Damaged (Boys of Winter #2) - Sheridan Anne Page 0,26

stuck here for months before someone pulled their head out of their ass and changed the vote.”

“It seems that the vote has been changed in your favor,” he tells me, slipping the key into the lock and opening my cell to stand before me. “What are you waiting for? Would you prefer to stay?”

My eyes bug out of my head and I get my feet moving. “Fuck no.”

“That’s what I thought.”

I dart out of the cell, and Mr. Danforth closes the door behind me, causing me to jump at the sharp bang of the metal sliding back into place. It’s a noise that I will never be okay with; it grinds on my nerves and gives me the worst kind of anxiety that, hopefully, I’ll be able to conquer one day. Though, I could save myself a lot of trouble and try not to end up in someone’s shitty cell ever again.

Good plan.

Mr. Danforth silently walks beside me, leading me out of the long hallway, and with each step I take, I pick up my pace. My muscles ache from being so cramped and not being able to really move. My back has been screaming since the first night sleeping on the cold ground beside Cruz, and my neck hates me after attempting to spend the next three nights sleeping on the hard bed.

I can’t wait to get back to my place. I think I’ll lock myself in the bathroom and set up a bath fit for a queen. I’m thinking rose petals, a glass of champagne, I might even pretend to read a book, and then afterward, put on a silk robe that makes me feel like the most exotic creature who ever walked the planet. I’m going to live it up. I’m going to enjoy my freedom and remind myself why the hell I valued life in the first place.

But I just have to make one little stop first.

We walk for what feels like forever until we finally break out into the massive reception room and I find three no-good, deathly enticing men standing at the opposite end. Everything clenches inside me and a wicked smile pulls at my lips.

Fuck, that’s why I love freedom. I think after I spend the rest of the day pampering myself, I’m going to spend the night with King and Cruz buried deep inside of me, and hell, if Grayson is down, then he can join in the party too.

“My son seems quite taken by you,” Mr. Danforth comments beside me, his voice a whisper, yet somehow still traveling the distance of the room and making Cruz straighten and narrow his gaze at his father.

I glance across at Mr. Danforth, my brows furrowed as I try to get a good read on him. “Why do I get the feeling that you don’t approve?”

He slices his eyes forward, keeping them trained on the three guys at the other end of the room. “It’s not that I don’t approve, though don’t get me wrong, I’m not exactly thrilled that the woman he’s choosing to spend his time with is someone who’s just been locked away for four days on murder charges. You are the leader of Dynasty, there’s no one better suited for my son. However, it’s not how we do things.”

My brows somehow pull down further as I glance back at the guys in confusion. “How do you mean?” I question, dropping my voice lower to keep as much of this conversation private as possible, but something tells me the boys can hear every little word.

“Our young are encouraged to find a suitable partner who comes from wealth or who already has made a name for themselves in the outside world. We do not encourage dating within our ranks. Our children must first marry and then create heirs of their own to continue our traditions.”

I shake my head. “I must be missing something here,” I tell him. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m a woman, right? I mean, I’m not exactly interested in marriage or babies right now, but maybe one day in the distant future. So, what’s the problem?”

Mr. Danforth stops before we get too close to the boys and I pull myself up to meet his stare. “I’m sure you will birth many heirs to continue your family name. The issue is that you are the leader of this fine organization and Cruz is my heir. If you were to marry, Cruz would be made to take on the Ravenwood