"Since you’re doing a bang-up job, someone has to stop you from making the worst mistake of your life."
"Oh, and you’d know all about that?"
"You bet."
"Like you never made mistakes?"
"I have. The difference is that I came to my senses before things got out of hand—unlike you."
"Me?" I scowl.
"Yeah, you fucking screwed up, Hawke."
"Please enlighten me on what I’ve done."
"You mated her, walked away from her, then left her to cope with the aftermath. She’s at her most vulnerable. She needs you now, and what do you do? You let her try to pick up strangers."
"She won’t." Charley belongs to me; she always has. She won’t sleep with anyone else. My heart begins to thud. Sweat slicks my palm. I twist my torso, but Doc’s grip on me tightens.
"Are you sure? Because the last I saw, she was stripping in front of the entire bar.”
"No."
"Yes."
I raise my hand, send a punch in the direction of Doc’s face.
He swerves, then his fist connects with my jaw. My head snaps back; my neck protests. The contents of my stomach come hurling up.
"The fuck, man?"
Doc swings aside. Grabs my shoulder. Dante comes up the other side, throws his arm around my back. Between them, they drag me out of the room and toward the bathroom at the far end of the corridor. Tristan prowls ahead, kicks open the bathroom door. They heave me inside and dump me into the bathtub. Water pours on me.
"Ugh… What?" The cold slaps me in the face. I wince, shy away. Doc shoves me down, leans his bulk on me. Dante aims the shower on my head. "Stop… What the—?" The water fills my mouth, my ears, my nose. Runs down my throat, drenches my clothes. My head clears… Somewhat. The ringing in my ears recedes.
The water shuts off.
The men let go and I collapse into the tub. "Jesus… The fuck, you guys?"
A towel hits me in the face. "Get dressed, you turd." Doc rumbles.
I shake my head to clear it. "Stop stepping on my balls."
"What are you going to do now?" Dante scowls.
I lurch to my feet, peel my sodden shirt off. "What do you think?"
29
"Maturity is the subtle art of not giving a fuck ..."
-From Charley's secret diary
Charley
The music pounds against my ear drums, all thoughts empty from my head. Nice. Finally. A bloody millisecond without thinking of the alphahole.
Oh, no, see what I did there?
I trapped myself. My mind homed in to fixate on the brute of a lethal Fae who's imprinted himself into my heart, my soul, every cell in my bloody body that yearns for him, aches for him. Fucking fuck.
This story that you can find peace at the center of a storm? It's not true. If it were I'd not be wasting my time moping for that rat's ass of a dominant male who mated me. Took me. Asshole walked away from me. He hadn’t bothered to accompany me on the teleportation back home. Fucker!
He’d let Tristan teleport me. So he is family…the closest I’ve come to having a father figure...someone I’ve grown to trust, but still. The Hawke I knew was possessive. He’d never have allowed another man to lay his hand on me. He still won’t. He’s way too controlling. He may not want me, but I’ll bet he won’t let anyone else touch me… Or so, I hope. I turn away from the audience dancing on the bar floor below me.
I raise my leg, clad in its over-the-knee fuck-me boot and slam my foot down on the wooden bar counter. The six-inch heels slip. My legs slide. I huff, lose my balance. The noise from the throng fades. All of my sense focus on finding my center of gravity. I straighten, throw my hair back, jut out my butt. Screams resound from the crowd. Oh, yeah.
"Here." A shot glass filled with clear liquid appears below my nose. I grab it, raise it to my lips, turn to thank the person who’d handed it to me. "You?" I meet the sparkling eyes of the one man in the world I’ve grown to trust as a friend.
"Rafe?"
"Hey you." He jerks his chin, "Drink up."
I toss back the liquid. Grimace. "Shit, that tasted like water."
He grabs the shot glass from me, tosses it down to the bartender who fills it up with...yeah, water…from the water jug. Rafe bends, snatches it up, then offers it to me.
I frown.
"Go on, you need to hydrate."
"What do you mean?"
"You’re gonna need your wits about you."
I scrunch my brow, trying to process what he’s saying. "I do?"
He flattens his palm under my glass, nudges it up to my lips. I swallow down the minuscule amount of water.
"Your man," Rafe snickers, "he’s one stubborn mofo."
"Not my man…and yep." I nod, "He is."
He hands the newly refilled shot glass to me. "Down it."
I do.
"If you want to hydrate me, why not offer the water to me in a full wine glass?"
"The shots have more impact."
"Impact?"
I take another shot glass full of water, toss it down.
"It’s easier if you keep up the pretense of being drunk when he arrives."
"He?"
There’s a commotion at the door. I try to turn, but Rafael grips my shoulder. "Don’t look."
"Right."
He offers me another refilled shot glass, and another.
He throws the glass down, the bartender grabs it up, then nods and leaves.
O-k-a-y.
Rafael slips his arm about my waist. "Um… Rafe… I do like you... I do..."
His chest shakes.
I look up, confused. His face is wreathed in a big grin.
"You goof, I like you too." He snickers.
"But?"
"But it’s not you, it’s me."
I frown.
He chuckles.
"Not funny, Rafe."
His lips turn down. "I won't deny I’ve entertained thoughts of seducing you with my considerable charms."
Hmm.
"But," he tilts his head, "you have eyes only for him."
"Only that alphahole—"
"Alphahole?"
I redden. "That’s what I call him." I shake my head, "Doesn't matter."
"That ‘alphahole’ has a thing for you too."
"No, he doesn’t."
"Trust me, I recognize the signs of a man in love who's fighting it with every bone in his body."
His gorgeous, larger-than-life, dominant body. I swallow. "He doesn’t want me."
"He does.’
"He hates me."
"He hates himself."
I frown.
"He was traumatized as a child."
I bite my lower lip.
"You don’t seem surprised."
"I guessed but…"
"Get him to open up. Find out what’s bothering him."
"What’s bothering him is that he is attracted to me and he feels a relationship between us is not age-appropriate."
"Which it isn’t."
"Rafe."
"Not that I am trying to condone his actions or anything."
"Of course, not."
"But it’s not the difference in years, is it?"
I shake my head. "It’s more than that. He can't relax when he's with me. He wants to protect me."
"From himself?"
"So he implied."
"What is he afraid of?"
"You don’t think I asked him? I all but bound him, rendered him helpless—"
"Hold on." Rafe grips my chin, turns it up, "You what?"
"Uh… I restrained him, tried to take advantage him."
He snorts. "Bet that went down well, huh?"
"Not."
"You need to let him come to you."
"Right." I toss my head. "And how do I do that? Since we returned a few days ago, he’s avoided me. I haven’t seen him at all—not so much as a passing lane. No one seems to be aware of his whereabouts. He’s all but disappeared
off the face of this earth. He—" The hair on the nape of my neck stiffens. An electric thrill runs down my spine… "He… He…" I swallow
Rafe nods, "He’s here."
My heart begins to thud. My pulse races. "No, no, I don’t want to see him. I need to get away from here, I—" I turn to jump off of the counter. Rafe hauls me closer.
"What are you doing?"
"You have one chance, both of you, to get this right, and I won't let you screw it up."
I struggle in his grasp. "Why are you doing this?"
"I lost everything because of my damn pride… Once… I can’t let this happen to you. I’ve grown fond of you."
"And me you…"
"So you wouldn’t mind if I…"
"Rafe."
He covers my lips with his. It’s a sweet kiss, the kind between friends. I pull back. "If he sees you—"
"I’m hoping he will."
"He’ll kill you."
"No, he won’t. You think I am not aware of what you’re doing by dancing on this counter, trying to proposition strangers."
"None of whom would dare entertain my proposition." I huff, "They’re too scared of the big guy."
"He mated you."
"He left me." My lips turn down. "That was unpardonable."
"It was." Rafe’s lips curve up. He tips up my chin, then whispers in my ear, "Don’t make it easy for him, don’t—"
He’s torn from my grasp and crashes into the wall of bottles behind the bar.
"No." My gaze widens in horror. "Rafe." I jump down on the other side of the counter. Drop to my knees next to him. "Rafe." I pat his cheek, "Rafe, you okay?"
"Don’t touch him."
His voice penetrates between the pumping beats. The rage vibrates off of him, pushes down on my chest, pins me in place. I draw in a breath and that dark edgy scent of his bleeds into my skin. My thighs clench; my nipples tighten. Damn the man. If he thinks he can avoid me, only to come barreling in and command me into doing what he wants? I snort. He has another think coming.
I stiffen. Then lower my face to Rafe’s.
30
Hawke
Her face blocks out his. His arm encircles her shoulders. She’s kissing him? No. My chest hurts; my belly churns. I lock my fingers together, raise my arms and slam them down on the counter.
The wood splits; the entire barrier shakes. There’s silence in the room. The music cuts out. Then a crack forms up in the ceiling, races down the wall of bottles, down to the floor, past the work surface, that collapses in on itself.
She swings around, glances at the broken pieces of what had once been the bar. Her chin trembles. She rises, then deliberately turns to offer her hand to Rafael. He ignores it, straightens.
I take a step forward and he plants his body in front of her.
"Don’t hurt her."
I bare my teeth. "You dare command me on how I should behave with my mate."
There’s a strangled sound, then she steps past him. "Not your mate."
I wince. I deserve it. Not that I am going to allow her to see how much that hurt me. I thrust out my chest, "You wear my mark."
She touches the fabric of her shirt that covers the spot where I had buried my teeth in that juicy skin of hers. My mate. My mouth waters, my ears tingle.
"Come with me."
She sets her jaw. "No."
Anger thuds at my temples; my vision narrows. "Don’t incite me."
"Oh?" Her green eyes lighten until they resemble frozen emeralds. "You dare tell me what to do?"
A growl rumbles up my throat. I plant my palms on my hips. "You dare defy me?"
She stamps her feet.
I grimace and she tosses her hair over her shoulder. "I do more than that."
She jumps onto the pile of rubble that had once been the bar counter. Even from that height, she’s barely at shoulder level with me. She leans forward and stabs a finger in my chest. "Get the hell out of my way."
I set my jaw. "No."
"You lost all rights to me when you left me."
"I did it for your own good."
"Well, I’ll tell you what’s good for me." She jerks her chin toward the asswipe of a man standing behind her. "Him."
I crack my neck; my joints pop, "You’re saying that because you are angry with me."
"Angry?" She throws up her hands. "That’s an understatement. I fucking hate the sight of you. I’d…fuck anyone else but you."
The blood pounds at my temples, at my wrists. My vision tunnels. "You won’t." I growl.
"Who’s going to stop me?" She snaps her teeth together, "You?"
"You bet, in fact," I bend my knees, peer into her eyes. "I’ll do one better." I swing her over my shoulder.
She screams, pounds her palms on my back. "Let me go."
"No fucking way."
I straighten, glare at Rafael, who shakes his head.
"What?" I frown.
"Not that I don’t understand what you’re doing…" He wets a finger, then wipes the air in front of him. "No, strike that. I don’t understand what you are doing. When it comes to women, you have a lot left to figure out, don’t you?"
I bare my teeth, "Can you see the ‘Fuck You’ in my smile, bitch?"
He laughs.
I growl, thrust my chin forward. "I am going to separate your head from your body and hand it to you, you prick."
He pretends to wipe tears from his cheeks, "It was an act, you dickwad."
"What-fucking-ever." I raise my fist, "Stay away from her. Never look at her again. If you dare come within a mile of her, I’ll—."
"Shut up, you brute." She wriggles her hips, twists her torso.
"Hold still, Char."
"No," she yells. "If you think this is going to return you to my good graces, after the horrible way you acted, you are way off your mark."
"And the way you acted? How about that?"
"So you can threaten to fuck someone else and that’s fine? But if I pretend to kiss someone else, it’s enough for you to throw a tantrum and break a bar and go all caveman—"
"Yes." I turn, and freeze.
The entire bar is watching me. I glance at the face of the man closest. I growl at him. He pales, steps aside. The man next to him follows, and the next. The crowd parts and I step into the path. I stalk forward to the door.
"Let me go." Charley digs her fingers into my side. I keep moving. She raises her hands, brings them down. I increase my pace. She pulls back her leg, folds it at the knee and buries it in my chest. I huff. Then slap her butt.
She freezes. "Son of a bitch."
"Oh, good, finally you’re as pissed as I am."
"That what this is about, asshole? You trying to wear me down?"
"Nope."
"Then?"
"I’m following the cues you threw out, sweetheart. I was trying to do the right thing by you. Clearly, that misfired. You were trying to get me jealous. Admit it."
"Newsflash, you reprobate, my entire world doesn’t revolve around you."
"Time, I changed that."
I reach the exit; a man blocks the way.
"What are you doing?" Dante frowns.
"What does it look like?"
"Go easy on her, you piece of shit." Tristan steps up next to him. "If you hurt her in any way, I swear, I’ll—"
"Don’t mess with me now; I didn’t tell you how to woo your women, did I?"
"That’s because we had a lot more finesse than you, you jackass."
"Fuck that." I glare between them. Fuck this woman who’s broken down every barrier I’ve hidden behind. Fuck me for falling for her… Then failing to recognize that she’d baited me. And she had. I have no doubt about that. I’d seen her with that sorry excuse of a vampire-Fae Rafael and lost my shit. Maybe she hadn’t kissed him… Maybe… I want to believe what I think I saw, but a part of me refuses to believe she’d actually betray me. She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. She didn’t… Yeah. I shake my head. She didn’t do it and I’m going to e
nsure that situation never arises again. One way or the other.
My voice lowers to a hush, "Get out of my way." Over my shoulder, she freezes.
Dante's features harden.
Tristan’s brow furrows. He looks past me and the hair on my nape rises. I half angle my body, take in Rafael’s countenance.
He gestures to me, "He’s not going to harm a hair on her head. You guys are aware of that, right?"
"Don’t need you fighting in my corner, either," I snarl.
"I’m doing this for her, big guy."
"Stay out of it, Rafael, please." Her voice is sharp.
"Don’t talk to him," I huff.
"Oh, for hell’s sake, I am trying to save your ass from being kicked in by all three of them."
"Don’t need your help."
She makes a noise deep in her throat. Cute. It is. Not that it affects me. Not. So, I am being unreasonable. Can’t blame the woman for coming to my defense, but hell, if I want her help… Or anyone else’s for that matter. I can take care of what’s mine, fuck you very much.
"The fuck is happening here?" Doc prowls up to complete the triumvirate in front.
"None of your fucking business." I raise my chin.
Doc’s features harden. "Everything that happens here is our business."
"Not this. Don’t get involved in my stuff, I am warning all of you." Shit. The hell am I doing? Threatening the three most lethal alpha Fae in this city?
"Promise them that you won’t harm her," Rafael drawls from behind me.
Right. Did I say three? Clearly, the vampire-Fae is as dangerous—but fuck that. Right now, I don’t particularly care that I am outnumbered. I crack my fingers at my side. "You guys sure you want to do this…?"
Dante and Tristan exchange glances.
Then Dante turns on me, "Let her go, pal."
"Not happening."
Tristan glowers, "At least give me your word that you will take care of her?"
"I will take care of…" I thrust out my chest, "...her needs. I won’t do anything she doesn’t want…from me."
"Hey, hold on. I’m here, ya know?" She wriggles her butt and I turn my cheek and nuzzle her hip.
She stills; a trembling runs up her spine. Good. She knows what’s coming. "Nothing can save you now, little Char." I whisper.
Kidnapped by the Fae: Paranormal Dark Fae Romance (Fae's Claim Book 5) Page 14
