Blurry is the Line Between Love and Lust: A Tears of Shame Novel [EDITING]

Chapter 14: My Savior, My Choice

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She's about to make a choice... who will it be?

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Recap chap 13:

"I did this for you!" She spat at me. "She wanted you both. Well, she can't have either one of you." I grabbed her throat and dragged her to the dungeon. I threw her to the floor so hard that her bones cracked.

"You're dead to me." I snarled while I slammed the cell door. My heart was broken, full of pain and sorrow.

I had to get her back. Gabriel would pay for what he'd done.

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Chapter 14: My Savior, My Choice

Xavier POV

I crashed through the cellar door, and ripped apart two vamps on my way. It was child's play. I came to the end of a dark hall and happened upon a sight I wished I could have erased from my mind. Arianna lay there limp and bloodied. I hadn't known if she was still alive. My heart threatened to explode.

She was beaten and half naked with gashes across her arms, legs and chest. She looked so fragile. There were bite marks across her neck. Blood was matted in her hair. This was sick. Gabriel was going straight to hell for what he'd done, and he would have taken Selene with him.

Panic and fear rose, like a tidal wave that crashed over me. I ripped open the bars that held her, they were nothing to me. I wrapped her in a sheet to cover the monstrosity that was her body. So many times I had wanted to see her naked, to marvel at her beautiful body, but not like this. I couldn't have seen her like this. I held her close and stroked her hair.

"Aria, I'm here. I love you. It's time to go home." Her eyes flickered when I soothed her, but she did not open them.

She was weak, fragile. Ronan appeared a few minutes later. He was shocked into silence. He made no attempt to move closer. He must have felt ashamed. He knew this was Selene's doing. I felt ashamed because I knew it was my fault. If I hadn't gotten involved with Selene, this never would have happened.

"What did he do to her? Did he... rape her?" His words conveyed worry and thoughtfulness.

"I don't know." I spewed bile at the thought. If he touched her, if he hurt her in that way, he was dead.

"We have to get her out of here." Suddenly Ronan crashed down next to us. I was on my feet in a second. I stared down the monster that hurt my precious love.