn’t have our queen any other way.
Chapter
Forty-Nine
I’m restless. Hilda won’t let me near the cards again, and despite being cleared, the guys won’t let me perform right now. I feel annoyed, and I walk around the cirque in search of a purpose, anything to keep my mind from being consumed by my constant worry and fear. Even now, the hair on the back of my neck rises as if I’m being watched, leaving goose bumps across my skin. I speed up my steps and glance over my shoulder, reminding myself I’m safe here. Night may be falling, but my family is here.
A shadow darts between tents, following me, and my eyes widen. Heart pumping with adrenaline, I quicken my steps, moving between two more tents to make sure what I saw was real, but then I see the shadow again.
I search the area, refusing to hide. I’ll lead him into a trap instead. My eyes land on the equipment tent, and I rush over, ducking inside and dousing the lantern as I pick up a hammer and wait with bated breath. I put my back against the curtain near the entrance, my feet on a box so no one can’t see me under it. My eyes widen as I try to make out every detail in the dark, my hands shaking slightly as I hold the hammer aloft, ready to attack.
From one breath to the next, I try to slow my racing heart and loud breathing, and then the ten flaps move, bowing inward and admitting someone. With a yell, I dive at them, swinging the hammer, only for it to be caught midair by a strong hand, holding my arm high above me while the other grips my throat. It cuts off my yell and squeezes. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, but when they do, I swear they bug out of my head.
“Diamond?” I whisper, staring into his familiar eyes.
“I caught you, Queen. The hunt is over. Now what shall I do with you?” He backs me into the tent as my fear morphs to confusion and then lust at the darkness I see in his gaze. “I was going to let you go, but then you ran. Don’t you know you should never run from predators, Ember? It makes us want to chase. It makes us hungry, and in the dark, all alone, you are too tempting to pass up.”
The backs of my knees hit the equipment table, and it jitters from the force, knocking items to the floor, but neither of us spare them a look. I’m trapped in his dark, hungry gaze, my body controlled by his. My heart races in anticipation, and my thighs clench together in want. All this time, he has never crossed the line, but he will tonight.
He’s done holding back, and I can’t fucking wait.
Gripping tighter, he forces my fingers to spasm, and I drop the hammer into his waiting hand. He slides his long fingers languidly across it, watching me before pressing the hard edge of it against my cheek and dragging it down my throat, pausing over my pounding heart. “You were going to use this on me?”
I nod. Something about his silky, dark voice steals my own. The air fills with promise and violence, yet I can’t seem to look away, barely able to blink, and my eyes burn from staring at him.
He tuts and lowers it before he circles my hardening nipples through my blouse with the hammer. “Maybe I should use it on you then. Fair is fair, don’t you think, Ember?” he purrs as he drags it down, flipping it in his grip and pressing it against my crotch. Fear slides through me, but I don’t back down.
“I’ve been behaving all this time, being good and not touching you, but I want what’s mine. Do you understand?” My eyes widen, and he grips my chin so hard I whimper. “Words, Ember. Consent right now or walk away, because if you say yes, I won’t stop no matter how much you beg. You must understand that.”
“I—” I swallow hard, glancing down at his lips.
“Say yes or tell me to get out,” he orders, his voice harsh. “If you say yes, you’re mine, all of you, and I will do whatever I want with you. Last warning.”
Dragging my eyes back up to his, I lick my lips with anticipation. “Yes. Yes, I’m yours.”
I expected him to kiss me, but instead, he rips off my blouse, the cool air brushing my exposed chest and causing my nipples to tighten. He watches my chest heave with my heavy breathing until he finally leans down and captures a nipple between his teeth. His eyes meet mine as he slowly clamps down, observing my every reaction. Pain and pleasure mix until it becomes too much, and I cry out. He stops and waits for me to still, and with purposeful movements, he bites deeper, pushing me to the brink before he lets go. The blood rushes back to my nipple and makes it tingle as he turns his head and does the same to the other one. My moans fill the air, my eyes sliding shut as I shudder against him.
Gripping my wrists, he jerks my arms up and then behind me so my chest arches out and my eyes snap open. The ache in my shoulders mixes with the pleasure in my body and has me gasping.
“You keep your eyes on me the entire time. Don’t shut them or I will force them open,” he warns. “You will know who is fucking you, Ember. You will watch every depraved thing I’ll do to you and know that you wanted this.”
Keeping my hands pinned, he grabs some rope from the table and winds it around my wrists. It burns as I try to tug free to no avail, and then his hand slides across my chest, tweaking my sore nipples while his other one pulls the hammer away.
His smirk is brutal as he flips it in his hand. Confusion swirls with my lust as I wonder what he’s going to do.
