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“Let’s go, Mia. We need to get back to safety.” The demand comes out as more of a whispered threat, one she rolls her eyes at. The desire to throttle her enters me, and my hand moves of its own volition, wrapping around her throat with a warning squeeze. “Do not disobey me, little Stratford queen. I will remove you unconscious if I have to.” My hand compresses tighter on her delicate swan-like neck to ensure that she feels the promise in my grip. I will not allow her to endanger herself further on this fool’s errand.
Her blue eyes blaze into mine, daring me to comply with my promise and wring the very life out of her. She seeks oblivion to numb her pain. The desire to fuck her raw up against the wall of the house rages in my blood. She fights me every chance she gets, and it brings me to life, knowing she always will. She will never cower, and I will never stop wanting to obtain her obedience.
Her fingernails dig into my wrist until I feel they have broken the skin. “You all need to stop putting your fucking hands around my throat like you’re leashing a dog. You are not my master, Theo, and I am not your pet.”
The sharp pain is a balm to my soul, the reminder that I am still alive and that she is still mine, despite all that I have endured. I can’t resist any further; my lips crash on hers in a feral kiss that is more teeth and roughness than it is anything else. Her hungry mouth responds by instantly opening for my invading tongue to explore. My blood sizzles through my limbs, my heart rate accelerating at the sound of the little whimpers escaping her mouth. The taste of blood fills my mouth, and I relish it, the sweet, rich flavor of Mia, my Mia, and all I could ever want.
She pushes me back, her hands landing on my chest with a hard shove that has me releasing her lips in protest. I stare down at her dilated pupils, the blue so deep that it’s like staring into the Marianas trench, hazardous to my health, but all I desire. A shudder makes its way through her body, and I can feel her body tensing at my touch. “I want to go inside and get something of his. I need…something, Theo. Something to remind me that he’s still… mine and out there.”
Her request has me immediately wanting to deny it. It’s too dangerous to go inside. We don’t know who might be in there or who has eyes on this house. I stare down into her determined blue depths and quickly realize I’m about to fight a losing battle. She won’t be deterred, with or without me; she’s going in there.
With a heavy sigh, I release my hold on her and reach for her fingers, interlacing them with mine and nodding towards the back patio door. I know the code to Mateo’s house, I made him give it to me last year when he was spiraling, and I was worried he would harm himself. We reach the door, and I release Mia’s hand and try the handle, not thinking for one second it will open. My disbelief when it opens on silent hinges has my eyebrows raising to my hairline and trepidation filling my body.Why is the door unlocked?
I motion for Mia to stay put while I push the door wider and step inside, bracing for someone to attack me. I enter the kitchen eating area, which is covered in shadows. Here too, there is evidence of a struggle, furniture is tipped over, and broken glass litters the floor. I move silently within the space and work my way toward the hallway. A slight crunch of glass has me pivoting behind me, ready to attack whoever is hiding in the shadows, only to see that it’s Mia once again disobeying me and following me into the house. I give her a menacing stare, but she shrugs her shoulders like my threats don’t scare her. We’ll see about that later when I tie her ass down, gag, and blindfold her.
She reaches my side on silent feet after crouching down and picking up a broken chair leg. She hands it to me silently, and I grimace at her makeshift weapon. I should have brought something with me. That, of course, would have necessitated planning and thought though, and not racing off into the dangers of the night after my reckless warrior queen.
We move as a unit towards the hallway that leads into the open-plan living space. Everything is cloaked in deep shadows; ones that make sweat pour down my back and bead on my forehead. The rest of the area is in the same disarray, with art smashed to the floor and broken furniture scattered everywhere. I grasp onto Mia’s hand and lead her to the right. Mateo’s home is all on one floor, and I know this hallway leads to his bedroom. If she wants something of his to take back with her, this will be the only place to grab something. The rest of this home is an empty, fancy art gallery and not a home.
When we reach his door, it’s already open, and destruction and chaos await us in his room. Someone has already been here looking for something, maybe a clue as to where he was taken. More likely a clue on how to get to the queen in my tight grip.I will decimate anyone that tries to take her; she’s fucking mine.We move soundlessly into the space, trying hard not to trip over all the discarded clothing and items on the floor. Mateo’s mattress has been thrown against the wall, and all of his drawers are emptied on the floor.
Mia bends down and picks up an item of clothing, bringing it to her face and taking a deep inhale. I watch as her eyes turn glassy, and tears appear like diamonds on her thick lashes. Her moment of fragility has my breath catching in my throat. The moonlight streaming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows paints her in a silver light that has her looking more like a Greek goddess than a woman. A goddess brought to earth to wreak havoc and destruction on humankind and take the souls of any man foolish enough to fall in love with her.
Am I that fool, I wonder?At least I know that I am not the only one who will be walking around soulless if something were to happen to her. I shake off the macabre thoughts. Nothing is going to happen to her while I’m fucking alive. I will kill anyone that tries to harm her, even if I have to do it with my bare hands. My life is forfeit without hers; she’s the only thing that kept me tied to this reality and from letting myself die in that miserable underground dungeon.
We move further into the room, and I stare at the destruction. Mateo’s room didn’t have a lot in it, to begin with. He always preferred a minimalist look. Looking around right now, there is barely anything salvageable. Even his prized surfboards have been ripped off the walls and demolished on the floor. I move closer to this desk in the far corner. It’s still standing, but barely with one leg caved in and littered with broken items. I reach out, grab a picture frame lying on its side, and raise it to the moonlight. It’s of Spring break last year in Cabo, the four of us kings went to get away from our respective parents. We all look wrecked in the photo after being up for three days straight partying. Mateo was the happiest I had seen him in a long time that week.
My fingers tremble as I take the photo out of the frame and slip it into my back pocket, needing the reminder that we are brothers and that we stick together. Pain and loss fill the cavity of my heart.What if he’s not still alive? What will we do then?
The sound of glass crunching under the sole of someone’s shoe has me rushing in front of Mia and yanking her behind me. Someone is here, and there is no way I’m letting them harm her. Even if it means my last breath, I’m prepared to meet the devil, but I’m taking whoever is here with me. A shadow appears in the doorway and silently moves forward into the room toward us. It’s a large male by the shape and stature, his footsteps slow and controlled. Then he passes through a beam of moonlight, and I get a look at his ugly mug. Dark hair and stormy green eyes meet my gaze. That nasty scar down the side of his face looks even more menacing in the moonlight, as does the look he directs at us.
“Little wife, you are impossible to control, aren’t you?” There’s no humor in his voice. If anything, he sounds tired and frustrated.
“I’m not your fucking wife, Diego.” Mia moves from behind my large frame and approaches the menace before me. This motherfucker keeps referring to my Mia as his wife. He obviously has a death wish, one that I plan to grant.
“What are you doing here, prick?” I demand, my body tense and ready to throw my fist into his smirking face. I can feel my left eye twitching with annoyance. Whenever this guy is in a room with Mia, I want to go all caveman on him and wipe him from the face of the planet. If his efforts weren’t needed to find Mateo, I would have stabbed him by now.
“The question is, what are you two doing here? Why is Mia not behind the gates of her house and instead wandering around unprotected in my cousin’s house?” Diego moves forward, meeting the challenge in my eyes with one of his. The thrill of violence fills me,fuck yes, this is precisely what I need. I need to be able to let some of this aggression and anger out, and what better target than the fucker that keeps referring to my girl as his wife.
“She’s not unprotected; I’m here with her.”
Diego lets loose a snort like he finds my comment ridiculous or amusing. I’m not a joke for this asshole to laugh at, and he’s about to find that out for himself. I don’t hesitate, letting my fist fly in his direction, and satisfaction fills me when the crunch of my knuckles meeting his jaw echoes through the quiet space. A grunt leaves his lips and then a snarl.Yes fucking please, asshole!
He doesn’t hesitate, rushing me with his shoulder in a takedown that has both of us hitting the littered floor hard. The air whooshes out of my lungs, and pain races up my abdomen, and I feel fucking alive. More alive than I have felt since I returned from my father’s dungeon. We grapple with each other, letting loose blows on each other, which impact our rigid bodies. He lands an uppercut to my jaw that has me biting my tongue and the taste of rich blood flooding my mouth.Hell yes!
“Stop, you two fuckers!” Mia screams from next to us, trying to part us with her arms, but we ignore her and keep wailing at each other. I land a hard punch to the middle of his chest, sending him flying back against the furthest wall. I’m up on my feet quickly and charging him with all my force.
Once again, Mia tries to insert herself between us, grabbing hold of mine and Diego’s hair and yanking as hard as she can. I feel the strands rip from my skull as I rain punches down on Diego. Each is a payment for how he has manipulated his way into my reigning queen’s life. He wants to try to take something of mine. I’ll end his fucking miserable life.
“STOP!” Mia screams, she lets her fist fly, and it hits me hard in the eye socket, momentarily blinding me, and then I hear Diego let out a pained sound and look over to see she has nailed him in the eye as well with her fist. She’s panting hard and trembling with rage. The moonlight skates across her face, and for a moment, I’m stunned. She looks like an avenging angel, her hair almost silver in the moonlight. She’s picked up the chair leg that I dropped and is brandishing it at both of us.
“I will fucking stab the both of you if you don’t cut this shit out. I am not a chew toy to be fought over. Rein in your caveman tendencies, assholes. I don’t belong to either of you.” With a disgusted look, she moves back from Diego and me but doesn’t release her hold on the sharp chair leg.What does she fucking mean, she doesn’t belong to me?
A groan leaves Diego as he drags himself back to his legs. His green eyes never leave Mia, and the look on his face is guarded, but I’m positive I see heat in his eyes. He desires her. He wants her for himself, despite messing around with her sister. I might be willing to share Mia with my fellow kings, but this fucker is not one of them.
A sigh leaves Diego’s lips, and then he turns away from Mia, his gaze meeting mine. Blood is trickling down from his nostril, and his high cheekbone is already swelling from my brutal hit. Satisfaction and the need for further vengeance fills me. I want to hit him again; in fact, the desire to hit him every time his gaze lands on her fills me.
“It’s not safe here, Mia. Escaping the confines of your property was not a smart move, especially with how you did it. We don’t know if someone’s watching.” Diego rakes his fingers through his thick hair in aggravation. I can sympathize; I think all of us can. Trying to control Mia is an impossible task.All of the world’s oceans will dry up before my little queen relents and takes orders from us.
