Page 24 of Tainted Essence
“What?” I hedge slightly worried when she grins like a psycho.
“She’s the girl.”
“What girl?”
“She’s the only girl you have slept with more than once, you kept sleeping with her because you didn’t need consent to be given.” My face slackens. Knox and Lake never clicked onto that but somehow this she devil has.
“No—”
“Bullshit. You kept doing it because they invited you into their bedroom which gave you consent. Knox telling you to fuck his wife was all the consent you needed because you knew she wanted it, she even told you to fuck her so it would turn her husband on.”
“Shut the fuck up!” I roar, rather than listening to me and taking the hint that my anger was getting out of control she keeps pushing and even comes toward me.
“You liked it because you didn’t feel weak about having to have her consent. It makes you feel vulnerable when you ask for consent, doesn’t it?” Before I can temper my rage I strike out and wrap my hand around her throat, it takes two seconds for us both to register what I have done before she comes at me fist flying. I block her hits and try to duck out of reach but the bitch is an MMA fighter and knows how to subdue her opponent. She leaps at me and the force of her weight sends me sailing backward, the coffee table behind me not standing a chance against my weight and breaks beneath me. I grunt in pain. She drops her forearm against my throat and presses her knee down hard against my cock, drawing a pained roar from me.
“Slayer!” I grit out in warning as I glare up at her.
“You ever fucking lay your hands on me again, Taylan, and I swear to Christ Almighty I will fucking kill you. Do you understand me?” she screams in my face, now it’s my turn to read her.
“He hurt you… he was physical with you.” Her jaw locks, she tries to keep her emotions from displaying themselves but I see it in her eyes. “You get off on me asking you for consent because…”
“Shut the fuck up!” Her tone has a pleading edge, making horror surge inside me. I reach up without thought and cup her face between my hands. Her eyes flutter for a second as tears fill them, telling me everything she refuses to say aloud.
“I’m so sorry, Slayer. I had no idea,” I whisper. She slams her eyes closed and pushes off me to rest back against the sofa, tucking her legs against her chest and burying her face in the top. I take a deep breath and ignore the pain in my back as I crawl over beside her and draw one of my knees up and rest my arm on top of it. We sit here in silence for so long that nighttime has fallen and the moon is high in the sky, offering us a small amount of light through the windows.
“Koda knew getting his men to strip me down to my bra and panties when they kidnapped us would scare me…” She sounds broken and exhausted.
“Because he had done the same thing to you and wanted you scared and whimpering in a corner,” I add.
“Yeah,” she says quietly.
I wrap my arm around her shoulders and draw her into my side, offering her comfort. I don’t have much experience with comforting a woman aside from Lake, Wave and Mom. River doesn’t count because she was harder than me, Knox and Xan, I swear she was more of a guy than the three of us. She rests her head against my shoulder, trying to get closer so I lift her and cradle her in my lap like a child. When she sighs in contentment a surge of protectiveness burns inside me.
“I assume no one in your family knows about him?” She shakes her head against my chest. “Do you want to tell me about him?”
“Not really,” she admits.
“Have you ever told anyone?”
“Not a single soul. How do you tell someone that another human being hurt you, my essence is tainted.”
“No, your essence is far from tainted. You’re strong, fierce and a fighter, Slayer. Don’t give that cock sucking cunt any credit.”
“I was going to be a lawyer like my mom always wanted. I still trained in the gym, my dad has always supported my dream of wanting to fight.”
“I sense a but coming…”
“I also love law and want to be a lawyer.”
“Why not do both?” I ask.
“He said I would never make it as a fighter because I was weak, too spoiled and sheltered. To be a fighter you have to be hungry, crave the fight and need to win. He said I didn't have those things.”
The pieces fall into place. “You dropped out of law school to prove him wrong, winning against Tiana isn’t about the title, it’s about proving him wrong and showing him that you are strong and hungry, isn’t it?”
She takes a shuddering breath and nods. “Pathetic, huh?”
“Don’t do that,” I scold gently.