BREAK ME (Teased and Broken Book 3) (20 page)

‘The things I will do to your body as my wife.’

He was nowhere near me, yet his silky lips brushed over my ear as this promise trickled into my mind warming all of me into a senseless puddle of longing.
 

“Dad?”

I blinked, snapping out of the cock thrall.
 

“Dad!” Thorn gripped his Dad’s wasted shoulders and shook them.
 

The man had died with a smile on his face.

 
A smile I had put there with a
lie.
 

Twenty Four

Thorn didn’t want me to leave his side when he gathered his Father’s dead body to him and wrapped it up in a fierce embrace.

He buried his head in Bob’s neck and breathed hard, choking back the enormity of the sobs that he refused to allow spill over his lips.
 

His big body pulsed with misery.

I stood there awkwardly.
 

I was hopeless with this kind of shit.

Even for people I loved and cared about the most.
 

Thorn laid his father down on the bed and tenderly stroked his forehead. Staring down at him with such reverence. I felt everything inside of me ache.
 

He wrapped his hand around my wrist and pulled me from the room.

“Can we talk?” he asked softly. Shyly. His gaze curiously downcast.

“Of course.”

Thorn reached behind him, grabbed a black CELLRAGER hoody off a hook in the wall and pulled it on.
A faded beat up beanie I recognized as Bob’s, followed. “Outside,” he muttered.

“I will light a fire,” he added. “Can’t have you freezing your lovely tits off.”

Thorn gathered some drift wood on the strip of sand in front of the villa . He threw it in a pile. He hissed an incantation, hands trembling outstretched as flame ignited.
 

I was grateful for the warmth of the fire; it was freezing out here. I wished he would stand beside me. He was wary, keeping his distance. I didn’t pretend any of that had to do with me. Losing the only person in your life that truly gave all the shits about you, would hurt. You might, I don’t know, want to be alone with that realization and bawl like a baby.
 

“I am so sorry about your dad Thorn,” I managed after the longest, most awkward pause.

“Yes,” he agreed. “So am I, particularly because I killed him.”

“Don’t say that.”

“I did,” he insisted in a quiet voice teeming with fury. “His medical team was confused. He had a year Elena.
 
A fucking year to live. I had so many plans for that year with him. We were going to go the Caribbean. To warmth and fun while he still had his health. Like I said,
 
he had a year, and then,” Thorn stabbed his forehead. “I am such an arrogant fuck, I slashed that to months, to days, to hours, to minutes, to
death!”

He stuffed his hands into the pouch at the front of his hoody and tipped his head back, releasing a frustrated, pain soaked roar.
 

I started to close the distance between us. He held up a warning hand. “Don’t.”

“Thorn?”

“It is
sweet
you want to marry me to save me from the curse,” he was shaking his head. “But there is only one problem with that love.”
He was sounded so despairing. So incredibly bitter.
 

“What is that?”
 

I was almost too scared to ask.

“I’m fucking broken. Too broken to marry you right now.”

“Did I not say tonight that I want you exactly as you are Mr. Darko?”
 

Thorn glowered into the fire. “But you don’t know
who
I am, Enchantress. Not really.”

“Tell me,” I invited.
 

He waved his hand batting away my question like an annoying fly. “That will take too long. Let me explain why I’m a bit more fucked in the head than usual instead.”

“I’ll take it,” I said warmly.

“When your punk ass GI Jo fucker emptied his gun into my skull I lived, but I needed to heal. I hit up a lot of bad stuff Elena to do that.
 
Some days,” Thorn groaned softly. His hand sped into his dark hair, mussing it up. “I think I am going insane. I am not well. I need to go away for a while and heal myself the way I was taught by the old lores, the old ways. Snake Father offers instant gratification healing but it’s all designed to trip me over into hell.”

“I am sorry Brett did that to you,” I muttered, feeling helpless. “It was cruel and unnecessary.”

Thorn’s dark eyes sizzled as they met mine. “This is why it makes me so very happy you have agreed to marry me Elena. Because that soft cock
is
cruel and unnecessary. You will be mine.
Forever.”

“Forever?” I arched a brow, my voice sounded far away.

“Well of course,” Thorn went on. “An Enchantress marrying a Warlock is a big fucking deal.
 
Committing to such a union means we are for life. If either of us renege on that without agreement. Or without some repugnant sex crime by the other upon the other or with some other, we die together. “Because we are,” Thorn twisted his index finger over another, “twined, forever.”

“Sweet Jesus!” I choked out and backed up a step.

Thorn looked amused at my response. “That is why I said you don’t know what you are agreeing to, and yet,” he smiled widely. “Here we are.”
 

My eyes went wide when he pressed his alarming physicality against me. His hands rubbed urgently over the back of my skull. “You are mine, forever.”
“No!” I shook my head. “I didn’t know what I was agreeing to. Fuck it Thorn, no!”

“What if I told you I knew my powers wouldn’t help my dad,” he went on in a whisper.
 

“What?” I gaped at him.

“What if I told you I hastened his death so he could ask you that exact question. So you could answer with your agreement to marry me. Before you went off and married Mr Cruel and Unnecessary? Hey here’s an idea for you! Maybe you should write that as a young adult fiction, with a very young lady who quivers and falls over at the sight of a cock. It would, on my good authority, be a best seller, Elena!”
 

I tried to step back.

His fingers only tightened around my skull and pressed me closer to his insane warmth and hardness for my resistance.
 

I blinked up at him. “I would say you are full of fucking shit Mr. Darko, except the bit about Mr. Cruel and Unnecessary, I am certain if I had the inclination to write young adult fiction,
that
story about a young woman overwhelmed by a cruel and callous cock would be a best seller.”

He threw his head back and laughed.

The dark booming sound of it bestowed much relief.
 

He was joking, I realized.
 

“Why did you say that?” I whispered, tension dissolving.
 
“That was fucking awful!”

Thorn cocked a dark brow at me. “As a reminder. I am not a very nice person. I was so excited when dad trapped you into marrying me I could barely stand in my own skin. I rejoiced over my good fortune. Because I couldn’t figure out how I could get the same result, without you killing me of course. Dad handed you to me on a gleaming platter of fucked over, and you didn’t even realize it,” he smirked at me.
 

I placed two hands on his chest and pushed him away from me.

The smile on his face was smugly triumphant.
 
“Let me guess?,”
 
he snarled, huge arms folding across his chest. “You agreed out of sympathy to marry me, intending to divorce after the curse was dissolved and have a life with soft cock?”

I was such a fool! An idiot to agree to anything with this man without checking the fine print. I had committed to marrying him. I had to marry him or we would both die.
 
Brett was going to fucking kill me for being so stupid.
 

“Well” Thorn snapped. “I’m waiting? Shock me! Tell me I’m wrong.”
“I don’t want you to die Thorn,” is all I said.
 

“We’ll see,” he said softly.
 

His phone rang.

He slammed it to his ear and answered on a bark. “Yes.”

His severe countenance, softened. “What?” he murmured. “When? Sure, yes, of course, I will come.”

He stalked away from me to his boat, the Black Eagle.

“Thorn?” I called to him. “Where are you going?”

He whipped around, “Brett and his soldier buddies just set fire to my home. I need to see if everyone is all right.”

What was Brett thinking? I fretted. He’s going to get himself killed.

“If he has hurt anyone Elena, I will fuck him up,” Thorn growled.

I shook my head. “No!” I wailed.
 
“
Please.
If he did, it’s been a terrible mistake. An accident!”

“Then his death can be a terrible mistake. An accident!” Thorn offered a cold smile to me as he smoothly sprung up onto his boat.
 

I was stunned that he would leave me behind.
 

That he would let me go.

Seeing my amazement, he sniggered. “You are
mine.
But I need you to stay the fuck away from me for a little while. I need some time. Don’t attempt to run away. Don’t, if you value your life, attempt to marry that soft cock during my absence, if, I allow him to live tonight. Don’t try to hide from me either. There is nowhere on this earth you can hide Elena now that you have committed to becoming my wife.” His eyes flashed with dark, twisted mayhem. “I will come back for you love, I will claim you, and you will let me.”

“What?”

The man was giving me emotional whiplash.
 

“Why are you being so fucking cruel?” I howled at him. “You are seriously going to hold me to this fucked up agreement? How can you do this to me?”

“I am not well, Elena.”
 

Thorn’s words stabbed me in the face.

Because in the dark, delicious throb of his voice,

 
I
wanted
to hear evil.

I
wanted
to hear malice.

All he gifted, was heart crushing
sadness.
 

Twenty Five

I had stood there, stricken, staring after Thornton Darko’s boat believing I couldn’t move.
 

Couldn’t breathe.
 

The man had me fucked. I let the dark chaos of feelings boil in my stomach awhile, before I gave myself a mental slap that forced me to the road. To my absolute relief and astonishment, I happened upon a cab that was dropping three intoxicated ladies off at the pier.
 

Once inside, I borrowed the drivers phone and called Brett.

“Hello?”

He sounded like he had been crying.

“It’s El,” I choked out.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere,” his voice was a tremulous rush over the line. “I’ve been worried sick.”

“I know.” I flinched, thinking of Bob’s story of being knocked over and left on the floor.

“I heard,” I added. “Bob.”

Brett was silent a moment. “Go to ours, Clarissa and Aaron are there. I’ll come get you.”

“Where are you?” I asked.

“Back at the base,” he sounded uncomfortable, like he was lying to me.

“That was quick. Weren’t you were just at Thornton Darko’s home, attempting to burn it down?” I accused. “Thorn knows you were involved. He’s pretty pissed. Watch your back babe.”

“Back is covered. Yes, we were at Thorn’s. We’re back at base now. Stay safe. Take care El. I’ll be there soon.”
 

He ended the call.

Fifteen minutes later, I stumbled into my home feeling heavy with misery, it felt like a stone on the ruby red floor of my heart.

I heard the news blaring from the lounge room.

I frowned. “Hey guys!” I shouted.

Aaron burst into the foyer, arms wide, eyes wet with tears. “Els! Thank God you’re all right.”

“Elena!” Clarissa yelled, sounding deeply disturbed. “Get your gorgeous ass in here. We need to talk.”

Aaron hissed at me, eyes slitting.

“What the fuck?” I whimpered. “Does everyone in my life have to act like a fucking crazy person tonight?”

My friend swept behind me and ripped Thorn’s coat from my shoulders. “Why in the fuck are you wearing – oh.”

Fantastic.

Now I was naked.

Eeeeewwww. I realized what a fucking mess I still was.
 

Covered in
his
blood. Caked and dried on my skin.
 

Aaron slammed a hand over his eyes. “You can explain this shit later. Take a shower.”

“Gladly!”
 

Gratefully, I fell into the heated embrace of the shower.
 

I closed my eyes as the scalding hot water fell over me.

Brett seldom shared showers with me. I always ran them too hot.

I liked the dull ache of pain that lingered on my skin.

I sighed as the water hissed over my raised nipples, down, to tickle the ache between my legs.

I was oddly, horny as fuck.

I bit my lip in frustration.

It was wrong to feel this way.

On such a hideous night.

Everything that mattered was fucked.
 

The tears that slid from my eyes were hotter than the water.

I started, eyes widening at the sudden booming echo of the news.

The two ridiculously huge flat screens Brett had insisted on mounting in the bathroom of all places, switched on.
 

I shut off the water.

Stared, mesmerized at the images that filled the screens.

Fire.

Something
big
was on fire.

Twenty confirmed dead, the news report said.

Images of young men dressed in all their military finery rolled along the bottom of the screen.
 

“Military base,” the news readers voice droned on.

“Suspect,” a man’s voice chimed in.

An image of Thornton Darko in his Cellrager get up flashed.

More pictures.