Damaged Queen Read online

  Axel smirked. “That finally bugging you?”

  Ten years ago, someone had trashed Harper’s locker with vile words written across it. He, Axel, Buck, and Jett had discovered the identity of the person who had done it. They were going to let Harper deal with it when she was ready, not long after the initiation. Harper had left before they got a chance to tell her.

  Draven snorted. “You were going to find the answer to that if you stayed. You don’t get to know.” The girl who trashed Harper’s locker had been the cheerleader screwing Ben, the guy who thought he could touch Harper’s ass.

  The car came to a stop, and Harper looked past him, her hand going to his thigh as she lifted up a little in her seat.

  “Why are we at a cemetery?”

  “Don’t worry, princess. We’re not going to make you dig your own grave,” Axel said.

  “I don’t like this.”

  “I never at any point told you that you’d like what you’re about to see.” Draven climbed out of the car and waited for her. He held his hand out like he’d done many times before. Harper hesitated. She stared at his hand as if it was infected.

  Maybe in a way, it was.

  People died at his hands. He was probably haunted by the ghosts of all the people he killed.

  She slowly slid across the seat, taking his hand as she climbed on out. He felt the faint tremor as she held him.

  Once she was safely out on the sidewalk, he let go of her hand, slammed the car door, and put a hand to her back.

  A couple of older women were walking down the street. One look at them had them crossing to avoid him.

  Axel smirked.

  He liked to have this power over Stonewall, or at least, over wherever he went. Draven didn’t care so much, but then, he had power no matter what. Men and women bowed before him because they knew he’d hurt them, even kill them if he didn’t get what he wanted.

  Entering the cemetery, he felt Harper tense and try to hold herself back, but he wouldn’t let her. Pushing her along, he stopped at the two end graves.

  “What is this?” she asked.

  “Say hello to Buck and Jett!” Axel waved at them. “Hey, guys, we got her. Look, here’s our queen. You know the one, that was supposed to stay by our side but in the end decided to go running off because she couldn’t deal with us. You know the one.”

  “No, this is a joke,” she said.

  “This is no joke, Harper. It’s why I have Jett’s knife. He died, and so did Buck.”

  She shook her head.

  “You can think we’re lying, but this is where they are,” Axel said. “Our two best buds. The ones that were supposed to help us rule this world. They’re dead and gone. Have been for a while now.”

  He saw the tears in her eyes, and Draven was shocked as she sank to her knees and simply stared at the graves.

  “They’re really gone?”

  Her voice broke, and Draven watched her. Tears fell down her cheeks, and she looked as if he’d just given her the worst news on the planet.

  “Yes,” Draven said.

  She covered her face with her hands, and he watched as she sobbed.

  “This shouldn’t have happened. How did this happen?”

  “The usual way.”

  “No, this is not the usual way.”

  When Axel went to say more, Draven shook his head. She needed to grieve right now. Clearly, she’d thought they were still alive and were just pissed at her. It was so far from the fucking truth.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” she said, sniffling. “They didn’t deserve to die. They were wonderful.”

  Draven gritted his teeth as he thought about Buck and about Jett. They were the best friends anyone could have had. Sure, Buck was a joker and Jett the more serious of the two, but they were more family to him than anyone else.

  He missed them.

  If he could go back at any point in his life, he’d change what happened to them. He’d give anything to have them standing by his side right now, with Harper there at their feet.

  “Time to go.”

  ****

  Harper couldn’t believe they were dead. Even now, hours later, staring at her reflection. What had happened to her this morning, it seemed inconsequential against the pain that filled her chest at knowing she’d never see Jett smile or eat a damn apple with his knife. The same knife that only days before had been used to help remove her clothing.

  She placed a hand against her shoulder, near the spot where the strap of her bra had been.

  The cool metal had terrified her, and yet when Jett held it, she always found it a comfort, seeing as he always used it for comfort.

  Running a hand down her face, she tried to clear the fogginess from her mind. She stared at her reflection, and all she saw was a woman’s messed-up face from tears, her eyes bloodshot and puffy. There was a bruise from where Draven’s man hit her, but it was just a bruise. Compared to what happened to Buck and Jett, a bruise was nothing.

  What did happen to Buck and Jett?

  She didn’t have a clue how they died or why they died, only that they had died.

  Getting to her feet, she wore a long shirt that Draven had left for her. She tested her bedroom door, and it was open.

  For a split second she thought about running, but one glance out the door, and she saw guards were everywhere. They didn’t stop her as she moved past them.

  One by one, she felt their gazes on her, and wished she’d put on some pants or something. Draven still didn’t allow her to wear underwear. She figured for him, it was a power trip.

  Clenching her hands into fists at her side, she made her way down the long stairwell. At the bottom, she saw there were two men near the front door, and three men along each side of the wall leading up to the stairwell.

  Each of them stood perfectly still. Like soldiers, ready for battle. Ready for anything.

  She took a step forward, and the first two men turned to look at her. The one on the right spoke.

  “His office is that way. You may go to him or go back to your room.”

  He didn’t say another word.

  She looked toward the door and knew running wouldn’t help her. If anything, it would probably end with her being thrown back in the cells. No matter how stubborn she was, she didn’t want to go back to those cells, so without another look, she made her way toward Draven’s office.

  The door was shut, and as she lifted her hand, she paused. Could she go in there?

  What would she find? Did she want to know more?

  Draven wasn’t the guy she once knew. She’d seen the way he handled his man, the one who’d been intent on raping her. He’d killed him without even looking like he cared there was a body at his feet.

  When she couldn’t handle it anymore, she knocked and instantly winced at the loud sound that echoed around the walls of the empty house. No matter how many people she saw, the house was still empty, old.

  She hated it, but then she’d hated it ten years ago as well.

  Axel opened the door and smiled at her. “Well, well, well, look who has come to join us.”

  “You left my door unlocked,” she said.

  “At my orders. I’ve got plenty of men, and they all know not to let you go,” Draven said.

  Axel opened the door wider, and she saw Draven sitting in a chair, drinking some dark amber liquid.

  The door closed behind her, and she stared at Draven as he glanced down the entire length of her body, only to look back up again.

  An answering heat filled her just from his gaze alone.

  They still had that chemistry, and she couldn’t deny it, even as he kept her prisoner and she knew he intended to make sure bad things happened to her.

  “Want a drink?” Draven held his glass up as he made the offer.

  She nodded.

  “What do you drink?” Axel asked, going to the stand, ready to pour.

  “I’ll have whatever he’s having.”

  Draven chuckled.
“You can now handle your liquor?”

  She didn’t say anything.

  “Take a seat,” Draven said.

  When she went to lower herself onto the sofa, Draven told her no.

  “Have a seat.” He pointed at his feet.

  She stared into his face and saw he was serious.

  Fine.

  He wanted to play this game.

  She moved toward him, and as she went to sit just a little out of reach, he snagged her around the waist and pulled her closer, forcing her to sit close at his feet with the chair at her back. His hand stayed on her shoulder, and Axel watched them.

  “You always said you wanted her at your feet,” he said.

  “And she’s going to do as I tell her for once in her life.”

  She felt heat fill her cheeks as they talked about her as if she wasn’t there. She wondered if she was even there for them.

  Axel handed her the glass, and she took it. Staring at the amber liquid, she swirled it around, watching.

  “I wouldn’t drink too much in one gulp if I was you. This is a drink for men,” Axel said.

  Harper took a sip, and sure enough, it burned on the way down. She didn’t let them see exactly how much it burned though. Gritting her teeth, she held the glass in her hand and tried not to cough.

  “She’s a stubborn one, isn’t she?”

  Draven hummed his agreement. “But then, we knew that in high school with how she was. She’d never talk about her feelings. No, you always had to wait for some catalyst that would make her break. I wonder what is going to make her break now.”

  “You’re not prepared to listen to what happened for me to run all those years ago. Why should I keep trying to tell you the truth?” she asked.

  “Should we amuse her? See if her story matches up with your dad’s?”

  “Another time, I have no interest in hearing her lies tonight. One day, I may, especially when her pussy is soaking my cock.”

  She took another drink from her glass while her pussy seemed to like that idea of making him wet. She’d missed him. At least, her body had.

  The asshole he’d become, she hadn’t missed.

  “How did they die?” she asked.

  Silence met her request. One look at Axel and he was staring at Draven, the anger clearly there as his jaw clenched.

  “You really want to know?” Draven asked.

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.”

  “She’s still got fire. It’s going to take a lot to break her, Draven.”

  “I know, but that’s what we adored about her, remember. Stand up.” He tapped her shoulder, and she stood up, using his leg for leverage to stand.

  He held his hand out, and she gave him her drink. She watched him place it down on the small table beside his chair, and once again, his gaze was on her, waiting, assessing.

  “Buck and Jett would have liked the way you look. These nice big tits, full hips. You’re not skin and bones but fucking curvy.”

  Draven ran a finger across his lip, watching. Not for the first time she wondered what he was thinking. The heat in his gaze gave her a clear indication of what he wanted from her.

  “I think for us to tell her what happened, we need to see her naked. What do you think, Axel?”

  “I always love to see a woman in her birthday suit, so I’m game.”

  “Draven?”

  “You want to know the story, strip,” he said.

  “You can’t be serious.”

  “You want to know more, strip. I’m not going to tell you again.”

  She saw the truth within his gaze. Glancing behind her at Axel, she saw he smirked.

  “Don’t look at me, beautiful. I’m not going to help you. Not even a little bit.”

  “What’s it going to be, Harper?” Draven asked.

  There was the challenge. She could walk away, never knowing what truly happened to Buck and Jett.

  Just thinking about them reminded her of the rare occasions she saw them smile. They rarely had anything to smile about if at all. Most of the time, she saw Buck joking around, but his smile never reached his eyes, and with Jett, well, his knife that Draven seemed to favor was his favorite toy.

  “What are you thinking right now?” she asked, genuinely curious about what was running through his mind.

  “I’m wondering what it’s going to be. Strip to find out the truth, or don’t strip and go back to your room.”

  “I’m not a child.”

  Axel laughed.

  She gritted her teeth, hating them both right now. She turned on her heel, about to leave them both to their misery.

  But what about Jett and Buck?

  You need to know what happened to them.

  Why did they die?

  She didn’t leave.

  She stopped at the chair and slowly began to remove the shirt she wore. No underwear as none of hers had been returned to her. Neither had any of her clothes.

  She had nothing.

  Was that what they wanted? For her to have completely nothing and to rely solely on them? For ten years she hadn’t relied on anyone, not even Ethan.

  Completely naked, she folded the shirt up and moved to stand in front of her two men. While she still thought of them as hers, she could do this. She could stand naked with her head held high and wait.

  “Well, well, well, what do you think, Draven? Has she surprised you?”

  “I guess she feels something for Buck and Jett.”

  She turned her gaze toward him and waited. She felt something for all of them. When it came to Draven though, he was her weakness, and what was more, she was sure he knew it as well.

  He got up out of his chair.

  “It makes me wonder exactly how far she’s willing to go.” He circled her, very much a predator circling his prey, waiting to strike.

  She stood tall, refusing above all else to back down. He wasn’t the only one here who was strong.

  He cupped her cheek, and against her will, she pressed hers to him, revealing so much, and hating herself. Draven laughed.

  “Buck was the one to die first out of us all.”

  “He was?”

  “Yes, to know more, go and kiss Axel.”

  “For crying out loud, enough. I get it. You hate me right now, but I’m here. I’m naked.”

  “I never said I’d tell you the whole story just by stripping. You know the order they died in. You want to know more, kiss Axel, or go to your room. How important were Buck and Jett to you?”

  Was this some kind of test?

  She moved toward Axel, leaned down, and just as she was about to kiss him, Draven’s tut interrupted her.

  “No, straddle him. Feel his cock, feel how hard he is, and kiss him like you mean it. Not like he’s someone you barely know. Remember, Axel’s been inside your pussy. He knows how tight you are, or at least how tight you once were.”

  Axel sat back, and he had this smirk dance across his lips.

  Gritting her teeth, she climbed into his lap and waited. His hands went to her hips. She recognized how good they felt on her body. How perfect. How much she’d missed them.

  “Damn, Queen, you feel good.”

  “Don’t call me that,” she said.

  “You were supposed to be our queen.”

  “I wanted to be your queen.”

  She gasped as he tugged her hand. Her lips smashed against his, their teeth clattering against each other, and she moaned. She sank her fingers into his hair, holding him close, very much aware of how dressed he was compared to her. Her pussy rubbed against him, wanting him to put his cock inside her, to fill her up, to fuck her.

  It was like a drug, and she could do no more than ride his body to her completion.

  Only, her orgasm was held from her.

  Axel slid his hands down her back, cupping her ass, spreading the cheeks. He broke from the kiss, his lips trailing down her neck.

  “How does she look, Draven? Does she look like she needs a n
ice big cock sliding in that asshole?”

  She tensed up, looking back at Draven as he watched her. His gaze was on her ass. The heat in his eyes was so easy to detect.

  He wanted her, no doubt about it, he wanted to fuck her, and thinking about him fucking her, taking her asshole, it filled her with need.

  He stepped up behind her, and she wondered for a split second if he’d do it. If he’d take her anus, make her his. One touch. He slid a finger down past her puckered hole to circle her entrance. He slid a finger into her pussy, then two, and she cried out.

  “She’s soaking wet.” He pulled his fingers from her pussy, and ran them across her back so she knew he saw how wet she was.

  Pressing her face against Axel’s chest, she waited.

  Axel chuckled. “It seems our girl has gotten dirty since we last saw her.”

  “It was always there, Axel. You just couldn’t see it. I could.”

  “What happened to Buck?” she asked.

  She didn’t want them talking about sex or her pussy, or how wet she was. She needed her sanity right now.

  Harper couldn’t recall a time in her life she’d been this aroused just by touch alone. Climbing off Axel’s lap, she gave Draven her full attention.

  “Buck died from a gunshot wound the day you decided to run away.”

  “What?”

  “Yes. There was a mass shooter in the mall. I was too busy being worried about you.”

  She shook her head.

  “No, no, that wasn’t a mass shooter.” She couldn’t believe this. “Your dad organized that shooter to be there.”

  She cried out as she was suddenly pressed against the wall with Jett’s blade against her neck.

  “Draven, man, focus.”

  “I’m sick and tired of her blaming him. Take fucking responsibility for what you fucking did.”

  The blade pressed tight against her skin, not yet cutting, but all it would take was the right motion, and she’d be dead.

  Tears fell down her face as she felt fear unlike anything she’d ever felt before. Not in the ring all those years ago, not even facing his father.

  With Draven, she really feared because that one look, and she truly believed he’d kill her.

  The anger. The rage. It consumed him.

  His father had won.

  “You won’t say another fucking word about my dad, will you?”