Page 23 of Wicked Lord

“Sorry, Coach. A situation occurred last night that, uh, has me distracted.”

His aquamarine stare traced the bruises on my knuckles like Byron’s had, and he stepped closer, his brow furrowing. “Does this have anything to do with the brotherhood? Do you need help with anything?”

Victor Carson would know all about the Serpents & Daggers considering he was an Ascended. The snake wrapped around a knife tattoo on his forearm moved as his muscles flexed and veins popped.

“No, sir, the brotherhood isn’t involved.” I palmed my nape, my eyes cast on my grass-stained cleats. “There’s just this girl…” I trailed off, my cheeks flushing.

His boisterous laughter had my head snapping up. “Axel, son, there’s no reason to be upset over a piece of ass.” He slapped my tattoo. “You’re a fucking Lord here, a god among men. If you want something, including some hot pussy, find a way to make it happen.”

“Yeah, but?—”

Coach Carson gripped the neckline of my practice jersey. “If you want something, take it. Simple as that.” He pushed me toward the field. “Now get out there and show me why you’re the star of this team.”

As I shoved my helmet back on and trotted onto the field, some of the tension in my chest eased. Coach Carson was right. I belonged to one of the most rich and powerful secretorganizations in this country. If I wanted something, I’d take it. And that was exactly what I intended to do.

Fine tremors raced through my hand as I lifted it to dark mahogany wood and knocked, the gilded room numbers gleaming under the soft lighting in the hall.

Make it happen.

Coach’s words had been stuck in my mind since practice, and as soon as it ended, I showered and headed to Davenport Dormitory to take what I wanted.

A beautiful redhead answered the door, a soft, sympathetic smile curling her lips. “Hi, Axel.”

“Hi, Lexi.” For fuck’s sake, Killian’s girlfriend obviously knew I had it bad for her roommate, and the pity in her eyes made me want to turn around and storm away. “Is Cordi here?”

She stepped aside to allow me in where Cordelia was sprawled on her four-poster bed, flicking through the screens on her tablet. The tousled white comforter made her sun-kissed skin glow.

“I told you I didn’t want to see him,” she hissed, barely sparing me a glance.

This might be harder than I thought.

Lexi gave a casual shrug. “Oops. I forgot.” She grabbed a bag and tossed it over her shoulder. “I’m meeting Kill. See ya’.”

Cordelia’s jaw dropped as her best friend scurried out of the room. “Scheming little bitch.”

I cleared my throat. “I’m really sorry about last night, Cordi. Things got out of hand.”

“You call almost killing Kyle out of hand?” She tossed her tablet aside, got up, and strode to her vanity near thearched windows. Glass clinks echoed as she rummaged through bottles of nail polish. “It’s pretty obvious you can’t handle our arrangement.”

“That’s not true.” I dropped onto the edge of Lexi’s neatly made bed. “I was just drunk and being stupid.”

She picked a sparkly green color and returned to her bed, her hot pink tights and sports bra hugging her curves perfectly.

“You weren’t drunk.” When Cordelia finally looked at me, she sighed, and her muscles loosened. “You have feelings for me and want more than I can give.”

I scoffed and tried to keep my voice even while my heart was shattering. “Don’t jump to conclusions.”

“I’m not, Ax.” Her expression softened. “We can’t do this anymore. I told you from day one I didn’t want anything serious, and if we continue this, you’ll end up hating me when I don’t commit to a relationship.”

I wiped my sweaty palms on my jeans, my pulse thundering as her words sank in. This wasnotgoing how I expected. Cordelia was breaking things off. If I didn’t do something, I’d lose her forever.

Find a way to make it happen.

“There’s clearly been a huge misunderstanding.” I gave a dry laugh. “You’re not the only girl I’m seeing.”

Her brow arched skeptically as she shook the nail polish bottle. “I’ve never seen you with anyone else.”

“That’s because I’m a gentleman.” I winked, but ice swept through my hollow insides. “In fact, things are getting serious with her, and I wanted to tell you we should probably cool it.”