I didn’t know exactly when my heart started to beat again, but the fact that I wasn’t dead from a heart attack or at the very least hadn’t fainted right there on the floor said something for the inner strength I didn’t even know I had.

I had watched a man put a gun to his temple and had closed my eyes, silently wishing to hear the gun go off. I had done it for the three men before him, disappointed each time the chamber was empty. As awful as it was—and fuck was it awful—I knew the only way Alec would survive was if one of those men at the table died.

I had to wish for it.

And I did.

I would have to forgive myself for those awful thoughts later, but right now all that mattered was Alec was alive.

Alive.

“Come,” he said softly, grabbing me beneath my arms and picking me off the anal dildo bench. “Let’s get you off this awful thing.”

I gasped as the removal of the dildo caused almost as much discomfort as having it inserted.

My legs were weak, and I could barely bear any weight. If it were not for him holding me up, I would have surely crumpled to the ground. He removed his jacket that was covered in another man’s blood and tried to conceal my nudity as fast as he could.

It was hard to believe that Alec was alive. He had somehow walked away from that table, when I was almost certain he wouldn’t.

“I’ve never been so scared in my life,” I said as I clung to his body, feeling as if I had to just as much as someone had to breathe.

“It’s okay,” he whispered as he kissed the top of my head. “It’s over now.”

The sex slaves—scared women—were either getting off the bench on their own, or others were helping them. But everyone was starting to leave the ballroom.

“Alec? Makayla?” I heard my father say as he walked up behind us.

When Alec had taken Papa’s place at the table, he wasn’t allowed to come stand by me. The other members kept him to far side of the room—flanked on both sides by the men holding canes—no doubt worried my father would step in and try to save his friend or something. Or maybe they were worried he would rush over to me and try to get me off the bench and cover my body. Regardless, of the reason, this was the first time I had heard my father’s voice in what felt like ages.

Alec turned to face him, but didn’t release his hold on me. My father pulled us both into a hug and released a sob. “Oh god, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” The one and only time I had seen my father cry was when my mother died. Although I couldn’t blame him for breaking down after all that had just occurred. I hadn’t stopped crying since the minute the Russian roulette part of the ritual began, and I wondered if I ever would stop.

It was over. It was finally over. I was in Alec’s arms. I was standing next to my father. But I kept crying.

My father took a step back and quickly glanced at me standing in Alec’s coat as my only clothing. “Why did you come? I would never have wanted you to go through any of this.” He glared at Alec. “You were supposed to keep her safe. You were supposed to keep you safe. This was my mess. Not yours.”

“He tried to keep me at the lake house, Papa. But I ran away. I couldn’t just allow you to die if it meant I could step in and do my part. As awful as the first part of the ritual was,” I paused, trying to get the images out of my head. “I knew I wouldn’t die from it. I had hoped that my arriving would mean them letting you leave. I had hoped I could save your life, so I left without Alec knowing.”

My father stared back at Alec. “Why would you do that? Risk your own life for me?”

Alec pulled me in closer to his chest. “I did it for Makayla,” was his short answer.

My father looked at me with raised eyebrow and then at Alec.

Alec decided to make it very clear what was going on between us when he kissed me on the top of the head and said, “I love her, Rhett. I’m sorry. Something happened at the lake house and though I tried to fight it, I couldn’t. And then being here, with all that was happening… I knew without a doubt that I loved this woman and would do whatever it took to save her. I’m sorry if you feel I betrayed you and—”

“You didn’t betray me,” Papa interrupted. “You saved my fucking life is what you did. You were right when you said you were always luckier than me, and I think had I been sitting at that table… well, I owe you. And I can see you obviously do love her. There’s no denying that fact.” He then looked at me. “Well? Do you love him?”

Love?

Was that what this incredible desire to never leave this man’s side was? His ultimate sacrifice for me proved he definitely loved me. Did I love him in return?

I looked up into Alec’s eyes looking down at me and nodded, knowing one hundred percent that I did. “I do, Papa. I love him very much.”

“So what’s next?” Papa asked.

“I want to take Makayla back to the room and get her cleaned up and then get the fuck out of here. I was hoping we could all go back to the lake house for a couple of days and heal from this horrible ordeal.”

“I would like that,” I said. “I want to go back there more than anything.”

My father nodded. “That sounds like a really good idea. I’m going to head home first and tie up some loose ends, but then I’ll join you guys in the next day or two. I think the lake house is exactly what we all need. Minka would have liked that.” He extended his hand to Alec and they shook. “I owe you my life, my friend. I owe you everything.”

I looked up at Alec and added, “You saved my father like you said you would. You helped me get through the first part of the ritual which could have been a lot worse had you not been here and had I been purchased by someone else. Thank you, Alec.” I stood up on my tiptoes to kiss him fully on the mouth, not caring that my father was watching. “I love you more than anything. Thank you.”

Alec pulled away from my face enough to look at Rhett squarely. “No more. The Iron Colt Brotherhood is dead to us. Do you understand me? No more favors, no more connections, no more names on stones. We will never step foot in this mansion or deal with any members again.”

“You don’t have to tell me this,” my father said. “I’m not going to waste this second chance at life. I really did think it was the end, and well”—he looked around the near empty ballroom other than a few members standing around chatting—“I’m sick of these fuckers. Maybe it was good for great great grand Pappy and the other men in my bloodline, but I’m stopping it here. Forever.” Papa leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. “I promise you, Makayla, that your happiness is all I ever wanted for you. I’m so sorry, but I will never put you in danger again. Never again.”

Alec nodded, seemingly pleased with Papa’s response. “Good. Then I’ll see you in a couple of days. I’m going to get Makayla out of here.”

Without waiting for a response, Alec led me to the room where we had shared the night. I’m sure he wanted to get clean and wash all this death and evilness from our bodies before we made our journey home.

When we crossed the threshold to the room, and he closed the door behind us, I couldn’t help it anymore. I could no longer fight against the tears that I thought I had stopped in the ballroom. Misery was too strong. It wasn’t the abuse. It wasn’t the humiliation. It was the way he looked down upon me as I collapsed on the edge of the bed. I could see so much pain. He was in as much pain as I, and I didn’t know why.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he said in an almost lifeless voice. Each syllable came out like the staccato of rapid gunfire.

He bent down and lifted my limp body. I wrapped my arms around his neck and allowed him to carry me to the bathroom in his cradled embrace. I didn’t say anything. Nor did he. I just cried.

He placed me into the shower and turned on the water. Although the water shot out of the shower head at a bitter cold temperature, Alec quickly adjusted the temperature until it was delightfully warm. So very warm. The water washed away my tears, and washed away the terror and pain—yet also a pleasure in the most taboo of ways—that had just occurred.

He discarded his clothes and stepped into the shower himself. He was naked. And except for all the exposed cocks in the ballroom, this was the first man I truly had ever seen completely nude.

I stepped to the side a bit so we could both share the streaming water. This was the first warm and pleasant shower that I had had in days. I had to relish the small pleasures in life now, because I’d had a small taste of how easily it could all be taken away.

“Hand me that bottle,” he said, pointing to a shampoo bottle.

I did so, and he squeezed it into his palm and then reached for my hair and began to massage it into my scalp.

I moaned.

I couldn’t help it. It felt so very good.

He continued to work the shampoo into my hair as the floral fragrance wafted up my nose, reviving my battered soul. His nude body was so close to mine, yet it did not touch, nor did I feel unsafe in any way. He used the rest of the soapy lather on his hands and ran it over my entire body. It wasn’t sexual. It wasn’t lecherous. It was simply a man cleaning a woman.

I looked at him as he helped me rinse the shampoo out of my hair. He continued to bathe the rest of my body and then did the same to his. Silently turning off the water, he reached for two towels and handed one to me. Once he dried his body off, he used his towel to help dry my hair. He gently squeezed the water out, massaging my scalp again.

With the most gentle of touches, he placed his lips to mine with a kiss. Heat pumped through my veins and tiny jolts of pleasure sizzled through every nerve ending in my body. My eyes fluttered open as his mouth conquered mine. His kiss had woken me from my slumber. I returned the kiss with a tiny moan as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him closer, deeper to what had become my salvation. He said that I had saved him. But this man had saved me, as well. And this kiss was forever bonding us as one.

What was once a long, dark, epic story had now finally ended. It was time to leave and go back to the lake house. To go back to what hopefully would be the light no longer draped in shadows.