Kill him!
Rip him apart limb from limb, and let us feast on him!
Tear out his heart, it would be a tasty treat!
He wants what belongs to us, but she's ours, our unhinged princess!
The shadows writhe around him like a dark cloud, touching him, stroking his hair, and all the while, he's oblivious to their malignant presence, and stares daggers at me as if he could destroy me through sheer will. Buddy, others have tried and failed.
"I don't have time to play these fucked up games of yours, Damon. Step aside. I have to find Olly." He moves to walk past me, but I place myself once again in his way. No one is allowed to dismiss me. Who the fuck does he think he is?
He thinks he’s better than you. She wants him, not you, never you,the shadows hiss.
"You think you can just brush me off, Melfort? I'm not playing any games. I had her back in the woods, on her knees like the slut she is, with my cock lodged in her throat, and I'll have her again. You claim she's your girl, but you're wrong. Mayhem has a prior claim, and we don't share with the likes of you." I shove him hard, putting all of my strength into moving his solid frame, and he pushes me back, our arms locking together as we grapple with each other. "She has the tightest little cunt. I tasted her sweet pussy too, she's finger licking good, isn't she, Sim?"
"I'm gonna kill you, asshole!" Sim roars, and he manages to band his arms around my chest, and lift my heavy, tall frame off the ground a few inches, before tumbling with me to the cobblestones. We land hard on the ground, the air whooshing out of my lungs, as he instantly attempts to place me in a submission hold, and break my arm. I'm immediately reminded of why he's such a good fighter, and has made us so much money in the past. He's quick and efficient, and that might have worked on someone else, but I have nothing to lose, and I fight dirty. I tip my head forward and bite down on the side of his face, tearing at his cheek until I taste blood. His cry of pain is a victorious aphrodisiac to my ears, and I use his momentary distraction to my advantage, punching him over and over, anywhere I can land a blow, and forcing him to release his tight hold.
I try to rise to my feet, but Sim instantly kicks out, landing a blow to my stomach and winding me. I buckle forward, wrapping my arm around my aching stomach, and trying to keep my insides from racing out of my mouth. "WHERE IS SHE, DAMON?!" He roars, roundhouse kicking me, and landing a hard blow to my thigh that threatens to buckle my leg.
"She's already dead, she just doesn't know it yet!" I taunt, as I strike out with my fist, and he instantly moves out of my range.
"Why?! Tell me, why her?!" He demands, and for a moment, his question throws me off. At first, I don't plan on answering, but I find the words being ripped out of my chest. Thoughts of Olivia race through my head. All of the times we've come to blows, how beautiful she looks filled with rage. How sweet her body feels under my fingertips, and how perfect every part of her tastes. I wasn't lying or exaggerating when I told her that her defiance is a drug. Everything about her calls to me, to the darkness that encompasses every cell. Even if she hadn't come to be Cross's new stepsister, the moment I crossed paths with her, I would have had the same reaction. It's as if my soul recognizes hers, and has sunk its claws deep and refuses to let go.
"There's something about her, something I can't pinpoint. It makes me want to hurt her, but also won't allow me to stay away from her. She's infected me, damned me to hell with her. All my thoughts are drenched with her scent, her voice, everything about her. I can't,I won't, allow her to live without me now. She'smine," I growl and swing again, this time connecting with his shoulder.
We're at an impasse; we can keep beating on each other to see which one of us is the victor, or I can just win by any means necessary. Fuck being honorable and self-righteous, it's boring and has no place in survival. My hand slides back slowly into my back pocket, and I pull out a pocket knife, pressing the button to release the sharp blade. A quick flicker of unease is the only reaction I get from Sim, and that earns my respect. It really is too bad that I have to kill this fucker.
I slash forward at the air between us, but before I can do any real damage, Sim laughs like he finds me amusing. "You brought a knife to a gun fight, asshole, not very intelligent of you!" He reaches into the waistband of his pants and produces a Glock, pointing at me and releasing the safety. Students flee in all directions at the sight of the firearm, as if the world were on fire,but I never take my eyes away from his.Well, fuck, I didn't see that coming.I'm at a bit of a disadvantage here, but I've faced worse odds before.
"You're gonna shoot me, Sim? Over a woman? Somehow, I don't think you have it in you." I take another step forward, the blade clenched tightly in my hand, as Sim holds his ground.
"Not over any woman, Damon. Olly is much more than some female to fight over. You comprehend that deep down in that psychotic brain of yours, just like I do." He points the gun at my shoulder and fires, the sound loud and blaring, and the instant hit of pain forces me to release my hold on the blade, as it goes crashing to the ground. "There's nothing I won't do to protect her, and keep her safe."
I grasp onto my shoulder, the burning tearing through me, and when I dare to take a look, I realize he's just grazed me, but he could have killed me. Warm blood rushes down my arm, until droplets fall from my fingers and taint the ground. "Motherfucker!" I shout as I charge at him, all thoughts of my safety on the back burner as rage takes over.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO DOING?!" Cross's furious voice sounds over the chaos, and River tackles me to the ground, forcing the air from my lungs, and pain to wrack up my shoulder and back.
"Jesus fuck, you're bleeding, Damon!” River shouts, too close to my ear.
"Thanks, Captain Obvious," I groan as I push him off of me with my uninjured arm. "Melfort shot me, the dirty cunt."
I hear another gun cock as Cross and Sim face off, both of them pointing weapons at each other. "You want me dead, Weyburn? Here's your fucking chance. It's the only way you're going to keep me away from her. Shoot me, fucker," Sim growls, his finger on the trigger, and his gun pointed at Cross's head. Panic swarms me, as I watch my best friend face the barrel ofa gun. It's my job to keep him and River safe, and I've failed at that, failed at everything. It should be me taking a bullet, not Cross.
"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS SHIT! CAMPUS POLICE WILL BE ON ITS WAY!" River shouts, lurching off the ground and placing himself between Sim and Cross. "We can't find Livy anywhere, and after what she just pulled with Rawdon, that's a massive red fucking flag. It also doesn't help that Cross gave Rawdon a heads-up, without realizing it."
My head spins slightly as I force myself back to my staggering feet. The burning pain down my arm is bearable, as long as I don’t look at it. My mind tries its best to work through River’s words, and I feel my heart begin to gallop in my chest.
"What the fuck are you rambling about? You're not making any sense? Who the hell is Rawdon, and what does Olly have to do with him?" Sim demands, lowering his weapon, but not engaging the safety.
"Jacob Rawdon, he's a professor here at Soule, and we're pretty sure he’s the reason Livy is here in the first place. She's gotten him fired, and posted images of him all over social media, preying sexually on an inebriated girl. Cross let it slip that it was her, and now we can't find her anywhere. The guy’s a predator and scum, but he's well-connected, and was untouchable until now."
"Jesus fuck!" I dart forward and slam my fist into the side of Cross's face, and he drops his hold on his gun, sending it skittering across the ground. "You put her in danger with that monster, knowing what we do about him? What the fuck is the matter with you?!"
Cross turns his furious chocolate eyes on me as he flexes his jaw, and a part of me hopes it's broken. Why the hell would he do that? It's one thing for us to hurt her, but another completely for a sadistic, sexual predator like Rawdon. "I wasn't thinkingclearly, I lost control, and it slipped out in the heat of the moment when I was beating on him."
"We don't have time for this right now! We need to find Livy!" River demands as he starts trekking away, completely done with our shit, and I can feel the urgency and anxiety soaring off of him in waves.
I take another glance toward Sim, who looks dumbfounded and worried. "This is not over, Melfort, blood will be paid with blood," I growl and take off at a jog to catch up with River, my head ringing from too many hits and my body aching.
