Page 25 of Knight’s Absolution

He dragged a hand down his face, mouth flattening. “I know someone. He was called in. It had to be re-broken. Thankfully, you healed fast. My blood helped.”

She had no recollection of it, of any of it. She opened her mouth, then closed it.

“So Spencer? He was the one texting Grace?”

She shook off the tingles dancing over her skin, the way this male affected her, the way he drew her, and tried to focus on his questions. “I gave him the phone right after Grace gave me her number. I knew I had a punishment coming for what I did. I told Spencer to destroy it. He obviously kept it and used it when he got concerned. Neither of us knew if I’d survive this time.”

“Your brother is dead, by the way. He gained his powers early, which was a boon, but he continued to ask for you. Where’s my sister? Let me see my sister. It became tiresome, so I removed his head from his shoulders.”

Pain sliced through her, but not from hunger. It was emotional pain, the same pain she’d felt in the basement when Sir told her what he’d done.

Suddenly, she was finding it hard to sit still.

All this time, she’d done Sir’s dirty work, let him control and use her—and it was all for nothing.

She thought she was protecting her brother—but Ronan had already been dead.

A growl rumbled from Gunner and she jumped, flinching at the rage etched into his handsome face. “You’ve been locked in that fucking room since then?”

She understood anger. That’s all she’d felt the last year. And she’d dealt with angry males before, a lot of them. Demons were angry twenty-four seven, but the look in Gunner’s eyes froze her to the bone. She stilled. Sudden movements were never a good idea around volatile males.

“No,” she said in as soothing a voice as she could muster. “I was released after two weeks, but then I…did something to anger him again.” She didn’t elaborate, didn’t want to tell him she was punished again because she protected him, in case that angered him more. “I was in there a month this last time.”

Gunner’s eyes turned black and he growled again, so low and vicious she was surprised her heart didn’t spontaneously start beating again, just so it could race like crazy in her chest.

“A month?” he hissed, his thick fingers curling into tight fists. “He left you there, suffering with a broken leg, without food or water or blood for a month?”

She bit her lips together and nodded again.

“How did you break your leg, Luna?” His voice was smooth, deadly. Demanding.

Demanding she answer. “It was part of my punishment.”

His face turned red, and a vein in the side of his neck bulged.

So this was what fear felt like?

CHAPTER 7

Gunner locked his muscles so he didn’t explode out of the bed and tear his room down. The tornado of rage inside him needed an outlet, and the fucker he wanted to rip to shreds was still in hiding.

When he’d realized Luna’s leg had healed wrong, he’d called Jack to come and take a look. Jack was a doctor and demi who had helped them a lot over the years.

The way her leg had looked, the pain she must have suffered—

He took several steadying breaths, locking it down.

Luna needed him to keep his shit together right now.

He took her in and made himself fucking breathe. It helped.

The days of feeding and sleep had transformed her. She was almost back to the way she’d looked the first time he’d seen her.

Luna. Yeah, the name suited her.

Her skin was like pale silk and utterly flawless despite the grime smeared here and there. Her hair was long and jet black, framing her heart-shaped face. She licked her lips, lips that were deep crimson and so plump and perfectly shaped he was desperate to know how they’d feel against his. How they’d taste.

But those eyes, fuck him, they were gorgeous. Her irises had been deadly pale when he’d found her, so drained of color they almost got lost in the whites of her eyes. Now, they were deep violet. Stunning. Christ, they stole his breath—