Unholy

Unholy DARK DESIRES BOOK ONE CHELLE ROSE Unholy is dedicated to every woman that has experienced the insufferable pain of sexual trauma. You may never get over it yet you learn to endure. You are not a victim. Please don’t see yourself that way. You are a SURVIVOR. DEMON SLAYER. YOU ARE A MOTHER FUCKING WARRIOR! Contents A Note to the Reader Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Epilogue Bonus Content From the Author: Unhinged Acknowledgments About the Author Also by Chelle Rose A Note to the Reader A Note to the Reader: If you wish to simply jump in, skip this page. TRIGGER WARNINGS ARE NEXT… * * * This book contains many triggers, including but not limited to: Sexual Trauma, Child Abuse, Religion, Nonconsensual Scenes, Sexually Graphic Situations, Violence, Murder, Kidnapping, Human Trafficking, Pregnancy/Infant Loss, and Suicide. Please read with caution. If these things trigger you, this is a book you may want to skip. This is a dark romance. If none of those things bother you, then happy reading! While Unholy is part of a series, it can be read as a stand-alone. Mercy is book one if you want to read them in order. National Sexual Assault Hotline. Free. Confidential. 24/7. 800.656.HOPE There is help. There is hope. Chat is also available if you don’t want to or can’t call. RAINN Statistics Every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. And every 9 minutes, that victim is a child. One in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult. (3) 82% of all victims under 18 are female. (4) Females ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault. The effects of child sexual abuse can be long-lasting and affect the victim's mental health. Victims are more likely than non-victims to experience the following mental health challenges: (5) About 4 times more likely to develop symptoms of drug abuse About 4 times more likely to experience PTSD as adults About 3 times more likely to experience a major depressive episode as adults Don’t suffer in silence. Unholy © 2023 Chelle Rose All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means−electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other−except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Published in the United States of America Edited by: Shel’s Editing Services Cover Design: Ctrl.Alt.Publish One MAX sur·vi·vor's guilt noun: survivors guilt a condition of persistent mental and emotional stress experienced by someone who has survived an incident in which others died. Twelve Years Old… I was sound asleep when I heard my mother crying and lifting my bedroom window. I cracked my sleepy eyes open and noticed smoke coming from under my bedroom door. “There’s a fire, Max. Go out the window.” Fear gripped me, and I don’t care how long I live. I’ll never forget the smell. The scent of burning wood and ash is ingrained in my brain for the rest of my days. It burned my nostrils and made my stomach nauseous. “Are you coming with me?” I asked. She touched my cheek with a tenderness only my mother could provide as a tear rolled down her beautiful cheeks. I touched her long dark hair while staring into her sorrowful green eyes, which mirrored my own. My mom gave me a quick nod, “Once I get your sister. I’ll be right behind you. Now go. I love you my sweet boy, to the moon and back.” I responded as I always did, “I love you bigger than the entire galaxy.” I knew she wasn’t going to be right behind me. She all but pushed me out and I fell from my second-floor window. I hurt my ankle but luckily nothing was broken. The entire house was engulfed. I waited for my family across the street watching my house burn to the ground. I should’ve stayed and helped my family but instead I did what I was told. A decision that would devastate me in the coming days. I could smell the stench from where I stood. Once the firefighters arrived all hope was lost. My mom, dad, and sister were gone. They didn’t have to tell me because deep down I knew no one could’ve survived that inferno. The only words in my head kept playing on repeat like a broken record, I should’ve stayed. The only thing left to me, survivors' guilt. I would never move passed. My heart seized as bile rose in my throat and I vomited on the ground. I collapsed as a sob tore from my chest. “Mom, Dad, Baby Bear.” Next, I heard someone screaming the word ‘no’ repeatedly. Then I realized the screams were my own. My entire family was gone. I was only twelve, so I knew what happened next. The police with a social worker, took me to a foster home, but I wouldn’t stay, I knew that before I got into the cop car. My buddy Bones had been in foster care since he was four. He got his nickname because of the number of bones that had been broken by his foster parents. I knew all too well what a future in foster care entailed. They put you in there to care for you,