Rick grabs my cheeks and squeezes until I’m forced to look at him. Warm tears slide down my face as I blink past the stars in my vision.
Everything happened so fast. I can’t keep up. I need to do something before Rick completely loses it. Run or scream or something, but my head won’t stop spinning. The ringing in my ears is blocking out whatever he’s screaming in my face.
Rick’s eyes flash red, and I know he’s on the verge of losing control of his demon. “—I’ll make sure you pay for running your mouth. Once I’m done with you tonight, Grace, you won’t eventhinkabout disrespecting me again.”
His grip on my jaw is so tight I cry out before I can stop myself.
“Please st-stop. Rick, stop!”
“Not so brave now, huh,darling? Shut up before you force me to punish you for disobedience too, you—” Rick is cut by a fist landing on his cheek. His grip on me falters as he stumbles backward and falls hard on the ground.
I turn towards the surprise attack and freeze when I see Harvey standing there, his eyes blazing as he stares down at Rick, who already has a bruise forming on his face.
Harvey stalks toward him like a predator, and I immediately cover my eyes when he starts pounding Rick’s face into the pavement.
I sink to the ground, muffling my wails behind my hands and trying to be as quiet as possible.
For a brief moment, I pity Rick for being on the receiving end of Harvey’s wrath. A small part of me is glad Rick will now know what it feels like to be hurt by someone who doesn’t hold back, but a bigger part of me just wants to go home and never see his face again.
For the next ten minutes, I don’t dare open my eyes. I curl into myself, hugging my knees tightly as the sound of bones cracking and Rick’s cries echo around me.
Suddenly, two hands grab my shoulders, and a terrified scream tears out of me. I try to crawl away, but the wall behind me makes it impossible to escape.
“It’s just me, darling.” A gentle brush on my cheek, charged with electricity, makes me pause. My eyes flutter open, and relief floods me when I see Harvey crouched in front of me, concern and sorrow etched on his face.
“I took care of it, Grace. He won’t bother you again, I promise.” The dark edge in Harvey’s voice somehow soothes my fear. I try to look past him, but he quickly pulls me into his lap and turns me away from Rick.
Without thinking, I wrap my arms around Harvey’s waist and bury my face in his chest. Feeling the cocoon of safety around me, I stop holding back and let the tears fall.
Harvey whispers soft words into my ear and gently rocks us side to side until I can detach myself from what happened and remember how to breathe again.
When my sobs reduce to small sniffs, I look up at my mate through blurry eyes. “Thank you for coming after me.”
“You’re welcome, darling.” Harvey lifts my chin and kisses the side of my cheek that Rick had hit. The sting makes me flinch, and Harvey instantly pulls back, but I grab the front of his jacket to keep him exactly where he is.
Harvey adjusts me so I’m straddling him, then stands up like I weigh nothing. He cups my cheek and softly kisses the bruised side again and again until I finally allow him to move back. His kisses might not heal the bruise, but they erase Rick’s touch from my skin until only my mate’s remains.
I grip the collar of Harvey’s leather jacket, and I hide my face in his neck, breathing in his addictive scent.
I stiffen when my fingers brush over a raised bump on the back of his neck, and I instantly know what it is.
It breaks my heart that Harvey has his own share of poorlyhealed scars.
Suddenly, the tattoos covering his body take on a new meaning. I’ve seen enough people with tattoos to recognize the difference between wearing art and hiding pain. I tighten my hold and press my nose in the crook of Harvey’s neck.
As we walk back into the club, he holds my dress under my thighs so I won’t accidentally flash anyone.
Before I can steal a peek at Rick, who has been silent this whole time, Harvey spins me so I’m the one facing the entrance.
“Is he…?”
“Yes. Are you upset?”
I hesitate before answering honestly. “No.”
“Good. Anyone who lays a hand on my mate deserves his Fate.” My stomach flips at the way Harvey promises violence on my behalf.
“You’ll have to walk backward, Harvey,” I murmur into his neck, pressing a kiss to a faded scar hidden beneath a rose thorn. It’s a small gesture, but suddenly, I can’t get enough of my lips on him.
