Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33444 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 167(@200wpm)___ 134(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Chapter Six
Morgue
It felt like I was going to erupt in a fit of rage. I wanted -- needed -- to slaughter every motherfucker who’d done this to her. Sure, me and my brothers had killed everyone we knew of in the place Dorothy had been kept, but I now included her roommates in my hate. I didn’t like having to kill women, but I knew I’d relish these deaths.
And Goddamnit, I wanted her to see me as a man who could and absolutely would protect her! My entire adult life, I’d been Morgue. The man who killed, and killed willingly. It had never bothered me before. Now? I wanted Dorothy to see me as more. A man willing to do what was necessary, but…
“Why?” she sobbed out against my neck. “Why did this happen?”
“Gonna take care of you,” I said. I wasn’t sure why, because, a nurturer I was not. I was a killer. I could avenge her, could rain down death and destruction to her enemies, but I’d never been the overly demonstrative type. “Then I’m gonna kill everyone responsible for this.”
She cried for a long while, trembling in my arms. I tightened my hold on her, doing the only thing I could think of to make her feel more secure. Her crying lessened but didn’t stop. So, I held her tighter.
Finally, she calmed down to the occasional sniffle. She didn’t pull away from me or indicate in any way she wanted me to let her go, so I didn’t.
“You know,” she said, her voice shaky. “It could have been an innocent accident. They might not have known this was going to happen.”
“Know soon. Got Wylde lookin’ into it.”
“Wylde?” She didn’t move and sounded like she was exhausted. Probably was, given the release of emotion she’d just spent.
“Intel officer. Does shit with computers.”
“Oh. OK.”
We were a pair. Now she’d devolved to one-word sentences too. Nothing more needed to be said anyway. I held her and she let me. That was all either of us needed for the moment.
All too soon, there was a knock at the door signaling Stitches and possibly the women too. I growled in frustration. Though I knew she needed them, I wasn’t ready to give up this peace yet. Selfish, but she seemed content and I knew I fucking was. So, when she stiffened, I barked out, “Go away!”
There was a slight pause. “Morgue, it’s Iris. I’m coming in.”
“Go away!”
“It’s all right,” Dorothy whispered. “You can let them in.”
“Don’t want to.”
Dorothy didn’t say anything else and didn’t move to get out of my arms. When the door opened, I groaned in protest.
“Relax there, big guy,” Iris said, entering slowly with Blossom. Sparkle didn’t have the same hesitation. She trotted straight over to us and licked at Dorothy’s ankle, whining as she did so.
“What can we do, Dorothy?” Blossom ignored me altogether. “We can’t take the pain away, but we can give you something else to think about for a while.”
Sparkle whined and pawed at the seat next to me and Dorothy before slinking up and turning around in the corner, so her muzzle lay against Dorothy’s legs. She could stick her tongue out and lick Dorothy’s ankle.
Dorothy leaned forward to reach for the dog. Sparkle whined when Dorothy stroked her back a couple of times but didn’t move other than to lick Dorothy’s ankle again. Seemed that was how the dog was going to comfort Dorothy.
“I think Sparkle is gonna do much better than us.” Blossom gave Dorothy a gentle smile. “You let Sparkle stay with you until she wants to come back to me.”
“But won’t she want you?”
Blossom shrugged. “Sparkle knows when someone needs her, and that’s where she goes. If someone is hurting, she’s right there trying to give any comfort she can. If you need her to play, she’ll play. If you want to snuggle? She’s your dog. If you just need someone to watch over you, she’s that too. Trust me when I tell you that Sparkle will not leave until she’s sure you no longer need her.”
Dorothy nodded slowly before settling back against the crook of my neck. “OK.”
“Good. Now.” Iris brought out a phone and laid it on the coffee table in front of us. “That phone has all our numbers programmed in. You know me and Blossom, but there’s also Bellarose, Odette, Danica, Nyla, Piper, Winter, Serelda, and Scarlet. You can call or text any of us at any time and we’ll come to you. No questions asked. All we want is for you to feel safe.” She gave me a glance before continuing. “I’ll leave it up to Morgue to add his number and anyone else’s he thinks you need.”
“Thank you. I’m sorry to be such a bother.” She sniffled and I thought I might lose my mind if she started crying again. Never thought a woman’s tears would affect me like this, but they made me feel helpless and like I wasn’t caring for her like she needed.