Chapter 15: Chapter 13

Damien’s POV

I couldn't hold back the sob that escaped me.

It was a mixture of anger and pain.

I felt arms wrapping around me. I didn’t have to look up to know it was my brother. I hugged him back and closed my eyes.

“We will kill them, Damien,” Will said as he tightened his hold on me. “I promise. We will find them and we will kill them.”

His words didn’t comfort me at all. All I could see were the bite marks on her body. All I could think about was him touching her. All I could hear were her screams and cries.

Not even killing them would comfort me now. There was nothing in this world that could comfort me after seeing that.

Holding her in my arms would help. Holding her tightly and telling her that she was safe would help. Kissing her and running my fingers through her hair would help. Holding her and reminding myself that she was safe would help.

I couldn't do that, though. I couldn't hold her.

I simply couldn't.

“Come on, Damien,” Will said after a few moments of silence. “She needs you.”

I took a deep breath and tried to find some strength to endure what would be the hardest thing I ever had to do.

Will squeezed my shoulder and we walked back inside the house.

She was lying on the couch, holding Alexander’s hand tightly. She was looking at him and he was telling her something quietly. He kept caressing her cheek and running his fingers through her hair.

I was jealous of him. I wanted to do those things.

But I…

“Your brother is back, baby,” Alexander said softly as he glanced up at me. “He will start now, okay?”

Sophia nodded, keeping her eyes on Alexander. Something was different about her. Her eyes weren’t completely void of emotions. She looked scared, but there was also an emotion I couldn't recognize. It was only there when she looked at Alexander and it would disappear as soon as her eyes moved from him.

I approached her and kneeled next to her. I grabbed one of the towels so I could cover her breasts.

“I will take your shirt off now, Sophia,” I said, trying to sound calm. “I will place the towel over your breasts, okay?”

She nodded and Alexander lifted her up a bit so I could take her shirt over her head. I placed the towel over her breasts and pulled the shirt up.

The sight made me furious all over again even though I already knew what I was bout to see.

Her skin was completely black and blue. Old scars were scattered all over her chest, belly, and arms. They were burn and knife scars. She had a lot of fresh wounds as well. One of the bite marks was still bleeding a little which meant that it hadn’t been long since he last touched her.

The anger inside me felt too big for my body. It completely blinded me. I saw nothing but his face in front of me. I wanted to disfigure it. I wanted to hear him scream and beg me to stop.

“You are so brave, baby,” Alexander’s soothing voice pulled me out of my vengeful thoughts. “I am so proud of you.”

I hadn’t even realized that I already started carefully cleaning her wounds. I was completely lost in thought.

She flinched a little when I started cleaning one of her cuts. It was a fresh one and judging by the look of it, it was infected.

“Shit,” I mumbled quietly as I grabbed another gauze.

“What’s wrong?” Luke asked worriedly.

I glanced up at him and saw him running his fingers through Sophia's hair. I was jealous of him too. How could he be so calm around her? How could he show his love for her just like that?

“This cut is infected,” I answered, looking back at what I was doing. “I will need to start her on antibiotics.”

“Fuck,” Elijah mumbled quietly.

I glanced up at Sophia. She didn’t react. She was looking at Alexander who was talking to her quietly. He never stopped caressing her cheek. He leaned in every now and then to kiss her forehead. He kept smiling at her and reassuring her.

I was so fucking jealous.

I was done cleaning her stomach and I needed to check if her ribs were broken.

I took my gloves off and placed them on the table behind me.

“I need to check your ribs, Sophia,” I said, making her glance at me. “I need to see if they are broken or not.”

She nodded and tightened her hand around Alexander’s.

“It’s going to be okay, baby,” Alexander said and I could hear the pain in his voice. “It will only hurt for a little bit.”

I tightened my jaw and placed my hands on her ribs. I could feel each and every bone and it was driving me insane.

I started feeling her ribs as gently as I could. She flinched and whimpered quietly.

“Oh, honey,” Elijah said and I saw him bend down and kiss her forehead. “It will be over soon.”

My heart hurt, but I needed to do it. I needed to check if her ribs were broken or not.

“Fuck,” I mumbled and closed my eyes after a few more seconds.

“What?” Will asked angrily.

I looked up at him and saw him pacing around. He never stopped looking at Sophia's face.

“They are broken,” I said as I pulled out a new pair of gloves from my bag. “I will need to do an x-ray to confirm.”

Will almost exploded. Luke and Elijah sobbed quietly. Alexander just leaned in and kissed her cheek again.

“My brave little girl,” Alexander mumbled, his voice laced with pain.

Sophia never reacted to anything.

“I need you to turn around, Sophia,” I said and she tensed up. “I need to see your back.”

She gulped and her eyes widened a little.

Why? What was on her back? How could it possibly be worse than what we had already seen?

“Come on, baby,” Alexander said as he helped her up.

I grabbed the towel and pressed it against her chest gently. It almost fell down and she didn’t do anything to stop it from falling. Sophia was like a statue. She didn’t do anything to stop Alexander from lifting her up, but I could see the fear growing in her eyes. I could see how she clenched her entire body.

She sat up and Elijah gasped loudly.

“Are you fucking kidding me?!” Luke screamed. “Is this a fucking joke?!”

I froze. What did they see?

Alexander moved her hair away and looked at her back. He visibly paled and tightened his jaw.

Will rushed to stand behind her and look at her back. If he was angry before it was nothing compared to the anger I saw on his face now.

I pushed Alexander aside so I could see.

My stomach twisted and I wanted to scream.

Her back was littered with scars and bites, just like the front.

But what almost made me pass out was the words carved into her skin.

Property of James Miller.

I heard something break and I looked up to see Will picking up another vase and throwing it at the wall. He was cursing loudly and his entire body was shaking.

Sophia did what none of us expected. She threw herself at Alexander and tightened her arms around his neck.

“It’s okay, baby, it’s okay,” Alexander said as he sat down and pulled her onto his lap. “He is not angry at you, baby. He won’t hurt you. No one will hurt you.”

Alexander was on the verge of tears.

“Get him out of here,” I said, looking up at Elijah and Luke.

Both of them nodded and approached Will. They kept glancing back at Sophia with a completely broken looks in their eyes.

I looked back at my sister and took a deep breath. She was holding onto Alexander so tightly that I wouldn't be able to pull her away no matter how hard I tried.

I had to work with what I got. Her back was exposed to me anyway.

“Move her hair to the side,” I said to Alexander. “I will clean her back and we are taking her to the hospital.”

Alexander nodded and gently pulled her hair away.

“Your brother will clean your back, baby,” he said as he kissed her temple. “I am here, okay? I am not letting you go. I will just move my arms so he can work.”

Alexander placed a hand on Sophia's head. He held her close to himself. He placed his other hand on the couch and clenched his fists.

The look of pain and anger in his eyes would haunt me forever.