Damaged and the Beast (Damaged #1)

“Why?” I cried. “Do you know him? Is he your friend? Are you going to give me to him?”


Grabbing a shoe, I threw it at Cooper who easily batted it away.

“Stop!” he yelled so loudly I fell backwards in terror. “Calm the fuck down!”

Staring up at him, I knew he would hurt me and give me to Travis. It was why he fucked me so much the night before. He was saying goodbye and finishing with me before handing me off to his buddy.

Cooper stared at me full of anger then he took a few deep breaths and stepped back. Swinging his arms, he settled himself down while I crawled to the corner behind a chair. Naked and cold, I knew something bad was coming as if trouble had followed me out of the dream. Eventually, Cooper dressed in a pair of boxers and sat on the ground nearby.

“You said his name when you were dreaming,” he explained quietly. “He’s the guy who hurt you, right?”

“Do you know him?”

“Farah, why would I know him?”

“He…I just don’t want to go back.”

“You’re not going anywhere, baby. You’re staying here with me.”

“He could come. He could take me.”

Gaze darkening, Cooper whispered in a hard voice. “If he tried, he’d be dead before he put a hand on you.”

Nodding, I tried to tell myself how Travis didn’t care about me. He hadn’t come for me all these years and he never would. Wanting to be rational, I still felt his rough hands on me. I hurt between my legs like I did when he was done. He had marked me again in the dream and I would never be free.

After a short time, Cooper stood up and walked to the next room. Hating to be alone, I still flinched when he returned. He seemed bigger now. His shoulders wider, his face harsher, his whole demeanor reeked of potential violence.

Instead of hitting me, Cooper lowered a blanket behind the chair so I could cover myself. I stared at him as he sat back down. We studied each other for a long time as I waited for something bad to happen or the fear to fade. Neither occurred, leaving me stuck behind the chair for hours.

Cooper tried twice to caress my face and both times I jerked back and away from his touch. After the second attempt, he stood up and left the room. I heard the front door open and assumed he was leaving. Then, his big ugly dog Rafe waltzed into the room with Cooper following behind.

In his hand, Cooper held a gun and I pushed farther back into the corner. “No one,” he said, kneeling down by the chair, “will come here and take you. If they do, Rafe will wake us up and I’ll kill the fucker. No one is hurting you or taking you away from me. Do you understand?”

Staring into his dark eyes, I did understand. I craned my neck so I could see Rafe comfortable in the corner. When I looked back at Cooper, he sighed.

“Baby, it’s nearly six in the morning. The sun is coming up and you need to sleep. I need rest too, so let’s go to bed and I’ll keep you safe. I won’t even touch you, but I need you to go to bed.”

“You love me,” I said in a rough, exhausted voice.

“More than anything else. I will never let that piece of shit or anyone else come here and hurt you. You are mine and that makes you untouchable. Do you understand?”

Nodding again, I crawled out from behind the chair and Cooper helped me stand. He stepped back, willing to keep his distance to avoid scaring me. Reaching for him, I knew he would keep me safe. If I couldn’t shake the fear of the dream, I could at least know Cooper was someone Travis wouldn’t screw with. Rationally, I knew Travis likely forgot I existed, but I wasn’t rational. I was primal and the monster was always waiting to ruin me again. With Cooper though, I was safe.

We walked to bed where Cooper’s body warmed me until I could sleep. I dozed off, praying not to dream. When I woke up hours later, it was like I was in heaven. I literally had a smile on my face while opening my eyes, refreshed after a horrible night. The sun was out, but hidden by Cooper’s dark shades. I could see a hint of light around the edges of the window as I glanced at the clock.

“Eleven o’clock!” I cried as if yelling might turn back time.

Before I could freak out more, and I was already freaking out pretty badly, Cooper appeared at the door then rushed to the bed.

“Don’t freak.”

“I overslept. Why didn’t you wake me up?”

“You’re kidding, right?” When I started crying, Cooper realized I wasn’t kidding. “Baby,” he said, wrapping his arms around me, “I woke up just before the alarm went off and there was no way I was waking you up after two hours of sleep. Not after the night you had.”

“I’m missing school.”

“It’s okay. I called a woman in administration and she’s having someone in each of your classes take notes. You won’t miss anything.”

“I’m going to get in trouble,” I mumbled against his chest.

“It’s college, not high school. No one takes attendance at New Hampton.”