Malevolence (Dahlia Saga Book 4) Read online

  “He’s believed you were dead this entire time. He had to. It aligned with what I thought was best for you.”

  I couldn’t do that math in my head right then. The number was too large to acknowledge. That explained why he reacted the way he had. I imagined he was in shock. It wasn’t every day someone came back from the dead, especially a spouse. On top of all that the drive here hadn’t been too long. He had been near this entire time and I never knew.

  “I don’t understand. Wasn’t there a funeral? No one noticed my body was missing?”

  He puffed up his cheeks, expelling a noisy stream of air. “That’s a very complicated question. He was in no position to do much about a burial and I’d already done what needed to be done to make sure I could get you away.”

  “But why would you do that? Did he hurt me? Was he abusive?”

  “No,” he replied quickly. “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know?”

  “I wasn’t privy to all the inner workings of your marriage.”

  “Then why did you take me away from him?”

  “I can’t tell you that right now. As I said, it’s complicated.”

  My heart sank with his admission. I rolled my lips and looked down at the floor. Sadness, being numb. Those were emotions I was used to. Betrayal was a new one. I had trusted him. I didn’t care what his reasons were. He’d kept me away from a man I exchanged vows with and made me believe I had no one.

  “Please, get out,”

  He at least had the gall to look ashamed, but no apology came before he exited the room.

  I wish I could have said this revelation made everything come rushing back but that wasn’t the case. His confession only managed to further shove me into the dark and bruise my heart.

  I rested my face in my hands and shut my eyes, wondering if this would ever end.

  It was some hours later when another knock came on the door. I was laying on the bed, wanting to leave the room but not brave enough to face Julian.

  While desperate to learn all I didn’t know, I wasn’t so uncaring that I would bombard him today of all days.

  We both needed time to process. Not to mention, he emanated an intensity I didn’t know how to handle right then.

  “Come in,” I called tiredly.

  There was a soft creak followed by Bab’s voice. “You’ve been summoned to dinner. And I’ve brought your things.”

  I sat up and glanced down at my suitcase. “Thank you.”

  “No use in looking so depressed. There’s a silver lining here.”

  I didn’t tell her that this was just the way I looked. I was more interested in how she thought something good could come of this.

  “You wash up and I’ll wait to take you down.”

  Grateful that I wouldn’t have to find my way through this place on my own, I grabbed my bag and guessed at which door would lead to a bathroom.

  I removed my shawl and let down my hair. It hit mid-back, the brown strands shiny and thick.

  It was practically pin straight and required little maintenance. I brushed it out and let it remain free. There wasn’t much else I could do with myself. The scars glared at me, seeming redder than they usually were.

  I shut my eyes and did my breathing technique until the urge to rub at them went away. That would only make their appearance worse. I’d tried cover up, but the unevenness of my skin made it obvious I was trying to hide something.

  Julian had attempted to trace over the one above my brow clearly able to see it. I wondered if Nester had lied about that too, the way they appeared to other people.

  I checked myself over one last time. My dress was simple.

  Black with short sleeves and a crewneck cut, hitting just beneath the knee. Going to dinner wasn’t something I really wanted to do but I needed to eat something no matter how dismal my appetite had gotten.

  “I’m ready,” I announced, exiting the bathroom.

  “Very nice,” Bab’s complimented, heading for the hall.

  I trailed after her, pulling the door to the room closed behind our departure.

  “We do dinners once or twice week. Always the same days.”

  “I’m not sure how long I’ll be here.”

  She didn’t reply.

  When we reached a large dining room, I took in the long table. It was already set, fresh rolls and butter added to its aesthetic. I wasn’t the first one to get there. A man sat near the center.

  He had more grey hair than Julian and his right arm had a full tattoo sleeve that disappeared beneath his button down.

  When he noticed me standing there he stood up with a smile on his face.

  “So, it’s true then?”

  I didn’t know what he was asking, so I couldn’t say anything.

  “Oh, right. I’m Luca. I was—am‑‑your favorite brother-in-law.” He held a out a hand and I respectfully shook it. His grip was firm, but not painful. “You have aged like a fine wine.” His eyes roamed down my body.

  “You will end up looking like me if your brother sees you doing that,” Bab’s huffed, moving around us.

  “On to your next victim already?”

  I turned to see who this new voice belonged to and nearly came face to face with a woman the same height as me.

  She had doe brown eyes, and long espresso hair, freckles were splattered across the bridge of her nose.

  “Morgana?” Her eyes blinked rapidly. If possible, she got even paler. “Where have‑‑?”

  “This is my wife, Dakota” Luca interrupted smoothly, “She can be a moody witch, but for the most part she’s harmless.”

  Dakota started. “She doesn’t remember anything?”

  Her relief was obvious. Based on her husband’s expression he thought so too. “She remembers some,” I answered in third person. What was with these people being so rude?

  “Come sit,” Bab’s called gently.

  More than ready to get out from between this couple. I thanked her silently and sat at the opposite end of the table. It didn’t take too long after for more people to start filing into the room.

  Nester came in wearing a different outfit from earlier, seating himself across from me. I was far from being over what he had done and still couldn’t come up with a reason why he would have, but I was glad to see a familiar face in the room.

  Two younger men came strolling in, a petite woman walking between them. One pulled out a chair for her, the other directed her to sit. I was trying to work out if they were siblings or friends when the man with darker hair fixed his attention on me.

  “Hi,” he said, flashing a friendly smile. “I’m Declan.”

  I returned his greeting without adding my name. Something told me he was related to the other Andreou men, so I assumed he already knew it. His build and look fit right in with theirs. He was much younger, though. I estimated early thirties.

  “This is Ethan.” He placed a hand on the shoulder of the man he’d come in with.

  “And this is Helena.” He beamed down at the woman now sitting diagonal from me. She was abnormally pretty, reminding me of an old porcelain doll I once had.

  There was no reaction on her end until Declan gave a soft squeeze of her shoulders.

  “Oh, Hello.”

  For what felt like the hundredth time that day I didn’t know what to make of this. When Julian walked into the room, I busied myself with refolding my napkin. How did one man take up so much space without doing anything? He sat at the end of the table, putting him at my immediate right.

  “Bab’s.” That was all he said, and the woman sprang into action, disappearing through a set of swinging doors in the back of the room.

  “Did you settle in okay?”

  I knew he was speaking to me because I could feel the weight of his gaze.

  “Fine, thanks,” I replied.

  The doors swung open again and a man entered the room followed by Babs. Dishes were sat on the table, all prepared with a careful hand.

  I’
d been prepared to serve myself, but Julian did that too. He loaded my plate with all the things I did eat, skipping over what I’d mentally rejected. Nester watched him with an amused look on his face. I didn’t mind, but I was a little surprised he was handling my return so well. Then again, I couldn’t tell what was going through his mind.

  Conversation started up and everyone ate as if my being there was completely ordinary. No one asked any personal or direct questions. The only ones who didn’t speak were Helena and Dakota. One seemed perfectly content to eat her food and not be involved in the conversation. The other still looked pale.

  Even Nester had no problem inserting himself and I wondered how well he knew this family.

  When the topic changed to one of holding cells I got lost, no longer able to follow along with the conversation.

  “Do you work at a prison?” I asked Luca since he was the one who had brought it up.

  He laughed, loudly. My face heated in embarrassment.

  “Prison is a much nicer of a place than where he’s referring to,” Nester said.

  “Yeah, the accommodations put ours to shame,” Luca replied.

  “What’s worse than prison?”

  “The Dahlia.” This reply came from Julian. I looked at him for the first time since we’d been at the table. I suddenly had trouble swallowing. This man was my husband. My husband. He stared back, unblinking. The spell was broken by the arrival of someone else.

  “Sorry we’re late.”

  I blinked and turned my head just as another man and woman slipped into a pair of empty seats. These two were easy to tie together.

  She had on a large wedding ring and he wore the matching band. A baby monitor was placed between them. For that to still get a frequency that meant they had to of lived here too, right?

  “This is Mason and Katie,” Julian introduced, cutting into his second pork chop.

  “We should have led with that. It’s nice to meet you,” Katie said, offering me a smile that lit up her pretty face. She had to of been around the same age as Helena. They both had a youthful, innocent look to them. But her hair was dark brown, eyes a unique shade of cobalt

  These men certainly knew how to choose a partner.

  I felt extremely out of place amongst all of them. Maybe I was beautiful once, but my scars had flawed me beyond repair. Both on the outside and in.

  “So, how do you like the house?” Mason asked once he’d served him and his wife.

  He looked across the table and it was impossible not to notice his uncanny resemblance to the man I was married to. Had Julian been a few years younger they could have passed as brothers.

  “It’s nice,” I replied finally, looking down at my plate when I couldn’t hold his gaze. My mind was racing. Was this his son? With who? Was he mine? No, Nester wouldn’t have taken it that far, keeping me from my child. Would he?

  That baby I kept seeing…I took a sip of water, trying to alleviate the pressure mounting at the back of my skull. When it didn’t abate, I calmly excused myself.

  Avoiding eye contact with anyone, I left the dining room and found my way outside, not really caring what anyone in that room thought right then. I needed to breathe, to release some of the pressure sitting on my chest.

  It was dark now, but solar lights were on and illuminated parts of the property. I went to the fountain and sat down on the ledge, wishing I’d gone to get my shawl, but it was too late now. I didn’t want to go back and risk a run-in with someone.

  I’d been at this place for less than twenty-four hours and had already learned more about myself than I had in years. I just didn’t know what to do with any of the information or how to react, what to say or do. Nester spent so much time making me believe in a reality that I never belonged in.

  I never expected this. A husband. Potentially a son. This family. The Dahlia.

  Each came with a set of questions and it was all so overwhelming.

  I could deal with being alone, after a while loneliness became a way of living, but I’d never realized how utterly lost I was until now. And this was only the beginning, the beginning of the sorrow, the confusion and the endless barrage of emotions that were waiting to crush me.

  “You still look the same.” His baritone voice came from a few feet away. I hadn’t heard him come out.

  I glanced away from the Karp fish spitting water from its mouth, to where he was approaching slowly. “I don’t know what I looked like before.”

  “I just told you.” He sat down beside me. His cologne wasn’t as potent as it’d been that morning, but there was still a comfort in its familiarity. He clasped his hands loosely on his lap and continued speaking. “Your hair was a bit different, two-tone.”

  He didn’t mention the scars, so I did.

  “I didn’t have the scars.”

  “You had plenty of those, they just weren’t visible on the outside.”

  This was my first-time hearing someone say something like that. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye. That ring on his finger, had he worn it all this time? Did he mourn me all these years? How did his name end up on my thighs? What had he been doing with his life and why didn’t he seem happy to see me again?

  I had questions. So many damn questions that I didn’t know how to ask. All of those seemed too deep to start with and I wasn’t sure I was ready for the answers I would receive. So, I asked instead, “What is it you do…or did for a living?” That was simple enough.

  “Beyond our family, the Dahlia has always been my life.”

  “Our family.”

  “Yes, our family. That’s the amazing thing about that. You could go anywhere in the world for as long as you want and you’d still be part of it.”

  “Mm,” I hummed. I’d misunderstood what he was saying, thinking our family was referring to he and I, not everyone at his dinner table. “You never said what it was you did here.”

  He chuckled softly. “You’ll find out tomorrow.”

  Eyeing the large structure, I couldn’t imagine what he meant by that. The Dahlia looked just like it should have—a chateau. Only, his brother had alluded to the same thing. Even Nester seemed to know what it was they did here.

  Julian stood slowly and turned to face me. “It’s getting late. You should try and get some sleep. Bab’s will wake you in the morning.”

  I diverted my gaze to the ground and nodded. “Are you mad I came back?”

  He reached out and gripped my chin, forcing me to look back up at him. I didn’t pull away this time, braving his judgement.

  “I’m much madder you left.”

  His words rang true. In the soft glow of the lights, his eyes were both a sword and a shield. There was undeniable anger that seemed ready to pour out at any second, but there was unmistakable pain too. That was what he didn’t want anyone to see.

  He stroked his thumb over my cheek and then dropped his hand down to his side. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  I watched him walk away wishing he would stay. But what right did I have to ask that of him? I didn’t.

  Just like I didn’t know what to do or what to say to start mending all I’d broken. Including myself.

  Chapter Seven

  He had his face between my legs, his hands gripping my thighs to keep them in place. His tongue was thrusting in and out of me, going as deep as it possibly could.

  My legs shook, reflexively trying to close. His nails dug into my skin. I gasped, threading my hands through his silky hair. I was going to come. I could feel the tension building in my core.

  My body trembled in his knowing hands. He brought his mouth higher and closed his lips over my clit, torturing me with the tip of his tongue before biting down. And that was it. The pain.

  I cried out, fisting his hair as shock waves rolled through my body. Before I could remotely catch my breath and come down to earth, his cock was inside me. He fucked me hard, his every thrust so beautifully brutal.

  "Jules...please." I begged him. I don’t know what
for. For reprieve. To never stop.

  "Keep begging,” he demanded, thrusting faster, pounding into me. His balls slapped against the groove of my ass, mixing with the sound of my continuous moans and the headboard slamming into the wall.

  He wrapped a hand around my throat, adding enough pressure that breathing became difficult.

  Lurching down, his cock began to hit my G-spot.

  I was building again, rapidly towards a feeling of release only he could give me. His teeth sunk into my shoulder, his grip on my throat tightened. I whispered his name, choking on it amid a scream seconds later.

  I sat up and placed my hand over my heart, feeling it racing in my chest. Between my legs was slick and tingled as if the dream had been real. It certainly felt like it. I could still feel his hand around my throat and my nightshirt was drenched in sweat.

  What that a dream or a memory? A knock came on the door, and I jumped.

  “Mrs. Andreou?” Bab’s called.

  I didn’t immediately respond. I was still getting used to the whole husband thing. I hadn’t stopped to consider my name.

  “Coming,” I croaked, “Coming!” I repeated after I cleared my throat. I swung my legs over the side of the bed and went to the door, ignoring the sensation between my legs as I walked.

  “Good morning,” she greeted, smiling brightly. There was a folded dress in her hands. “The doctor and Mr. Andreou agreed it be best to keep you busy until this evening. You’ll be shadowing me today as I clean.”

  “Oh, okay.” I took the blue garment without argument. Keeping myself preoccupied sounded exactly like something I needed to be doing right then.

  “Meet me downstairs in fifteen minutes.”

  I nodded, looking up at the last second. I had wanted to ask her what was happening that night, but she was already descending the stairs. With a soft sigh I shut the door and held up the dress.

  It was chambray linen, light blue with midi sleeves and small buttons. The V neck was a little deep for my liking, but I wasn’t going to throw a fit over it. My brain felt as if it had been tossed into a skillet and left to fry. I didn’t have the energy to care about a piece of clothing.