by Elodie Colt
“Faster!” I repeated the moves as fast as possible.
“Faster!”
I aimed at his chest, but my body hit its breaking point. As a result, I stumbled, breaking off mid-kick and tumbling onto the mattress with flailing limbs.
“I’m trying, for Christ’s sake!” I yelled, unable to keep my frustration in check any longer.
My clothes were soaked, my lungs nearly bursting from lack of oxygen, my legs trembling so hard I couldn’t keep upright anymore, and my right knee throbbed terribly. Pressing one hand on it, I tried to ease the pain, hissing through my teeth.
One thing was for sure, Dylan was in a shitty mood.
“You’re not trying hard enough!” Dylan’s sharp voice rumbled through the vast space.
He prowled restlessly from one side to the other like an officer who was giving his army a torturing lecture about how miserably they’d failed. He reminded me of Sergeant Hartman tearing strips off his Marines in Full Metal Jacket.
“I can’t. I’m drained,” I retorted in exasperation.
I let my arms slump down in defeat. Didn’t he understand? I’d given him countless kicks the last two hours. I’d hit my limit, Natural or not. I was still only human.
Dylan barked out a sardonic laugh, clearly mocking me for being weak, in his opinion. This caused me to pant through my nose, seething inside as I tried to reign in my fury. I was close to calling him a few names he certainly wouldn’t tolerate. Cocky prick was one of them.
I found the strength to get up one last time, barely standing on shaky legs. “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Yesterday’s training lesson had been completely different. He’d been distant, yes, but fair and understanding. Not so today. I was sure to get a whiplash from his mood shifts soon.
“Wrong with me?” he yelled in disbelief, pointing his forefinger at his chest. “I’m trying to turn you into a warrior. You won’t find a better trainer than me. I’m giving you lots of my valuable time, so maybe you could take this seriously!”
I stared at him, dumbfounded, lost on words for a second. Was he joking? I would train twenty-four-seven if my body could survive without sleep.
After a few seconds of boring my eyes into his hateful ones, I found my voice again. “It was you who volunteered. I didn’t ask you to train me. You wanted me to… hang on,” I broke off, suddenly realizing what this was all about, as unbelievable as it sounded. “This is about Chris kissing me yesterday, isn’t it?” I crossed my arms over my heaving chest, watching Dylan’s reaction closely.
He shook his head while huffing a sardonic laugh. “I don’t give a fuck about whom you’re sticking your tongue into,” he spat.
Ouch. That was a low blow.
But Dylan wasn’t fooling me. I came to know him pretty well. He may excel in hiding his emotions, but not so when he was angry. His stormy, appion eyes always gave him away.
“Apparently, you do. Chris kissed me, you know, not the other way around.” I had no idea why I was even telling him that. There was no need for justification, was there?
“You didn’t stop him, either,” Dylan countered, simultaneously confirming my suspicions that the kiss I’d shared with Chris was the source of his ire. Why did he even bother, I wondered?
“I didn’t, no.” Lifting my fisted hand to my mouth, I bit on one knuckle in frustration. “Jesus, I’m only human, okay? I’ve been here for nearly two months, and not once did I…” Whoa, that was close. I would so not talk with Dylan about my sex life—or rather, the lack of it. I threw up my hands in exasperation. “Argh, why am I even telling you this?”
“Do you always switch the men you kiss so fast?” he countered as if I hadn’t spoken, his tone laced with a lethal edge.
I nearly felt guilty, but he didn’t deserve my empathy. Kissing Dylan had been necessary to get him out of the Bluster. Chris kissing me had happened out of nowhere, and I hadn’t been the initiator. In my opinion, we were talking about two entirely different things here. Dylan seemed to disagree with me, though.
Stepping closer to Dylan, I gave him what I hoped was an equally dark look. I was past being intimidated by him. All this time, I’d played by his rules—rules he’d broken himself, as far as I was concerned.
“And how fast do you switch the nurses you fuck?” I drawled in a low voice to add dramatic effect. If he could kick below the belt, I could do the same. I didn’t want to know how many women he banged, but I was sure it was more than was good for him.
Dylan snapped his head back to me with a deadly look of warning, daring me to say anything else on the matter. I had him there.
I shook my head and sighed, my energy leaving me like a bursting balloon. I was too battered to fight with him anymore. “You know, I thought we were finally getting along. I was wrong.” I pivoted on my heels, grabbed my training bag, and rushed to the door as fast as my sore legs would let me.
“We’re not done here!” Dylan barked from behind me, but if he thought he could command me like that, he was deadly wrong.
“I am,” I countered, depleted, not turning back before shutting the door behind me with a loud bang.
Thankfully, I’d managed to make a mental map of the maze of tunnels before, so I didn’t rely on Dylan’s help to find my way back. In that case, I wouldn’t put it past him to leave me here for a day or two, completely lost, just to teach me a lesson.
Just as I rounded the first corner, a battle cry followed by a dull sound reached my ears. It came from behind me, and I was ninety-nine percent sure Dylan was the cause.
I bit my lip, debating to go back in there and talk things out. I’d never been one to leave without solving a fight, but I had the feeling it wouldn’t do any good this time. Not now. He needed time to calm down, whatever it was that made him so furious in the first place.
So, I traversed the tunnels and didn’t look back.
“Fuck!” I cursed, furiously driving my fist into the wall. I welcomed the pain shooting from my knuckles up my arm, but the dent I created in the fireproof concrete was barely enough destruction to assuage my rage. Damn that woman and her talent for making me lose all sanity!
Who did she think she was? I was not her toy, for God’s sake. I was a warrior, a Fighter, her trainer, her mentor—she should show me the right amount of respect. But what had she done instead? Forcing her lips upon mine only to run back into my best friend’s arms a day later!
The rage inside me refueled anew when the mental image of Chris’ mouth on hers invaded my mind. The uncertainty playing on her face had me assured she’d push him away, but I was so wrong.
I would never forget her face…
Eyes closed shut in desire, craving his mouth on hers. Yeah, I was a masochist for standing there like a stupid idiot while watching my best friend nearly swallow her whole, but there are things, no matter how horrific, you just can’t turn away from. And so I’d remained frozen to the spot, watching her flattening her palms against the wall behind her, fingers spread wide and nails digging in as if trying hard not to jump him.
I hung my head in surrender. What had she felt when kissing me? I’d seen the fire in her eyes after I pulled away from her—the confusion, the surprise, the hunger for more. I couldn’t remember much of what happened after my mental breakdown, but I clearly remembered the quiver of her delicate lips after our kiss.
But how close had she come to Chris? She’d explained the situation as if it had been an accident, that she was only a woman with human needs. Was she telling the truth? Well, one thing was for sure, I could satisfy her ten times better than Chris ever could. I would gladly show her. I could—
Fuck, why was I even thinking about this? This was wrong, so damn wrong. Talking about conflicting emotions… Shit, I swear that girl would be the end of me.
Her accusation still echoed in my mind. Sure, Danielle had been my toy, and I’d used her for my gain, but only to get us into the archive. Hell, I hadn’t stuck my dick into one pussy since Haylie e
ntered my life, can you believe that? It was not fair of her to impute me to fucking every woman out there. The only ounce of release I’d received was a few days ago when jerking off in the shower to a mental image of a faceless girl, only to picture Haylie in nothing but short pants later, causing me to come fast and hard. Daydreaming about her hadn’t been my intention, but my mind seemed to drift back to her every time.
If she only knew…
Picking up my training bag, I made my way back through the tunnels. I still had unfinished business with a certain blond Fighter who was mysteriously untraceable since yesterday evening. With purposeful strides, I stomped to the control room where I found Chris talking to Scott.
Chris turned to face me when I entered, and for a few seconds, we fought a silent stand-off. Neither of us uttered a word, and I was aware of many eyes on us. Chris didn’t back down, although he damn well knew the reason I was here. Someone approached us, but my eyes stayed glued on Chris.
“Gentlemen, whatever your problem is, you’re going to solve it outside, not in my office. Understood?” Jimmy warned us, voice low, daring us to object. Apparently, my face must have given away my intentions for Jimmy to sense an upcoming brawl.
With a short nod, I indicated for Chris to follow, and he did so without further questions. What I wanted to do to him, I didn’t know yet. Maybe setting his jaw straight or cracking the lips that had kissed a certain beauty with jaylior eyes. Yes, that would ease my temper.
As soon as we were out in the open, I spun around to face Chris who stuffed his hands casually in his pockets as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He didn’t fool me. He wanted to provoke me, and he succeeded.
“Why did you do it?” I inquired in a low voice, trying hard to keep my rage at bay.
“Do what?” Chris had the balls to ask.
“Fuck, Chris, I’m not in the mood for this game!” I fumed.
Chris sighed and swiped his gaze over the gravestones. “I don’t know. It just happened.”
His nonchalant comment caused me to scoff. “You have hundreds of girls down there you’re kissing all the time. Why her?” I asked incredulously, my voice slowly rising.
“Really, Dylan?” Chris grunted. “You know better than anyone about the allurement she emanates. I’ve never kissed a Natural in my life. I couldn’t stop myself. It was just one kiss, man.”
It didn’t take more than a few strides to close the distance between us, his words only reigniting my anger. “That night in Hell’s Trial, you said ‘I’ll leave her to you.’ What did you mean?”
Chris gave me a crooked grin, one I was close to slapping off his face with the back of my hand. “You know what I meant, Dylan. But you didn’t take her yet, did you?”
“I don’t want her.” As soon as the words were out, they left a bitter taste on my tongue.
Chris barked out a laugh. “Of course, you don’t. That’s exactly why you’re wasting your time shouting at me because I kissed her, right?” He shook his head while biting his lip, as if disappointed with me. “Don’t you ever get tired of living in denial all the time?”
The last thread of my control snapped. A growl from deep within was the only warning before my hand clamped around Chris’ neck. He lifted his hands in defeat, but I didn’t acknowledge it.
“Are you falling for her?” I snarled in a dangerous voice.
“Are you?” Chris counterstruck, voice scratchy from my tight grip.
I stared at him blankly. No, I wasn’t falling for her. No way. I was no man to fall for anybody. Women fell for me, begging on their knees for me to take them, not the other way around.
My hands started to shake with the need to throw a punch, I was so furious. I lifted Chris up with ease until his feet dangled in the air. He could have defended himself, but he didn’t. Maybe he knew he deserved my wrath. Maybe he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance.
Yanking my arm forward, Chris flew in a wide arc through the air until landing on the grass, missing a headstone just by inches.
“Oh my God!” screeched a voice from behind me.
I whipped around to see Haylie running toward us, a horrified expression on her face. Fuck her and her timing. What the hell was she doing here?
“Haylie, it’s okay. Stay out of this,” Chris instructed and stood up, wiping his hands on his jeans. He wouldn’t even sport a bruise later. Damn him for being a Fighter.
Haylie stopped her attempt at coming to his aid when she was assured he was unharmed, her eyes roaming in question between the both of us. “The hell I will! What the fuck is going on here?” she shouted and faced me. “Have you lost your fucking mind?”
I kept my face blank. If there was one thing I was good at, it was the nothing-bothers-me expression.
“That’s none of your business. This is between Chris and me. Don’t interfere with things you don’t understand,” I warned in my lowest voice, in hopes of getting the warning across to her. It usually worked well, especially on women. But again, Haylie reacted differently than I expected.
As a Fighter, I should have seen the blow coming.
I didn’t.
Her opened hand connected with my cheek. Fast enough to hit dead center. Strong enough to snap my head sideways. Precise enough to make a sound like the crack of a whip. How the fuck had she gained so much strength?
A normal person would have cried out at the stinging pain, but it didn’t even register. I was too shocked about what had just happened. No woman had ever dared to slap me, although I’d probably given every one of them enough reasons to do so.
“Shit!” Chris exclaimed, as if afraid of my reaction, but Haylie didn’t appear to feel guilty in the slightest. Her eyes were piercing and judging, the jaylior vivid like molten lava as they bore into mine.
Her voice dropped to a whisper as if she was trying hard to refrain from slapping me a second time. “I think I understand enough. Maybe you’re more experienced than me, maybe you’re stronger than me, and maybe you hate me, but you’re pushing your limits. I won’t stand by watching you fight Chris because of a kiss that happened and is, by the way, none of your business.” She poked me in the chest when she repeated my words from earlier. “And don’t deny that’s the reason you hit him in the first place.”
“Haylie, just drop it,” Chris tried to reason with her, but Haylie ignored him, searching for answers in my eyes.
“You should go now,” she commanded, and normally, I would have rejected but not now.
Her action left me speechless. The disappointment in her eyes weighed me down until its burden was nearly unbearable. I glanced at Chris who appeared torn between keeping his distance from me and putting himself in front of Haylie to shield her from my wrath.
She was right, I should go. I’d gone too far. So, without another word, I headed to my room to grab my things before exiting the compound at the other side.
What the hell had I been thinking? Since when was I so desperate as to fight my best friend because of a girl?
But she wasn’t just any girl now, was she?
Chris’ words continued to tumble in my head when I got into my car. I stroked the dashboard like I always did before driving off in my self-restored Ford Mustang. Hitting the gas pedal, the engine howled like an enraged lion before I sped away with screeching wheels. This black beauty was the only woman I loved unconditionally. Riding her always eased my nerves.
Unfortunately, my car was hardly a distraction for the Natural occupying my every thought lately.
Was I falling for Haylie? God, I hoped not… Give me an army of Hunters, and I’d gladly take it, but a woman like her? Jesus, I didn’t know how to handle her. She wasn’t some woman to fuck once and be done with it. Not that I hadn’t been thinking about claiming her body, touching her delicious skin, feeling her walls clench around me… But that was beside the point. She was a woman who deserved love, affection, and utter commitment.
I was not that man.
Swerving the car through the d
ark city, I didn’t have an explicit direction in mind, but for some reason, I ended up in front of Jessica’s—the playrooms opposite Joey’s bar.
I’d never set foot in there before. Prostitutes were not my first choice, but I didn’t have the patience right now to scroll through my contact list and get lost in small talk until we could finally come to the point.
Killing the engine, I sat for a few more minutes, staring out of the windshield.
Was this jealousy I felt? This gnawing, poisonous thing slithering inside my gut whenever I thought about other men touching her? Having never experienced the sensation before, I’d always laughed at women who were jealous over me as they extended their claws whenever I lost interest. Yet, something ate me up from deep inside and unleashed the beast within me whenever she gave Chris one of her disarming smiles.
Fighters were particularly protective and dominating Roes. A jealous Fighter was highly dangerous, which was why we usually didn’t get involved too deeply in love affairs.
I dragged one hand over my face in frustration, accepting I wouldn’t find the ultimate answer to my countless questions tonight, if ever, before stepping out of the car to enter the brothel.
A woman—or was it a man… you could never be sure—greeted me seductively while sucking on a cigarette. I told the receptionist my preferences and waited until a small, blonde Barbie doll covered in a few pieces of glittered fabric approached me. She was neither pretty nor ugly, neither thin nor thick, her platinum hair a sharp contrast to the solarium-tanned skin on her face. She was so small, she barely came to my nipples.
The reason I chose her? She was the complete opposite of the women I liked. The opposite of Haylie.
Mandy led me up a staircase, and I followed her to her private room. She wanted to break the ice with small talk, but I quickly dismissed her.
I sat her on the bed while standing in front of her. After opening my zipper, she gave me a much-needed blowjob, calming my racing mind for a minute. As soon as I was ready for her, I spun her around so I didn’t need to see her face, and took her from behind. I tried my best to go gently, but I was too frustrated tonight.
