Page 118 of Chaos At Second Sight

“Don’t,” Tiziano mumbled under his breath.

The man ignored him and his palm cracked across my face, sending me sprawling on top of Amaia. My hand covered my cheek. That…really stings.

“Don’t touch her!” Tiziano lurched to his feet, swaying a little.

“Why don’t you cool off?” the man drawled, glancing at Tiziano with disinterest. “Or get the fuck out and wait for me in bed.”

“You can’t hurt my friends. That’s the deal!”

Deal?

The man’s expression flattened. “She saw me.” He reached inside his jacket. Steel flashed, a long knife that I recognized. A skinning knife.

“She won’t remember. We’ll disappear,” Tiziano pleaded. “Please. For me.”

The unpleasant man barked out a laugh. “This is your fault.” He mocked him with fluttering fingers. “Don’t use so much sedative! Don’t tie them up! Don’t throw them in trash bins! Don’t, don’t, don’t! So many rules! You sentimental mate!” The knife glinted under the hanging bulb. “Because of you, she has to die.”

“No!” Tiziano yelled. His forehead smashed into the man’s nose.

The Matenapper staggered one step but calmly popped his broken nose back in with two fingers and snorted a fat blood clot out of his left nostril. “There. Better.”

Before Tiziano could do anything, the man hooked his forearm around his throat, wrenching his head until his vertebrae popped. His other hand stroked Tiziano’s snarling face, fingers digging into his flesh, which was now turning blue.

Tiziano thrashed, eyes glaring up at him and feet kicking. “I reject you!”

The man leaned close enough to whisper into his ear. “I told you”—his grip tightened—“not to disappoint me.”

Tiziano’s eyes rolled upward, foam gathering at the corner of his mouth.

And then there was a crack.

The Matenapper’s fist smashed into Tiziano’s face and his body went limp before he even hit the floor.

All I could do was fight the pull of sleep. Like Amaia…

Goddess, please save her. My tears carved clean tracks through the grime coating my face as I shook her shoulders.

“Ungrateful mate!” The roar made me flinch. “I did all this for you!” The Matenapper kicked his body. The bloody mess that was Tiziano didn’t reply. “Look what you made me do!”

“Stop!” I clawed my way up, supporting myself with a hand on the wall. Two of my fingernails broke in the process.

I had to reach Tiziano. Defend him⁠—

A palm smacked my cheek, my skull shattering against the wall.

Warm blood gushed from my nose, spilling over my fingers and mixing with my hot tears. “Who are you?” I croaked, my voice muffled behind my bloodied hands.

He bent at the waist, leveling washed-out blue eyes with mine. “That’s not important.” One finger tapped my chest. “What matters is who you are.” Another tap. “And who you belonged to.”

I felt nothing. I guess their drug was good after all. Red dripped from a cut on my forehead and covered my vision. My blood.

He reached out and twirled a lock of my hair.

“Stop it!” I jerked away, but his grip tightened, yanking me closer.

“The convenience of mates,” he sighed dramatically. “He won’t die immediately. No, the Terminator will go feral without you.” His eyes glittered. “And eventually, his own family will have to put him down like you do with a damaged animal.” The words landed harder than the slap. “He deserves that. Do you know he beat me up that night at that lame party? And only because I talked to you.”

“Don’t do this.”