"For fuck's sake, Stef!" Mia was exasperated by the entire situation. There had been a point where she almost kissed him, but things had moved on. She turned on her heel to look at me. "He needs to leave this house."
That was a direct order, and this was the one person in the world who could dictate, and I would listen. I gave a curt nod and pulled my arm from Dante as Mia turned back to look at Stef. "You need to..."
Mia was unable to finish the sentence. Stefan pulled her towards him, and his lips descended on hers. When they broke apart, Mia balled her fist and punched him directly in the mouth.
"Stay away from her!" I roared. I didn't stop to think before launching myself straight at Stefan and we both landed on the ground. This time Mia did not protest. She didn't call my name or tell me to wait or stop. Even if she had, I wouldn't have listened. My only regret was that I didn't have anything on my person that would do the job properly.
"Mia, come on," Dante said, trying to pull her away.
"I told you not to touch her," I spat. "I told you to stay away from her."
How dare Stefan touch her in any way? My fists started to feel numb from the blows I dealt, and my brother barely fought back. Every cut that appeared on my fist, every small crack I heard felt good and brought satisfaction to my heart.
I grabbed Stefan's wrist when he aimed a punch and twisted it with all my strength. Stefan screamed as a snap sounded and I smiled down at him. "You need to learn that you don't always get what you want. You're such a sanctimonious bastard. I should have killed you the first time."
For the second time, Dante hauled me up off my brother and when I attempted to rush Stefan again my friend stopped me. "Get off me!"
"Luc, you're going to regret it," Dante told me.
"He just said he loved her and then he kissed her!"
"Yeah, I was there," Dante said. "Just breathe, brother. Breathe."
Stefan laid on the grass, writhing in pain and I couldn't bear to be around him. I couldn't even look at him or I’d want to finish what I had started. "Get him out of here, Dante," I ordered. My next words were for Stefan, "If you so much as come anywhere near us I'm not going to give you another chance."
I walked back into the house, not willing to waste any more breath on Stefan. On the second floor, I stopped in to check on Mom who had already fallen asleep amid the chaos. I’d have to explain the fallout from all of this tomorrow, and I wasn't sure how she would take it.
When I walked into my room Mia was sitting on the bed, hugging her knees to her chest. She looked up at me as I entered. "Luc. I'm so sorry."
She pushed herself off the bed and came towards me but I lifted a hand to stop her. My hands were covered in blood, a mixture of Stefan's and my own, and I didn't want to get any on Mia. I was surprised when Mia wrapped her fingers around my wrist and pulled me into the bathroom, forcing me to sit on the edge of the tub.
She soaked a small towel before beginning to wipe down my hands.
"Are you okay?" Mia asked me.
"I'm fine. Are you?"
She shook her head slowly. I took her hand that she had used to punch Stefan and kissed her knuckles gently. There were no words to describe the pride I felt when I’d seen this little thing smack Stefan in the face with such force. I knew I didn't give her enough credit.
"I never imagined all of this happening. I'm so sorry. I just thought..."
I cut her off. "I know."
I hissed as she pulled the rings from my fingers, the skin around them cut open.
"Sorry," she apologized again. "I just want to clean them."
"We seem to always end up here, don't we, princess?"
Mia let out a soft laugh as she wiped down my other hand, careful not to press too hard on the cuts. When she finished, she placed the cloth in the sink and walked back towards me. Her expression was tired, something I wished I could rectify.
"Come here," I told her, getting up from the edge of the tub. I scooped Mia into my arms, carrying her through to the bed. I placed her down and Mia settled under the covers.
"Stefan is not living here anymore," I told her. It was no longer negotiable. I didn't care what my Mom thought. I didn't care if Mia tried to reason with me. She didn't want to be touched by Stefan and he had forced a kiss on her. Stef had lost the right to call this his home.
"Good," Mia said quietly and I was glad there was no resistance.
Once I climbed into bed with Mia, she instantly curled her body against mine.
