And then the bastard let me fall.
I hit the ground with a thud and a grunt, no gentle hands to cushion my fall this time.
It fucking hurt.
I blinked up at the twilight sky. Somewhere in the distance, an owl called out, and in my head, I answered him.
Whooo-hoo are you?
Whoo-hoo am I?
I was too shocked to do anything else.
Breaking into my momentary peace, Asher loomed over me, extending a hand. “Are we done throwing tantrums?”
Tears welled up again, turning his stupid face into a blur. Ignoring his hand, I turned my face and stretched my arm across my eyes, as if that alone could hide my shame. My frustration.
Asher wasn’t having it. He nudged my hip with his foot. “Get up, witch.”
“No.”
Asher cupped a hand around his ear. “What’s that? You’re giving up?”
I was a hot mess. Sweat in my eyes, the tang of blood in my mouth, my heart about to burst from my chest.
But somehow, the idea of letting Asher win felt even worse.
Growling like an animal, I rolled onto my stomach and pushed myself up.
One time. I just have to put him down one time…
He came around behind me, putting me in the lock once again. I grabbed his wrists, dropped to a squat, and then…
I gave up. My legs trembled. My knees screamed in protest.
Releasing my hold, I turned to face him, defeated. “I can’t, Ash. I just can’t.”
“Goddamnit!” he shouted, making me flinch. The feral glint in his eyes made the hairs on my arm stand up. “What are you playing at here, Desario?”
“I’m not playing! I’m trying to learn how to defend myself. To fight.”
“So defend! Offend! Fucking dosomethingthat doesn’t end with you burying your head under a blanket and crying every time things don’t go your way.”
“That’s not fair. I’m doing my best to—”
“If that’s your best, Cupcake, you may as well go back to the Bay tonight. Find a nice secluded spot in the warehouse district, sit out there with your little spell book and a big-ass pentacle around your neck and a neon sign that says ‘Come and get it, hunters!’”
“You suck,” I said, tears sliding down my cheeks. I was spent. Utterly spent. My muscles were rebelling, my already-bruised ego had crossed into contusion-and-abrasion territory hours earlier, and shame was burning a hole in my stomach. I couldn’t do this. Not tonight.
But Asher wasn’t finished.
“His family murdered your mother, Gray. They already tried to kill you once, and this fuckface has made it his mission in life to find you. He murdered your best friend. He—”
“Stop it! Shut up!” I shoved his chest as hard as I could. He stumbled a step backward, but this demon was just getting warmed up.
“He’s a ruthless witch-killer,” he went on. “He’s a sadistic—”
“I know what he is. You don’t have to be such a—”
