Yea, Didn’t expect that, did you asshole?
“What did you just say to me?” He snarls.
“I’ve been at this a long time,Marfil,” I murmur, riding the high of sudden confidence. “I learned a lot over the years… Like who your uncle was. And who your parents were.”
“Cállate la boca, pajarito…” He seethes, a low rumble under his breath. “Or I swear to God…”
“You knew my father didn’t have your parents killed,” I ignore his threat and keep pushing. “You knew your uncle was responsible for their deaths. But you played the part, didn’t you? You chose to set up both your uncle and my father in one shot… Dos pájaros, uno piedra. So that you could win. So thatyoucould be the king of the castle.”
I’m heaving, and he’s just staring, gaping at me with a wideness to his eyes I’ve never seen before. His hands fall away from the bars.
“It’s what you always wanted. So youstoleit…” I go on, the anger breeding sudden sorrow in my chest. “Except that it wasn’t enough for you, was it? Youalsohad to kill my mother… And steal my sister.Thatis what you did, Marfil. That is howyoubrought shame upon your father. But I amnotgoing to be the last territory for you to conquer if you won’t even admit that this is more than just possession. Iwon’tlet you.”
He looks like he’s balancing on the tightrope of his sanity, somewhere between blinding rage and a profound exhaustion. Like his soul can barely keep its eyes open. I feel bad, but then I don’t. Part of me has this persistent desire to comfort him, tend to him, and be his tourniquet.
But I’m sick of him treating me like a trophy. Something he won the rights to when he killed my parents. Maybe his objectifying is hot in abstract terms, but the reality of it is insulting.Not to mention it’s getting old.
“Angel…” He steps up to me and takes my chin. “Mírame. Do I come across as someone who doesn’t understand how fuckedup he is?” I blink at his face. “Do I seem like the kind of twisted hijo de puta who has misconceptions about the things he’s done?”
I’m not sure what we’re talking about anymore. I guess this is what we do…
We fuck, then fight, then sweet talk each other, hug and kiss, then it’s right back to fighting and fucking some more. Whatever we’re doing, I think we can both agree it’s completely insane.
“No,” I grumble. “You look like the most infuriating human being on the planet.”
He squints at me, mouth set in a line that I can tell is tryingsohard not to smirk. “Right. And what would you suggest I do to fix that, pajarito?”
I’m quiet for a moment, just glaring at him while he glares at me, both of our chests jumping.
See? I can’t even tell if we’re about to strangle each other or make out! It’s too convoluted.
“Well, for starters you could stop being such a giant gaping asshole…” I sigh.
He snorts, covering it up quick. “Not an option. What else you got?”
Taking a breath, I step closer. “Listen, you’re going to have to get over that stuff… What I did when I first got here.”
I gulp down the remorse, and the mild fear, from how he’s looking at me. Like he’s so angry he could tear this entire cage apart with his bare hands. But also hurt, and jealous. And I think the anger is just a mask to cover up those things. It’s camouflage. He’s never allowed himself to be vulnerable. If he even knows how.
“Oh, do I?” He seethes, gaze narrowed. “Do I have toget over it, pajarito?”
“If you want this to work… then yes,” I say firmly.
“What makes you think I want this to work?” He snaps, petulantly.
I give him a wounded look and regret flashes in his eyes. It pisses me off more than anything. Because clearly he knows how to feel… The other night, he was almost a completely different person.
This Dr. Jekyll, Mr. Hyde shit is gonna drive me off the edge.
“Admit that I’m not just a pet,” I growl.
He rolls his eyes. “Dios, I’ve already said it before, and I hate repeating myself.”
“No, you haven—”
“I still haven’t heard a fuckingapologyfrom your lips, by the way,” he grunts. “That’d be a start, at least—”
“I’m not going to apologize because I’m not sorry,” I mutter.Okay, he looks like he’s about to explode…“I’m sorry you’re upset, but I didn’t belong to you, Diablo.” His eye is twitching, so I quickly add, “Not then. And I mean, you were going to let mestabyou to death… How is that acceptable, but having meaningless sexbeforewe even started hooking up isn’t?”
