“Fucking coming!” I growl at the door despite the fact I know they can’t hear me through the thick frame.
Throwing open the door with a huff, I’m immediately met by a figure in my doorway. A petite and curvy figure stands before me. Black clothes cling to her like a second skin, making her almost blend into the darkness of the night behind her. Her raven hair falls loosely around her glowing face. A mask covers her features. Glowing X’s hide the mouth and eye holes of the mask. I’d be impressed with it if I weren’t so annoyed. Slung over her shoulder is an aluminum bat. We stand in stark silence for a moment before she cocks her head to the side in a way that comes across as completely sinister.
“Hello, Angel,” I coo right before she swings the bat.
The metal meets my diaphragm with such force that it completely takes the air out of my lungs. I double over in pain, my insides struggling to regain the ability to breathe. A second sure swing has the aluminum crashing into my jaw. I stumble backward, leaving a trail of blood droplets on the floor.
“I’m not your angel, you motherfucker,” Celeste seethes.
There’s her fire.About fucking time. This girl was desperate, weak, and lost when I found her. She willingly went with men she barely knew into the woods with the simple promise of a good time. Smart girls don’t let a Devil in disguise guide their path. It’s good to see that time with Luke has given her some of the fight she’d been missing.
My eyes flit up to appraise her just as she raises the bat to swing again. My hand comes up to meet her blow this time. It was cute at first, but now I’m fucking annoyed. I wrap my fingers around the bat, holding it firmly in my grip. She tries to pull it back, to regain control, but she should know by now—she’snever the one in control when I’m around.
She was a pawn to be used and abused, and the fact that Luke stole her for his own pleasure still grates at my nerves. I let him keep her and play with her because, truth be told, I did feel a slight bit of guilt about the idea of killing her, and he did seem happy for the first time in a very long time. It seemed like a win-win. But bringing her to my house to hit me upside the head with a baseball bat, while my girl is finally here willingly and peacefully, that was not part of the deal.
Using my grip on the bat to control her, I move her backward until her body hits the wall behind her. I am desperate to see the fear in her eyes, hear the small little gasps of surprises leaving her lips, but the damn mask is hiding her from me. At one point of time, I would have licked that fear from her skin, savoring her pain. But things are different now.I’mdifferent now. Last time she saw me I was a desperate man, one small step from chaotic implosion. Now, I’m content. With a firm grip, I pin her tightly in place. From my periphery, I catch Luke’s tall frame lazily waltzing into the room, making no attempt to get involved in the chaos that’s ensuing.
“Did you miss me, Angel?” I ask her as I lean in, invading her space.
Luke flinches slightly but doesn’t move from the spot on the wall where he’s currently leaning.Interesting. My best friend is the cool composure, level-headed reason to my chaos. He rarely lets the mask fall.
And then agonizing pain rips through my core as Celeste’s knee connects with my testicles. I double over in pain, blackness filling my vision. I stumble backward, coughing and sputtering.
“I said, I am not your fucking angel, you sick fuck.” Pain sears my head as she hits me again with the bat. “You stalked me, kidnapped me, and tried to kill me.”
With my ass on the floor I chance a glance up. Luke has asnide smirk on his face as he watches the show in front of him.Fucker.
“You gonna’ help?” I ask him as I finally manage to catch my breath. I can feel warm blood dripping down my face.
“Seems like she’s doing just fine all on her own,” he quips while flashing Celeste a wide white smile.
Okay, I’m officially done with this shit now.
Rising to my feet, I grab the bat swiftly. Celeste whines in surprise and pain as I twist the metal in her hand, forcing her arm to spin at an uncomfortable angle.
“Garett,” Luke warns as he pushes from the wall, cause now he gives a shit.Fucker.
“Why the fuck are you two here?” I ask as I pull the weapon from her, tossing it across the room.
The metal hitting the floor sends a loud crack echoing off the walls of my home. I don’t give a fuck what I hit. I’m over this shit. I have more important things to deal with tonight, like a beautiful but skittish woman lying naked in my bed. I swear, if they wake her up…With a few swift steps, I’m in Celeste’s face again, ripping the mask from her so I can watch her cower beneath me. Her fear is the sweetest sin. Only, when I meet her eyes now, they’re full of fiery determination. She’s not the same scared girl I hunted months ago it would seem. We’ve both changed.
“They took Liv.” Her voice threatens to break as she whispers the words.
“Liv?” I ask, trying to rack my brain. “The pink-haired bimbo?”
“Call her that again and see what the fuck happens,” the little Devil snarls in front of me.
I smirk at her fire, her fight. “I like this new Celeste.” I snicker at Luke who’s moved to stand close in case he needs to separate us.
“I’ve always loved her.” He flashes her a warm smile that makes me roll my eyes. Luke’s sappy shit makes me want to hurl.
If you love a girl, carve your claim into her flesh, don’t serenade her and shit.
“Then you shouldn’t have let me fuck her in the ass and pussy,” I quip, popping the happy little fantasy bubble they seem to be stuck in. They’re forgetting how this all began. But I’m happy to remind them.
I step back before Luke’s fist is able to collide with my jaw. I sneer at his heaving form.
“Did I hit a nerve there, brother? Did she not let you knock at the back door yet?”
