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“When I apologized, I grabbed his arm,” I said “I wasn’t ever allowed to touch any of the n I knew that, but I was scared and in pain and I wasn’t thinking” I reached up to touch the burn scar on rabbed my hair and forced uy, he just knehat Father wanted It made me wonder how, you know?”

Vaughn’s ar

“The man left the roo black in his hand, but I didn’t knohat it was until he handed it to Father” I drew in a breath as a huge shudder ran throughout one through me when I’d identified the object

“Fire poker,” I breathed

I heard so a shirt because they’d taken it off when they’d put the collar on I againFather not to hurt ain He didn’t even let me finish before he hit me on the back with the poker”

“Aleks,” Vaughn whispered into my ear I could hear the emotion in his voice It sounded really thick

But I couldn’t stop now

Not even for him

“I thought each bloould be the one that killed o into my head because it hurt so bad I almost passed out after the first few hits, but one of thecold water indownI reround and then I was pulled to my feet and bent over the desk I was afraid Father would let his men take turns with me after he was done, but they didn’t Father just left me there, my pants around my ankles, and told his men to clean me up and put me in my room I think… I think he was sorry he scarred his pet because he used to tell his friends that he regretted not using sohter to teach me that first lesson”

I reached for the jewelry box and pulled it closer “I never defied hiht Dante showed up and Father bent me over that same desk and showed Dante what I’d been turned into”

“You’re so fucking strong, Aleks,” Vaughn said into my ear “That’s who you are and who you’ve always been”

“Unbroken,” I murmured

Vaughn kissed the back of my neck “Yes,” he said in a barely there whisper

I nodded because I was finally starting to believe it for myself But every step forould be about that… about re myself that none of those men had done what they’d set out to do

Break me

So I reached for the sold collar

“No,” a voice said, then a large hand wasthe box out of my reach