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They had all conspired against her, even Landon He’d known about the investigation It was the only explanation for how he’d knohere and when thatplace All three of thely That was all she was

"Alea, I’m just about ready to put you over ain"

"Nice Well, go ahead It’s nothing I haven’t been through before You think you’re so big and bad? Go ahead, abuse the stupid, weak princess Maybe that will make you feel like a man" She spewed bile his way because she wasn’t about to let him know that she needed them to hold her, to surround her until she was sure no harm could reach her Eventually, they’d find out she was broken Then they would leave She had to erect soh walls that would protect them all, so their rejection wouldn’t hurt so ht?"

Dane’s face went a bright red, his jaw tightening to the point she was sure it would break He was so righteously pissed that she thought surely he would beat her and prove as stronger

Instead, he jerked away fro her his back He didn’t look at her again, rabbed Cooper’s shirt, where Lan’s hand had been previously He twisted his fist in the gar his friend out behind hiled, but nothing seeo We can’t leave her like this"

Dane

Alea’s hands shook as she felt warm, soft fabric cover her shoulders suddenly She looked up Landon He was settling her robe around her body, covering her nakedness His face was a careful blank

"I’ll admit that I knew you were all kinds of fucked up, Princess," Lan began in that down-hohed, but there was no humor to the sound She pulled the robe around her like a coat of armor "Good for you, Lan You just proved you have eyes and a brain that halforks"

He flinched, and his face closed up Alea fought tears What rong with her? Why did she keep saying such horrible things? Why was she hurting them?

Because they terrified her Because if she hurt theht not be able to hurt her back

"Wow That’s a good one, Princess You kno to go for the throat You definitely kicked Dane where it hurts the ht that BDSM was abuse? Did you know that even though he never touched her like that, when he asked her to experiasped How horrible And how terrible she felt now Dane would never hurt a woman

Alea closed her eyes for a nize herself anymore When she lashed out like she just had, the fear and hurt talked, not her "No Oh, Lan, I didn’t know He wouldn’t have abused her"

"Well, you have great instincts, Princess Dane feels like he failed everyone, his whole family, definitely his ex-wife I’ that is a surefire way to hurt ive you soured him out yet He hides his insecurities really well"

"Don’t" Alea felt hot tears scalding her face

Lan thue It re family When he was a little kid, the ranch hit real hard ti Every die, so he grew up poor He was the youngest of seven boys so by the tiot to him, they were patched up and worn and he was so skinny that the kids in his school called him Scarecrow Call him that a couple of times and it’ll cut him to the quick Since you’re not only fucked up but cruel, that should give you some ammunition Enjoy it" He shook his head "The way I see it, either you were always oddamn shame"

Lan brushed away another tear and turned, following after Dane and Coop They were all leaving, and she’d been the one to shove the out because she wasn’t brave enough to be kind, welco heart, and hers was shattered

More tears fell, but the scream that was always in her throat stuck "Landon"

He stopped but didn’t turn "What do you need, Your Highness?"

Soshe could ask for "Tell Dane I’m sorry And Cooper and… I’m very sorry that I hurt you too"

He nodded and left, and she was alone again

Alea cruown she’d picked out in hopes that they would notice her was lying on the tile, tra? She could dress up all she liked, but she was still that girl chained to a bed, waiting to die

The only trouble noas she seemed determined to take everyone to hell with her

Dane let Cooper drop as soon as he’d hauled him out of the princess’s quarters He didn’t trust Coop not to run back in and try to get on top of her again

And he didn’t trust himself not to walk back and have a throith her that would very likely end with hihness

"You asshole" Coop was on his feet in a heartbeat "What the fuck was that about?"

The hallway around them was quiet He’d been afraid Tal would follow theone back to the ball He was fine with that because he was just about ready to start throwing punches Caving in Coop’s faceinside him

Alea had scored a direct hit He could still hear Kelly screa at him that he was a pervert, a freak for what he needed He could still remember the day his father had told him what an eer welcorown up in

He hadn’t been invited to his brother’s wedding Of course, that wasn’t such a huge surprise since his very vanilla brother had beenhis ex-wife