Tainted Romance

by Simone Elise

  I tore my eyes off Ebony and looked at Allie to find her blue eyes staring at me. They were coated in pain. Fuck, I could feel her pain. ‘Allie, don’t think the worst of me. Please.’

  Our eyes were still locked, and I saw the debate playing in her eyes, and then I remembered the way Ebony came towards me topless, with that look in her eyes, like she wasn’t going to stop until she got what she wanted. I was angry, pissed off. I had just finished a week of watching Allie with Blake.

  I didn’t do it, did I?

  Ebony was a liar. She lied about it to begin with. She was lying right now. I looked back at my so-called friend. She was arching her eyebrows at me.

  “Remember yet, Zane?” she said impatiently, clicking her tongue. “Do you remember the part where I was completely topless and alone with you? Everything else might be blurry, but I’m guessing you still remember the start of the night.”

  “Ignore them, Allie. Think about the festival, we always have fun.” Blake looked back at Allie. Clearly, they had some good memories of going together. Fuck, when it came to those two, all they had were good memories. “Come on, I’ll even buy the weed.”

  She was looking at his hand which was running up her leg.

  If it wasn’t for the humans in the room, I would throw the table that was between her and me and rip his hands off her. Fuck, I might even attack him. My patience was getting thin.

  “Ok, I’ll go, but you better make sure you get good weed and not the cheap stuff because the last time I was left with the worst headache,” Allie said while Blake grinned like she had just agreed to fuck him.

  Hell, she pretty much had. Drugs. Alcohol. And the two of them. By themselves. With a history of doing each other at these events.

  I didn’t know what they usually got up to, but I only had to guess that Blake’s main motive to get her there was to get her away from me. Break the little connection Allie and I had, and then he would make her his.

  “Done.” Blake kissed her cheek. “You won’t regret this, Winters.”

  “Actually, come Monday. I’m sure that’s all I’ll be doing considering our history at festivals.” She turned in her seat. “Screw this Math. I need a smoke.”

  “I’m coming.” Chase got up. “I’ve needed one for the last hour.”

  “I’m going where Allie goes.” Blake got up.

  “Yeah, God forbid she goes somewhere without you!” Ebony snapped, but all three of them ignored her and walked out.

  Blake had his arm around her when Chase closed the classroom door.

  ‘I’m not fighting Blake anymore. I need to move on.’ Allie’s voice flooded my head. ‘You have so let me.’

  ‘I’M NOT WITH EBONY!’ I yelled in her mind. My temper getting the best of me. This whole situation was getting the best of me. I was done with it. Done with her being apart from me. I wanted her back. I hadn’t even caused this!

  Ebony fucking lied to begin with, getting me into this mess.

  I reached into Allie’s mind, and she was telling herself all the reasons why she needed to move on and let go of me.

  ‘Blake will go back to Ebony. I’ll make sure of that. But you and me. I’m done,’ Allie said to me. ‘I mean it, Zane. I’m going come the end of the year and, if you even care for me a bit, you will let me go.’

  So, she had made her mind up about leaving, and she expected me to just sit back and let her go? I wasn’t going to let that happen.

  ‘Zane, please just let me go.’ Allie’s voice flooded my head again, and I heard her begging like she couldn’t live like she was any longer.

  Didn’t she see she didn’t have to keep living the way she was? She could be with me. She loved me I could feel it, but she thought I had betrayed that. She had trusted me once, and she wasn’t willing to trust me again.

  No matter what her heart wanted, her brain was speaking louder. Fuck. I was hearing all her concerns and while all of them could be dismissed by me, she didn’t want to hear it.

  Chapter Sixty-five

  I had been tortured with Allie and Blake all week. I had canceled my training and practice and I didn’t show up to dad’s lessons. I knew the distraction would have done me good, but I felt physically drained. I just didn’t have the energy to do it.

  Allie was having nightmares, and I was getting the pleasure of them as well. While she might want nothing to do with me, her body was thinking the complete opposite.

  I was more connected to her than usual. I think it was because I was fighting the whole distance thing she wanted. I would make sure I showed up for every class we had together and get as much of a dose of her as I could get.

  It was so bloody painful not being able to touch her, especially when I saw my mark on her neck. It surprised me she hadn’t once attempted to hide it.

  She was even wearing her hair in a high ponytail, as if to torture me, by making me see it.

  I was lying on my bed, and normally I didn’t smoke, but I did when I was stressed and right now, I was beyond stressed.

  I couldn’t switch my brain off. Allie left for the festival today. She was hours away, with Blake doing drugs and probably each other.

  I inhaled on the cigarette. Yep. I had lost her.

  There was a banging on my door, and I sighed. Really not in the mood to deal with anyone.

  Couldn’t people just let me drown in this depression?

  Never been depressed in my life, but now I don’t think there was a word, apart from depressed, to describe me.

  I was ignoring the door when the banging just got louder. Whoever it was, wasn’t pissing off.

  I dragged myself off the bed and went to answer it.

  Regretted answering it as soon as I opened it.

  “We need to talk,” Ebony said, sounding panicked.

  “Fuck off, Ebony.” It was her fault I was like this. It was her fault that Allie thought I had betrayed her trust. She said she didn’t trust people. I knew she didn’t trust many people and somehow, thanks to Ebony, I betrayed it.

  I went to close the door and her hand sprung out, forcing it back open.

  “Please, Zane; just let me speak and if you don’t like what I have to say, I’ll leave.”

  I knew after what she had put me through, I shouldn’t be opening the door for her, but the look in her eyes, well, it had me. She used to be one of my best friends. She simply didn’t give a look of panic and terror off normally.

  “Fine, Ebony. You have a minute. Literally.” I closed the door after her.

  “You’re smoking?” She frowned, looking at the ashtray on the bed then back at me. Pity in her eyes.

  “What do you expect. You cost me my mate.” I walked around her, picking up my lit cigarette.

  “That’s why I’m here.”

  “Why? To tell me all the reasons we should sleep together again? Because I might have been drunk last weekend, but I still remember them.”

  “Earlier in the week, when I said we had sex on the weekend. I lied.”

  I looked at her like she couldn’t be serious. “GET THE FUCK OUT, EBONY!” It was because of that stunt she pulled in class, that made Allie tell me she was leaving. She was begging me to let her go, and all because she thought I had been unfaithful to her again.

  She put her hands up. “Let me explain.”

  “No.”

  “Please, Zane.”

  I shook my head, really not interested in anything she had to say. She was a complete liar. How could she do that to me? I was meant to be her friend! A friend doesn’t make shit up like that! A friend doesn’t force their mate to leave them.

  “I knew you were drunk, and I knew you wouldn’t remember and I just wanted Blake to think for a second that he was losing me,” she started explaining. “And yeah, at the time, I wanted to hurt Allie too, but I really didn’t want to hurt you.”

  I scoffed, “You cost me her. You get that bit. You cost me, my mate. You cost this pack their fu
ture leader!” The lid on my temper was gone, and she cringed as I lashed out at her. Gripping her by the shoulders. “You cost me, my wife!” I was breathing fire at this point, forcing myself to let go of her. “You cost me my everything.” That fact I said quieter.

  It was all true. I had lost Allie and now she wanted to leave. Nothing I could do would stop her.

  I got her trust once and, considering my history with her, I was lucky to get it once. Now I knew I would never get it again. Never get the chance to kiss her again. Tell her I love her. Just to hold her.

  I sunk down on the edge of the bed.

  I think that depressed me the most. The fact I’d never hold her again, or see love for me in those blue eyes of hers.

  “That’s why I’m here, Zane. I want to make it right. Fix it. With you and Allie.”

  “There is no chance of that happening.”

  “Zane. I just want my mate back. I want Blake. That’s all I want. I thought making him jealous would work, but it didn’t. It just made him turn to her more. I know I will never get Blake back as long as he has a shot with Allie which is why I need you to convince her to take you back.”

  I laughed. “Ebony, she wants nothing to do with me! As for her and Blake, I don’t think she’s interested in it. She sees him as a friend and this weekend they might have sex, but I still think she is planning on leaving me by herself. She’s not taking your mate.”

  “Blake won’t just let go. I know how much he cares for her.”

  “You’re telling me.” I had been forced to watch it all week, how much he cared for her.

  “Allie loves you. Once I tell her nothing happened between us, nothing will be stopping her from getting back together with you.”

  I looked at her dryly. “Allie doesn’t give out second chances.”

  “Well, you didn’t really blow your first one. I will make sure she knows that.” Ebony sounded more determined.

  “Won’t matter anyway as, by the end of this long weekend, she would have let Blake have her.”

  “Which is why we aren’t waiting to next week.”

  I looked at her frowning. “They’ve gone to the festival, Ebony. I literally felt her leave town.”

  “Taylor is downstairs in the car. We have tickets and we are all packed. All we are waiting on is you.” Ebony stepped in front of me, looking like she really did regret her actions. “It’s a three-hour drive, and they would have had to stop to get the Winnebago. The festival kicks off at ten tonight so we should get there just in time.”

  “So, what’s your plan? Us going to the festival, to what? Watch our mates fuck each other?”

  Her eyes hardened. “No. To stop that from happening. I tell Allie the truth, she takes you back, and Blake and I get back together. I still don’t know how I’m going to get him back, but getting him away from Allie is a start.”

  “Why should I help you? Why should I do it?” She was the one that caused this situation to begin with. If she hadn’t got involved, Allie would still be with me. Allie had already turned Blake down. He was going back to her and if Ebony had been sleeping around, he wouldn’t have been turning to Allie to begin with.

  “Because I know you need her. I know this is killing you so don’t do it for me, do it for her. Do it for you. Do it for the pack. Do it because she is meant to be the woman leading beside you.” Ebony stepped closer to me. “Do it because you love her.”

  I sighed, running a hand through my hair. “Ok, but I can’t promise she will take me back. She is planning on leaving. The last thing she asked of me, was to let her go.”

  Ebony smiled dimly. “I’m really sorry, Zane, but I promise by the end of this weekend we both will have our mates back.”

  “Nothing saying they want that.”

  “Blake wants me. I’m just going to remind him, I want him back.”

  “You sure he wants you because he seems rather set on my mate.” On my Allie.

  She nodded her head. “I’ll get him back.” I think she was saying that more to herself than to me. “Hurry up and pack a bag, Harris!” she snapped when I didn’t move.

  “Yeah, righto.” I got up, putting my cigarette out. At the very least it meant I would see Allie this weekend. Even if she didn’t agree to get back together with me, I would see her. Maybe if I begged her, she would consider trusting me again.

  Chapter Sixty-six

  BLAKE

  I watched her dance, not being able to keep my hands off her. She didn’t seem to mind, smoking on the weed I brought and dancing to the music.

  Chase had already found a woman and had disappeared. I knew him coming would ruin my plans completely. I had told him clearly that under no circumstances is he to come back to the Winnebago.

  I was going to get a dose of Allie tonight. I knew her well. I knew she couldn’t resist, not she was high, half drunk, and high on the music.

  “God, I love this music!” she yelled in my arms. “This has to be one of your best plans coming here.”

  I grinned. I knew it was a good idea. Get her away from Zane and away from that idea of hers where we couldn’t be together.

  I wasn’t even missing Ebony. Well, that was a lie. I was, but not nearly as much as I should be when I had Allie in my arms.

  It was like having her was giving me a shield against all the crap with Ebony. How I felt about Ebony. How I missed her. All of that was blocked when I had my hands on Allie.

  I knew she had decided she was leaving at the end of the year so I had until then to convince her I was worthy of going with her.

  This weekend was the start of her seeing me as worthy and us being a couple.

  Allie stepped out of my arms to pick up another beer and, as soon as she did, I was hit with a memory of Ebony.

  God, why couldn’t I just turn my feelings off for her!

  Allie had seemed to be able to turn hers off for Zane. Why couldn’t I do that? Just turn my feelings off for Ebony?

  Allie stepped back in my arms, and as soon as my hands were on her, my thoughts of Ebony disappeared again.

  That longing for Ebony was gone.

  I grinned and turned Allie around, crashing my lips down on hers. By the end of tonight, she wouldn’t be saying no to me anymore. I would have her back in bed and hopefully feeling what she used to feel for me.

  I was enjoying kissing her so much, my hands running up the back of her tank top, that I nearly didn’t pick it up, but as soon as I did, I went stiff.

  Ebony.

  Ebony was fucking here.

  If she was here, that meant that fucker would be close by.

  I pulled away from Allie. “I need to piss. I’ll be back.”

  She nodded her head and went back to smoking on the joint and enjoying the music. If she hadn’t picked up on her mate's scent yet, there was a chance I could still get them to leave before they ruined my weekend with her.

  I walked through the crowd, and didn’t need to look around. I was naturally drawn to her. All my feelings for her flooded my body as I spotted her.

  The want.

  The need.

  The passion we had together.

  All of it.

  Flooded me.

  And I didn’t have Allie to distract me.

  Ebony was standing at the end of the crowd like she had been waiting for me.

  I didn’t spot Zane or her other dipstick of a friend Taylor. I knew she wouldn’t come here without both of them.

  “What are you doing here?” I snapped at her. “You get drunk and lost or something?” Why the hell did I feel concern for her? If she was drunk and lost, I wanted to know. Fuck it. That need for her. Always there.

  “No, I came for you.” Her hands went for me, running across my chest. “I’m so sorry, Blake.”

  “Piss off.” It took all my willpower to not crave on my feelings for her. Fuck it. I need Allie to distract me.

  “I didn’t sleep with Zane. That other
guy, I did, but trust me, I didn’t enjoy it. I just want you, and all you wanted was Allie. It hurt, Blake. Please believe me when I say it hurt me.”

  “So, you are blaming me as the reason you were unfaithful? It’s all my fault!”

  “NO!”

  “That’s what you are saying, Ebony!”

  “Blake, are you even listening when I’m saying I’m sorry?” She looked up at me with wide eyes, and I could see her pain. “Please. Please just hear me when I say I love you so much it fucking hurts and I just wasn’t thinking.”

  I ripped her hands off me. I still couldn’t think straight with her around. “Get your friends and piss off. I’m not interested.”

  She scoffed, “Yes, you are! You love me even if you won’t admit it!”

  “I’m going back to Allie. Have a safe drive back.” I turned and walked off.

  I was surprised when she passed me. “You know what? I have a few things to say to Allie so I will join you.”

  “STAY AWAY FROM HER!” I yelled, reaching out for her arm, but she took off before I grabbed her.

  Chapter Sixty-seven

  ALLIE

  Is there anything better than a good joint and live music? Wait. I knew that answer. There was one thing. Sex with Zane.

  I groaned and inhaled on the joint. How could I be hours from him and he still be on my mind? Where was Blake? I needed him to distract me.

  I was moving to the music and trying my best to forget my problems because come Tuesday morning, my problems would still be there, but this live music and this joint won’t be so I needed to enjoy both now.

  I was in a world of my own when someone wrapped their hand around my upper arm, pulling me from the middle of the crowd.

  WHAT THE FUCK!

  I turned to yell at them, but who I saw, made me stop.

  Ebony.

  What did she want?

  Why the hell was she here?

  Did Blake invite her?

  If so, why the hell didn’t he tell me?