DOMINIC (Slater Brothers, #1)



I woke up when someone called my name. I groaned but didn't answer. I had a killer headache and just wanted to sleep until it went away, but the person calling me wouldn't allow that to happen.

"What?" I grunted.

"Bee? Wake up, please."

I groaned as I blinked my eyes open, and I flicked my eyes around until I realised I wasn't in my bedroom. I shot up and gripped the back of my head when pain filled it. I pulled my hand away and found some blood, fresh and hard, on it.

What the fuck?

"What happened?" I asked as I looked around.

I felt an arm come around my waist, making me jump. I looked to the person who was holding me and gasped. I knew it was Damien but his face was so swollen and cut up that it was hard to recognise him.

"Damien," I whimpered and threw my arms around him. He winced but squeezed me with the arm that was already around my waist.

"Are you okay?" I cried as I pulled back from him.

He nodded his head as I brushed his hair from his face and kissed his forehead. "It's goin' to be okay, I promise."

He squeezed me again. "I know."

I looked at him as tears streamed down my face. "I'm sorry for everything I said to you. You're still a dick, but what I said was wrong."

Damien laughed but his face wouldn't allow him to smile. "Shut up, Bee, you were right about everything you said, and I only reacted the way I did because I knew it was true, and I hated it. I never want to be like my parents, and the shit I've being doing just proves that I am."

I frowned as I looked at him.

"I don't set out to break hearts. I actually don't set out to have anything to do with hearts at all but some girls get attached to me. I swear I never meant to hurt Alannah. I know this will make me sound like a prick. I am a prick, but I just wanted to be with her. She's different."

I gave him a look. "Is that your cryptic way of sayin' you like Alannah?"

Damien shrugged but didn't answer.

I glanced around the room then and groaned. "I can't believe I was knocked out."

"Tell me about it. They did this to me after I was knocked out, the fucking pussies!" Damien growled.

I shook my head then winced. "The back of me head is throbin', it's bleedin' as well."

Damien turned me so my back was to him, and he placed his hands gently on my neck and tilted my head forward. He moved his fingers through my hair and stopped when I hissed in pain. "It's not a deep cut, and it's starting to clot. I can see all the dry blood."

I breathed sigh of relief. "Thank God for that."

"Who hit you? Marco? I saw his face before I was hit."

I swallowed and turned to face Damien. "It wasn't Marco, Damien… it was Trent."

Damien's eyebrows shot up, and his mouth dropped open.

"Trent… Trent Miles?" Damien spluttered.

I nodded my head. "He isn't dead. Marco said he just pretended he was so that he could hold the threat of killin' you over your brothers' heads. He lied to you all, Damien."

Damien looked at me for a moment then turned his head and stared off into space. I was about to ask if he was okay when he said, "For the last three and a half years I've seen his face every night when I've gone to sleep. I was convinced he was haunting me for what I did to him but now I realise it's all just been in my head."

I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat and said, "You can let go of all that now."

Damien nodded his head then looked to me just as the door of the room we were in opened and asked, "Is he really alive?"

Laughter from the doorway caused us to look in that direction. I set my jaw when I saw him while Damien just stared, his mouth hanging open. Trent smirked at Damien and gestured to himself with open arms and said, "I'm really alive. Did you miss me, buddy?"





"It looks like I've got to work on my aim," Damien snarled, making Trent laugh.

He tapped his shoulder and winked. "I'm glad you have shit aim. Things wouldn't have worked out for me the way they have otherwise."

Damien got to his feet but froze when Trent pulled out a gun and pointed it at him, "Oh, deja vu. Does this scene remind you of something, bro?"

I scoffed in disgust as I got up from the bed and grabbed Damien's arm. "Leave us alone," I said.

Trent grinned at me and nodded behind him. "Can't do that, baby. Uncle Marco wants a chat."

He gestured for us to exit the room with the gun. Damien held my hand tight as we did so without argument. I was shaking like a leaf knowing Trent was behind us with a real gun in his hand; I was expecting a bang to go off at any second.

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