AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We heard a growl and thought a dux demon had come along.” Hawk’s hand gently landed on my shoulder, and I flinched.
That demonic growl had been me.
“Rox, why did you leave her?” Hawk’s hand slipped away, but his presence remained close.
“She said she had it and to go help you.”
That lying skank.
Rage stoked the monster within me again, so I bit my tongue hard enough that blood oozed into my mouth. I had to control my anger, even for Roxie. If I let her get to me, I could snap and kill her.
After she left me to die, I’d really love to tear her to pieces.
I squeezed my lids shut and touched the tattoo on my neck, not even caring if it called Fane. I’d rather him be here to annoy me than turn around and let Hawk see what I’d really become.
“Tate, do you need a medic?” Hawk cursed as he studied the myriad of cuts and slashes digging into me that burned as the darkness faded. “Some of these are deep.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. Really.”
Hawk’s hand rested on my shoulder again, and I didn’t have the strength to stop him from turning me. The fight drained away, and the injuries throbbed. “Look at me.” His voice softened to a whisper.
“We got the female,” Roxie blurted. “I held her down while Hawk decapitated her.”
“That’s good.” My head slowly lifted, finally meeting Hawk’s worried gaze. “I’m fine. Just a little weak. All my adrenaline’s gone.”
When he didn’t stumble back or curse, I knew my eyes had returned to normal.
A gentle smile broke across his face. “You are a serious badass, Strawberry Shortcake. Being gone in—well, you know—didn’t ruin your skills one bit. If anything, you’re better.”
I gave a strained laugh. “You know I hate it when you call me that.”
“Stop lying. You secretly love it.” He stepped closer and put his arm around my waist to help me through the collection of bodies littering the ground. “Why don’t you take a break while Roxie and I get rid of these sub-demons with Whither.”
“Sure.” If I didn’t sit down soon, I’d fall.
As we passed Roxie, I glared at her with enough venom to poison a horde of demons. The urge to kill her sang through my veins, and my expression must have made that evident because the blood washed from her cheeks.
There was no point in telling Hawk she’d tried to kill me. She’d only deny it. But if she crossed me again, I wasn’t sure I could hold back the monster within. And Hawk would discover my terrible secret.
* * *
Pinkand murky gray swirled down the shower drain as the water washed off the blood from my battle with the dragos demons. My muscles throbbed, and sharp stings sliced over me as the hot spray hit the cuts and gashes.
After we returned from Bonaventure Cemetery, I convinced Hawk that I didn’t need to see a medic. The doctor would have seen the damage, and when they checked on me tomorrow, they would have noticed how quickly I healed.
There would be no escaping the questions then.
I rested my hand on the white tiles and closed my eyes, thinking of the many times I came home covered in blood from fighting in Remy’s ring. I tried to hide it from Jayla as much as possible. She knew how I made money, but I didn’t want her to see it.
One night she almost caught me after a fight. My opponent’s nose had gushed blood all over me when I broke it. She’d also gotten me pretty good with a left hook, splitting the skin above my eye. Her brothers had flipped their shit when they saw the state of their little sister, so Remy shoved me out of the building before I had a chance to wipe my face…
I quietly steppedinto the warehouse and slinked toward our little nook as Jayla’s laughter resonated through the abandoned and partially burned interior. My heart squeezed at the lighthearted sound. At thirteen, I’d already been ripped apart by this world, so it amazed me that it hadn’t happened to Jayla. And it wouldn’t.
“Are you always this bad at poker?” she asked Josh, one of the twins. “Or are you letting me win?”
He groaned. “I wish I was letting you win. It would make me feel so much better.”
The edges of my lips twisted into a smile. I’d started teaching her how to play five-card draw. The kid was a natural at numbers and reading people.
