No. No. No. No. No, means no, asshole. No.
People called out to me as I thundered down the stairs to the first floor, but I ignored them. There were always people around, no matter the hour. I pushed away a man who tried to grab me and linebackered another out of my way. It's amazing how powerful fear can make you.
Then I was at the front door. I barreled into the night, cold air slapping me in the face and chest. The chest bit spurred me on. I had parked my car nearby. It took me mere seconds to get in the driver's seat.
Then I panicked.Keys! Oh, fuck, I needed the keys!As if in answer to a prayer, a lump in my jeans pocket reminded me I had stuck my keys in there earlier when Jake had given them back to me after he parked. I would have thanked God for that minor miracle, but I wasn't sure who he was. So, I just put the key in the ignition and turned it.
I reversed just as Jake came running out of the house. I saw him race after me as I drove away. I put on speed, my heart racing in time with him. I was afraid. Of Jake! Fuck. Even if all Silas said was true and the hounds were evil demons, I couldn't go back there. Because the man I loved was buried inside himself. Michael had admitted it. He caged Jake when hecame forth. And if he could do that, then Jake wasn't in charge. Michael didn't have to rape me to get that message through. I got it. Clear as day. Understood. And as much as I wanted to help Jake, I was done with this bullshit. No more angels.
The question was—did I still want to deal with demons?
Chapter Eleven
I pulled into a parking space before an all-night diner. Staring at the bright lights and the smiling servers, I realized I couldn't deal with demons even if I wanted to. I didn't have a cell phone. Even if I did, Garret hadn't given me his number. I couldn't go inside the diner either, not with my T-shirt ripped down the front. What the fuck was I thinking? I only had one option—go home. The thought brought a measure of relief. I needed to get back to my normal life. Work and . . . well, that was all at the moment. But I'd start over.
And then I thought about Jake's family. I'd have to tell them what happened. Fuck. This was all so insane. I looked down at my bra. It was black lace. Chosen by Silas or whoever Silas told to go shopping for me. Had to be a man. A woman wouldn't have chosen something so sexy and uncomfortable. Seeing it finally drove home what had happened to me.
I've been through some hard times, but I'd never been the victim of rape. Never even come close to it. Now, I understood why some women never recovered from a sexual assault. Michael had barely assaulted me. Even so, the horror that filled me was debilitating. I couldn't even muster the strength to tie my shirt together. I felt so powerless. Doubtless, that was his intention. I didn't want to give him that win, but I couldn't stopthe trembling that came when I thought about what Michael was going to do to me.
Raped by an angel.
I started to cry. Couldn't be helped. I bent over the steering wheel and just sobbed my heart out. It was long overdue. I'd been pushing my tears down lately, upset at even feeling the urge to weep. Jake had recovered. There was no reason to cry anymore. Except that there was.
A knock on my window had me jerking away from it. But it wasn't Michael. It wasn't even Jake or Silas or any of his minions. It was Garret. The demon. He stood outside my door as if I had summoned him.Holy shit, did I summon him?
Garret took in my disheveled state and wet face, and his expression went furious. His eyes narrowed and his full lips pressed together. Seeing him like that, it was easy to believe he was the Devil's dog. But I wasn't scared. I knew that look was for me, not against me. He was angry on my behalf. And Garret got control of his anger on my behalf too.
I watched Garret struggle to get his emotions under control. He finally softened his expression and pressed a palm on the window. Just stared at me. That's all he did. But there was so much in his eyes. Jake had a lot in his eyes lately too. But I didn't see someone dangerous in Garret's stare. I saw someone concerned. Someone who wanted me to be safe.
I opened the door.
“Indigo,” Garret whispered and opened his arms.
With a cry, I shot out of my seat and into that embrace. It made no sense, but Garret represented safety andunderstanding to me. I needed to be there, in his arms. I needed to hear his heartbeat against my ear—it was the only thing that would calm me. He felt like home. Smelled like it too—spicy like cinnamon. A spice that made you think of sweetness.
“What happened, Indigo Darling?” Garret asked. “Tell me. You're safe now.”
I was. I knew it. But I didn't want to tell him. I just cried harder.
“It's all right. I've got you. You're okay.”
“What did those fuckers do to her?” someone demanded. Another man.
My head jerked up in surprise, my stare going straight to the source of the voice. He was blond, big, and beautiful. So fucking handsome, I couldn't breathe. The kind of handsome that shouldn't exist. I'd only seen that kind of beauty once before, at least in person. And that other beautiful man was holding me.
I looked up at Garret. Back at the other man. At Garret again. They had the same eyes.
“I told you to wait in the truck,” Garret growled. “You're going to scare her.”
“I'm not scared,” I said, as I unconsciously pressed my hand over Garret's heart. “Are you part of Garret's team?”
“Part of histeam?” The blond grinned. “You could say that.” He stepped closer, his stare skipping down to my torn shirt, then up again. By the time it reached my eyes, his were twitching. “What happened to you?”
“This is Gideon,” Garret said.
“And I'm Gage.” A third man, just as striking as the other two, stepped around the large black pickup truck parked next to my little Honda. Black hair, angular features, and those same green eyes. His lips were a lot thinner than Garret's, and they nearly disappeared when he pressed them together. His stare had also gone to my shirt. “What theactualfuck?” He looked back at my face. “Did those fucking bastards assault you? I'm going to kill them. I'll fucking rip them into tiny shreds and feed them to the—”
“Gage!” Garret snapped.
