Chapter 2

Dean's POV:

It took me hours to clean and bandage all the bite marks Roman left in her skin. You could see the dark bruises his hands left behind even on her tanned skin. I'm paranoid as fuck about it since I know he'll get his hands on her again soon and he'll add more or make these worse. For now, I'm content that I got them to stop bleeding. The only thing I could do for the damage he did to her vaginally and anally is let her soak in my bath. The water is cold but it is all I have to offer.

I hate the fact that she's naked in front of the others but I know if I give her my shirt, it'll just end up torn again when they give her back to Rome. So I wrapped her in my blanket on my cot and watched her drift in and out of unconsciousness for hours. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. She was real and here. I couldn't stop touching her even while I was afraid of causing her further pain.

Roman paced like a rabid dog; his eyes focused on the two of us with low growls erupting from his throat every time I touched her. This is the first time he's shown an interest in a woman once he was done with her. He usually blew his load, tossed her aside and curled up like a big cat to sleep. I can't help but wonder if it is because he remembers her on some level. He's obviously showing a possessive side over her and I fear what he'll do to her if he thinks she 'allowed' me to touch her.

I keep telling myself that he isn't to blame for her condition; that his training here is the reason he did this to our beautiful girl, but I can't stop the rage building in me. He came close to killing her; killing our Lex, and he gets her back once a day to start all over again. He's angrier than I've ever seen him before and that's saying something, but I don't know who he's more pissed at; me for touching her or her because I touched her. I just know that if he continues to hurt her; or…kills her, nothing will stop me from avenging her. I'll take it out on everyone; including Ro.

"How did they find you, baby?" I've whispered those words to her repeatedly since I laid her down. She was too weak to answer when she was awake and didn't hear me while she slept.

"They didn't; I found them," she mumbled back; her eyes fluttering open while I ran my hand over her hair.

"Lex, baby, are you okay?" I slipped my hands down to cup her face; afraid to touch her anywhere else but needing the contact.

"I hurt everywhere but I'll live. Let me see you." She palmed my cheeks, running one hand up to rest on the back of my head. She looked so happy to see me despite what happened to her and; as selfish as it sounds, I'm happy as hell to have her in my arms again. "I thought I'd lost you, Dean," she broke down, tears falling continuously while her exotic eyes darted between mine.

"You didn't give up on us though." I pulled her into my chest, dialing back my strength to keep from hurting her but hugging her nonetheless. My eyes darted to Ro when he slammed his palms against his bars.

"I could never give up on you two; not ever. I love you too much," she cried, burrowing into my body. Her sobs were heart-breaking and seemed to quiet the big man down. When I glanced up at him again, his jaw was still clenched but he was cocking his head like a big overgrown puppy, curious of her distress.

"Don't cry, baby. You know I can't handle it when you cry," I rocked her back and forth; doing everything I could to soothe her. "What did you mean when you said you found them?" I asked a few minutes later once she calmed some.

"I looked everywhere for you. It felt like it took forever but I managed to find word of this underground fight circuit that was invitation only. It definitely catered to the rich and powerful, and; despite the rules of this place, the wealthy suck ass at keeping secrets. It took me a while but I discovered that the two of you were here. It took even longer to get into the crowd…"

"You saw us fight?" I pulled back to look into her eyes, feeling sick when she nodded her head. It's weird that I killed to stay alive but am now ashamed that she saw it.

"I had to, to make sure you both were still alive, to gather information and see how this place worked so we could work on a way to get you out." She ran her fingers through my hair, forcing a purr to roll in my throat before pressing her lips to mine.

Fuck, it felt like a dream to be kissing her again. Of course all dreams come to an end when you're forced to wake up and Rome did just that when he slammed his hands against his cage bars again. We startled apart; glancing at him when he roared "Mine" at us. His gray eyes bore into mine; like he was imparting that knowledge to me before he dropped his gaze to Lex; a low steady growl coming from his clenched teeth that made her shiver against my chest.

"What happened to him? What did they do to you?" Her obsidian eyes met my blue, imploring me to explain and as much as I didn't want to, I could never deny this woman anything.

"First tell me how long we've been gone."

"You two went missing from our home over three years ago," she whispered into my chest, running her hands up my back while I tightened my hold on her.

"Three years…" I can't believe its been three years. "It feels a lot longer. We woke up in these cages, pissed as hell and confused as fuck. One of these pricks told us life as we knew it was over and left us alone the rest of the night to sweat over it. The next day another came in and told us what the deal was; that we were being trained to fight and; when we eventually were deemed worthy of facing other owners' men, it would be to the death. The conditioning we went through…the training…everything was a fight or an ass beating. If we argued, we got our ass beat. If we lost against our training partner, we got our ass beat." She listened while I recounted everything I could remember; all the while clutching on to my back and shaking against my chest. I could feel her tears roll down my abdomen. "It was obey and fight, baby. If we didn't, it was an ass beating and stripped of privileges like food and water."

"And Roman?" she sniffled; turning those deep inky pools to my face.

"They broke him, babe." She cast her sad eyes over her shoulder to glance at Ro; who continued to stalk back and forth while glaring at us. I felt the shudder pass through her body into mine. "He couldn't handle the abuse; the blood on his hands, and snapped under the pressure. When he yelled 'mine' earlier, that's the first word he's spoken in over two years. He's a predator now; that only fights, fucks and obeys. The one thing he's held back on is he refuses to fight me in the pit but Seth appears to have found a way to break us apart."

"You mean me," she turned her teary eyes up to mine and I felt my heart break just that little bit more. "Seth is an exceptional bastard but I won't let it come to that. I didn't realize he would concoct this plan when I revealed my location to him but I won't let it happen."

"You let Seth capture you?"

"You're damn right I did. Lay down with me. We need to talk but I ache." She scooted down, resting her head on my pillow while I lay in front of her, pulling her body into mine while I stared into her black eyes. She flinched every time Ro growled or slammed his hands against his bars, and all I could do was hold her closer. "I saw the difference in Ro; I could see something was wrong but I had no idea it was this bad." She bit her trembling bottom lip; closing her eyes to regain control before going on. "I have outside help, Dean. I can get you both out but I need your help to do it; both of you, so I need to see if I can get through to Ro."

"You have help? Who?"

"A few people who are not fond of Hunter and by proxy Seth," she smirked, making me feel marginally better.

"Rome is not going to be easy to get through to, Lex. He usually never gives a shit about the girls he's fucked in here when he's done with them but, for some damn reason, he's fixated on you and, quite frankly, baby, that scares the shit out of me."

"That could be a good thing…" I cut her off with a press of my lips, separating from her when Ro roared his disapproval.

"That is a bad thing," I jerked my head towards him. "He's pissed as fuck that I'm touching you. He'll take it out on you the instant you enter his cell. He almost killed you already. You're weak and can't take that again. I can't take seeing…hearing that again," my voice cracked; emotion choking me, tears blinding me but my girl laced a hand in my hair, pulling my head down to her chest. "I should be comforting you…"

"Bullshit. Part of my loving you means comforting you too and always has," she whispered before kissing the top of my head.

That is one hundred percent true; she's always calmed me down whether it was from a temper tantrum or an emotional outburst. I burrowed into her body, allowing her to do what she does best for me – love me. "Who do you have on the outside?" I whisper against her skin; letting my tears caress her flesh.

"Punk, Hardy, Orton and one I can't mention yet," she said softly, just for my ears.

"I can understand Punk and Jeff; they hate Hunter but Orton?" I kept my voice down; in fact my lips brushed against the silky skin of her chest.

"You'd be surprised how much Randy hates Seth. Not to mention, the big idiot has always had a soft spot for me," she chuckled softly; and while I loved hearing it, I growled my irritation that Orton was always hovering around Lex when she accompanied us to a show. "I know where and who I belong to, baby, no need for the jealousy."

"You got that right," I kissed her cleavage, pulling back quickly when she hissed. "I'm sorry, baby. I feel so fucking helpless! I can barely touch you without hurting you thanks to that asshole." I admit it; I downright had a huge pout on my face, boo boo lip and all, and it made her laugh so I did good with my childish tantrum.

"I can handle the pain more than the absence of your touch. I've been without you for so long," she smiled like I was the center of her universe and pulled my head back down to rest on her breasts.

"So what are we looking at for an extraction, baby?" I asked her a few minutes after letting her body calm me.

"The three of us need to make the first step in getting out. They'll be watching from the crowd to know when to jump but it rests on us to get it moving. For that to happen, we'll need to get Ro in line," she glanced over my head towards Roman and I could hear the low growl along with his frantic pacing steps.

"I don't know how to do that, Lex. I've tried every day to bring him back but he's just too far gone. If anyone can bring him back, it's you but Lex, it'll take time and, until then, he still gets you once a day as he is now." I tilted my head back, meeting her eyes with fresh tears in mine. "I can't bear the thought of him doing this to you over and over again. You're a savior and a curse to us right now, baby. You're the one thing that can get us out of here and you're also the one thing that can get us to do what Seth wants; to kill each other."

"I'll have to find a way to reach him, baby; to bring him to a place where he's with us in even the basic sense. Dean, don't shake your head no to me," she laced her fingers into my hair, holding the back of my head still. I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn't pleased and there wasn't a fucking thing I could say to change her mind. "The way this is going to play out is either I get Ro on track and all three of us walk out of here together or I'll get you out and stay behind with him."

"No, baby, I can't leave without you."

"And I can't leave without him. If your roles were reversed and you were the one broken and he was intact, I'd stay behind with you. I don't care if you never remember me; I wouldn't leave you in this hell alone. Shh, my love," she cradled my head to her chest, placing small kisses everywhere she could reach. "Between the two of us, we should be able to spot Ro's weakness; the in I'll need to reach him. In the meantime, I'm going to need you to help me before they give me to him."

"What do you mean? How can I help you?"

"When the time comes, I'm going to need to not only stand beside the two of you but fight beside you, and if Ro keeps tearing me up like this, I won't be able to crawl. Baby, listen to me," she hushed me with a touch of her lips. "You'll need to get me ready for him," she breathed into me. "You have to get me wet and ready for him because I can't take Ro dry fucking me like that every damn day and expect to heal up enough to be of any use to you."

I couldn't say anything to that. I just stared at her until she pulled me in close and eventually drifted off; this time to sleep instead of unconsciousness. I held her while I watched the shadows shift on the walls, signaling the passage of time. I held her while I watched Ro finally tire himself out enough to stop pacing and sit in front of his cage door; just watching us.

Try as I might, I couldn't fall asleep and neither did Ro. The two of us felt every minute of every hour tick by, rounding on towards the moment when she would be torn from my arms and delivered into his clutches. I could see his eyes follow the moonlight shifting across the room before they would bore into me and the woman I clutched to my body.

When the moonlight shifted to colors of orange and purple, I carefully extricated myself from her arms and got off the cot. My girl was still fast asleep, recovering her strength. Shifting my eyes up, I caught Roman's gray gaze and stony expression. His eyes kept darting between the two of us while he sat there. Outwardly he appeared calmer but I could tell he was coiled tight like he was about to pounce.

Knowing what I had to do soon, I decided to give us as much privacy as possible considering our circumstances. Grasping the loose sheet from the end of my cot, I shook it out, moved to the bars and knotted one corner to it. Ro instantly snapped to attention when I began to stretch the sheet out along the length of the bed; hiding Lex's sleeping form from view, and tied off the other end. He stood; clutching the bars, and glared at me. If looks could kill…but I found myself caring less about us; our bond as brothers, and more about how badly my 'brother' was going to treat our girl.

She is the love of my life; his too, that I would give up my life; his life, for. If she thinks I'd leave here without her, leave her behind with his crazy ass to manhandle her daily then she's lost her damn mind. I'll drag her out of here kicking and screaming if I have to.

Ro and I are pacing in sync, staring hard into each others' eyes and I didn't realize it until now. If I had to compare us to something, it would be two lions defending our prey. We're both alpha males; not surprising that we ended up as the two champions of the pit for our owner. There can be only one – how Highlander – but like I said, Ro and I refused to do battle. Hunter and Seth pushed and pushed but we wouldn't budge…until now.

I wasn't kidding when I told Lex she was a curse to us by being here.

Fuck me, Ro and I are still pacing and the sun is up. I can't believe I've been stuck in my head so long that time is running out. I stop in place and focus on Roman's gray eyes one more time before I turn my attention to my sleeping woman.

"Lex, baby," I whisper, sitting beside her on the cot. My chest filled with warmth when her eyes fluttered open and a soft smile graced her face when she looked at me. "It's almost time," I sighed; my mood rapidly souring.

"What is this?" she asked, glancing at the sheet.

"Just trying to block out Ro's view as much as possible, baby. I wish I had enough sheets to hang on the sides to keep those assholes' prying eyes off of you but I figure it would be best to hide what we can from Ro," I shrugged my shoulders, feeling awkward about this whole situation.

Feeling awkward is odd since I figure I've been fucking women in plain view of the others for over a year now, but they aren't Lex. She's different because I love her and feel the need to protect her from everything. And then I remember that my girl walked into this hellhole by choice with every intention of saving our asses or die trying. Our lioness…but even a lioness needs her male's protection.

"Thank you, baby," she blushed and that still amazed me to this day that I could make her do that after everything that we've done over the years. "I suppose it's almost time," she whispered, glancing up at me through her lashes.

She was reconfirming what I already said to psych herself up for what was coming. I knew she was nervous. I could see she was scared yet angry that she felt that way. It was Joe, after all; one of her long-time lovers, and the mere idea that he could hurt her was something we all would have laughed over once upon a time. That isn't the case anymore.

"Yeah," I let out a nervous breath, feeling it catch in my throat when she parted the blanket and let it fall to her sides. "I hate that he did this to you…and will do it again," I choked on the lump in my throat. I gently traced some of the marks left on her skin with my fingertips while I still took in her beauty. "I'll use my mouth…to minimize the pain since you're very raw." She nodded her head, easing her legs apart to make room for me.

I situated myself between her legs, gently lifting each one to settle over my shoulders before I ran the flat of my tongue over her lips. The sigh that left her mouth seemed to release a large amount of tension from her body. Hardening the tip of my tongue, I repeatedly flicked that beautiful little clit and felt her hips begin to squirm beneath my hands. I moved one down, using two of my fingers to spread her open and traced my tongue over that silky wet flesh.

"Yes, that taste," I moaned; closing my eyes and savoring her essence on my taste buds. "I've missed that taste." Fuck, I used to feel high off of tasting her; having her on my tongue. "Damn, baby, I missed you," I mumbled in a rush before slipping my tongue into her wet heat. She was heaven on my tongue. I could live off of her forever.

"Jon…" she whimpered softly; letting my real name escape on a breath.

It has always driven me wild when she'd call me by name but for now; with her in this condition, I had to rein in my desires. This was about minimizing damage to her already torn body. This was about prepping her for Rome's savage touch. This was about…oh fuck, she came! Fuck, she tastes amazing and I can't stop myself from licking up her juices. Idiot, she needs that for when she walks into his cage! Guess I'll have to make her have another then.

"MINE!" Ro slams his opened hands against his cage, making both of us jump, and reality comes crashing down around us.

"I need you to roll over, Princess," I gasp; licking her wetness off of my lips. "He's gonna take your ass again, baby," I say with a frown; noting the sad look in her eyes before she nods and I help her move. "Here; put your hips on the pillow," I tell her; moving it down to raise her ass in the air. "I'll try to lube you up as much as I can with your cum and my saliva but…"

"I know," she says in the most desolate tone I've ever heard.

I see a tear glide down her cheek before I lean forward to saturate her torn, inflamed little asshole with my pointed tongue. My words have taken the passion out of this act when we both realized I was preparing her to be raped by her boyfriend. Roman chiming in with his ownership of her drove the stake home.

I alternated between flicking my tongue over her clit, to lapping at her dripping pussy and then sliding my tongue into her ass. I heard Ro pacing; getting antsy as the time drew nearer and dragged her pleasure out to the last minute to ensure she remained wet when he took her. Knowing the exact time just like he does, I focused all my attention on bringing her to climax one more time and she cried out in bliss, clutching the blanket and bowing her back to jut her ass out for me.

"Baby, are you okay?" I asked, moving to her side and scooped her up in my arms. She nodded weakly; trying to calm her racing heart, and almost achieved it until we heard the guards at my door. I kept my eyes on her; seeing her in full blown panic mode. "I'll fight them, Lex. I won't let them take you…"

"No," she shook her head, palming my cheek. "I don't want you hurt. Besides, I need you in one piece to put me back together afterwards." She darted her eyes to the men at the door before leaning in to whisper in my ear. "Help me spot his weakness, Jon. I won't be able to see it during…that."

She knew she was asking a lot; I could see it in her eyes, but I couldn't let her down. I would have to watch.

I watched her shakily get to her feet and meet the guards at the door.

I watched them grab her upper arms and drag her halfway to Ro before he darted his eyes between them, growling low in his throat.

I watched her pull free from their grip, stand on her own two feet and limp her way forward.

I watched Roman bare his teeth at her while one handler unlocked his door.

I watched her take a deep, steadying breath before crossing the threshold into his cell.

And then I watched everything go to shit.

Roman's POV:

She stood before me; naked and ready for me but I could smell him on her. Her scent was so intoxicating; calling out to me to take her. I knew this body was mine to fuck. She's mine and I don't need any other but, as she stands here before me with silent tears on her face, I can still smell him!

"Mine."

She won't look at me like she did yesterday. She keeps her eyes trained on the floor and it doesn't feel right to me. Her tears…they don't feel right either but I don't know why. All the other women they give me do this exact thing but it feels wrong from her.

"Mine," I growl in her ear while I walk a circle around her, bumping her shoulder with my chest. She shakes; keeping her eyes down. She's not saying 'yours' like she did yesterday. She's not speaking to me at all. I don't like it. "Mine!" I yell in her face, pushing her with my body. "Mine!" I press my forehead to hers, trying to tilt her head back to see her eyes but she denies me. I hate this! "MINE!" I grip her hair at the nape and pull her head back. She clenches her eyes and cries out in pain.

"Ro…please…"

Her tears…I can't stand…handle her tears so I wipe my palm down her face to clear them away but they just keep coming. I've walked her back against the bars of my cage with my hand gripping her throat. She still refuses to look at me and its making me angrier with her but... Her scent…I bury my face in her neck and take her in. I can still smell him but she overwhelms my senses.

My hands move to her thighs and I lift her slight weight, impaling my cock in her tight heat in one swift thrust. She muffles her cry in my shoulder and leaves her face buried there while I pound into her body. My teeth find her shoulder and bear down. She whimpers endlessly into my skin; her tears rolling down my chest while I thrust my cock relentlessly into her pussy.

"Mine," I groan. Her pussy is mine; I can feel it. My cock knows it. I use my thrusting pelvis to keep her pinned to the bars while my hands cup her large tits; my teeth scoring a nipple. I could fuck her forever and; much to my disappointment, she is just allowing it to happen, detaching herself from the experience. I want her submission but I want her here for it, not lost within her mind…or thinking of him.

I feel her tense and, for a moment I think she's going to cum for me, until she screams in fear. I hear Dean roaring like a madman; a fury in his tone like I've never heard before, and open my eyes to see one of the men in the next cell. He's close to my woman; who is struggling in my grip, and I glance down to see he has a finger in her ass. My hand shoots between the bars, taking his throat in my grasp, tightening my grip while he claws at it to get a breath. "Mine!" I roar at him, thrusting my hips harder into her pussy while my grip on his throat increases exponentially.

She's screaming like mad now; thrashing against me, and I don't know if its because she's gonna cum or is terrified that I'm choking this prick to death. He touched what's mine; he deserves to die, and I'm protecting her so I don't understand her reaction. There is a very distinctive crunch when you crush a man's windpipe, and when she hears it, she starts raining down punches and slaps to my head.

Yes, I love the fight in her! It excites me, fires my blood and I feel my cock harden to the point of pain within her. I let my dead neighbor fall to the ground and carry her to my cot, flopping down on top of her. Taking her hands in one of mine, I pin them down above her head and fuck the fight out of her. I can see her eyes now; they're filled with horror, anger and indescribable sadness. Her tears seem to leak from her eyes with every thrust of my cock; like I'm wringing them out of her.

I don't understand the emotions I see in my mate's eyes. Is she upset that I didn't protect her from that piece of shit? If I had been within my right mind and not lost in the exquisite pleasure of her body, I would have noticed him the instant he neared her and killed him before he touched her. That has to be it. I need to reclaim her, show her and everyone else she's mine.

Dean's POV:

Roman has been fucking her for well over an hour and rounding the corner towards two. His fucking stamina was always a curse to her when he was normal but now it's just a goddamn nightmare. She's beyond exhausted and weak from the abuse on her body; sweat glistening on her damaged skin. I know that has to sting like hell. She can barely move and her voice gave out on her a long time ago…or so I thought.

When he pulled free of her pussy and flipped her unresponsive body on to her stomach, she threw her head back and screamed bloody murder when he drove into her ass. I made the mistake of yelling at him to stop. All it did was drive him to hold her head down on the mattress with a hand fisted in her hair, lift her pelvis up with a hard grip on her hip, and bare his teeth at me while he fucked her hard and deep. Thankfully Lex passed out a few minutes into that torture but it did nothing to stop Ro from going on another twenty minutes before he finally blew his load within her.

"Get her out of there!" I yelled at the guards the instant Ro collapsed on top of her. The four idiots approached his cell, stopping in their tracks when Ro tossed his hair back and glared at them; still buried deep inside of Lex's unconscious body. "You're gonna need more men." He was hovering over her; protecting her with his body?

It was a hell of a fight. Roman tossed them around effortlessly until more of them flooded his cell. One of them managed to drag Lex out while he was occupied but dropped her halfway between our cages when Ro went absolutely batshit once he realized she was missing. The guard had just unlocked my door before he went to help his unfortunate co-workers and I broke one of the cardinal rules without a thought; I left my cell without permission.

I ran to Lex and gently picked her up in my arms. By the time the guards had escaped Ro's cell and turned to us, I had already pulled my door shut, sat on my cot and cradled my girl in my arms.