by Danae Ayusso
My hands pressed against his shoulders, readying to push him back and away from me.
Draven was violating my space.
My safe space.
My personal space.
He didn’t ask permission, he just took it upon himself as he always does.
I’m not some cockhound that wants to get up on his nuts like the other bitches that desperately try for his attention at school.
I’m not desperate enough to ever lower myself to his standards of skank.
I will never, ever, amuse him when he’s bored, or play his games or entertain playing with his cock.
That isn’t me, and it’ll never be!
With that said, why am I kissing him back?
The feeling of his tongue wrapping around mine, teasingly swirling in my mouth caused tingles to race across my skin. Draven’s long, strong hands were resting on my flat ass, the tips of his fingers caressing the backs of my thighs thanks to the length of my shorts.
I slid my hands from his shoulders to his chest; his heart was racing.
This feels wrong, but it feels right.
Everything about Draven Val Zul is wrong… This violation of my personal space and mouth is proof of that!
So, if it’s wrong, and he’s wrong, why does it feel right?
I can’t do this.
I can’t do this to Price. Seeing the disappointment in his eyes if he learned I was making out with the son of his enemy, the only heir of the man that took everything from Price, including the woman he loved.
I can’t do it…
It’d make me no better than the man that took everything from Price.
I grabbed the back of Draven’s neck and pulled him back, and in the same fluid movement that was nothing more than a blur of motion, I slammed Draven against the mirror, causing it to crack behind him.
“Don’t ever touch me,” I warned, and pressed my thumb into his larynx. “You have no right to touch me like that, to violate my personal space and boundaries. You have to ask permission to!” I hissed in his face. “Do you understand?” I snarled.
“Yes,” he choked. “Look in the mirror.”
My eyes flickered from his flushing face to my reflection.
It was merely a fraction of a second, but it was enough to steal my attention.
I released him and he dropped to the sink.
Delicately I traced my fingertips over the skin around my eyes. My usually smooth, youthful face was contorted and demonic looking with small wrinkles in the overly taut skin around my eyes: the mask of the damned. But it wasn’t like Price’s or anyone else’s I’ve seen.
Something was wrong. Possibly something was missing, but whatever it is I knew it had to be wrong.
“What’s wrong with my eyes?” I whispered.
“I don’t know,” Draven said, rubbing his throat. “Aside from Price having an heir, a female heir, your mask has Soren terrified. I’ve never, he’s never, seen anything like it before, and from the look on Price’s face he hasn’t either.”
I looked at him.
Draven looked… Sad?
“There has to be a reason why they are… I mean, why didn’t Price say anything? Why didn’t anyone say anything to me?” I demanded.
“I don’t know. I was told not to so I didn’t,” he said, looking down at me.
“But you just… You did that on purpose, didn’t you? So I’d see?” I asked, my face returning to normal: smooth skin, soft dusting of freckles, and large light green eyes surrounded by dark blonde lashes.
Draven dusted the glass from the back of his head and off his shoulders. “Not at all. I just wanted to piss you off because it will get me all hot and bothered for the sisters I’m going to play with at lunch. The slightly skinnier one has no gag reflex and always remembers to cup the balls. That’s hard to find in a young woman. Usually only older women are aware of that little necessity.”
And the man whore is back.
I nodded. “If you did it on purpose, thank you. If you didn’t, you’re an asshole that needs to understand boundaries and personal space,” I scolded and he smiled wide. “You know what? No. You’re an asshole either way, but thanks.”
His smile fell and he nodded. “We’re late for shop,” he said, grabbing my bag then motioned for me to lead the way.
I nodded and headed to the door and out into the hall and Draven followed.
Neither of us needed to say anything in order to know what the other was thinking, in theory. But at the same time, neither of us knew what to say.
Now I had even more to think about and try to untangle, the most concerning was the strange feeling, the longing, I have to be in Draven’s arms again.
That terrifies more than anything else I’ve been subjected to and have learned of when it comes to the curse that has damned my family.
“You okay?” Shep asked, walking with me to the office so we could sign up for new second and third period classes.
I nodded. “Just tired. Was up all night with Grams.”
“Is it more than that?” he pressed.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Shep shrugged, walking with his hands in his pockets. “You seem different, distracted or something. That’s all.”
Annoying puppy.
Shut up.
“Yesterday I got a lot of information dropped on me, Shep,” I reminded him. “Grams told me about Luke, about how she came to be in our family and that’s when it hit me, I think. Until hearing it from someone that lost her family, her grandson, because of this curse, I didn’t grasp the severity of the curse to others that had nothing to do with it. I’m torn on being so accepting of it and the formalities involved or not.”
He nodded. “There’s nothing you can do and it isn’t your fault. The originals are the ones that have to deal with it, not us. We’re the ones stuck having to deal with the side effect of the curse.”
“What do you mean?”
Shep shrugged. “We’re stuck here for ten years at a time. I don’t want to be here, I’d rather be traveling or see something other than mountains and trees. I want a daughter I can name after my mother, a little girl with her eyes and hair and beautiful smile. I don’t want to pass this down to my sons when I have them. It isn’t fair to us. As much as I should blame my father for it, I can’t. I can’t even begin to know what it’s like to watch your children grow up and grow old and die in front of you. I have a dozen older brothers, all dead.”
Shit. We didn’t think about that aspect of it either.
“You want kids?” I asked. “Knowing you’ll be passing this down to them?”
He nodded with a small smile. “Yes. Don’t you want to get married and have kids?”
Fuck and no.
I shook my head. “No, not at all. I don’t like to be touched, the thought of intimacy, which is required to have kids unless a turkey baster is involved, turns my stomach. Besides, the last thing I’d want is to pass this shit down to a kid… Passing the curse down would be a close second.”
Shep looked at me. “Your issues are worse than the curse?” he wanted to clarify.
“Yes, yes they are, and that should tell you something, Misha.”
“Why do you hang out with Draven so much then?” he pressed.
I’ve been asking myself that as well. Why is that, Sis?
Screw you both.
“You know about his reputation,” Shep reminded me. “He just wants to add you to his list of conquests.”
I nodded. “I’m sure he does, that is what he’s known for,” I agreed.
“And that doesn’t freak you out or press your boundaries?”
Puppy is going to get my knee in the balls.
I pulled Shep to a stop. “Don’t psychoanalyze me, Misha. You will not like us when we’re psychoanalyzed,” I warned. “I don’t know what happened between you two, and I really don’t care. What I do care about is how he’s been towards me, what he’s been, and it’s not something you know or
can understand. Draven and I are two very different people with issues that are polar opposite. Yes, I’ll admit it. And I’ll admit that I get sick to my stomach when he goes on and on about his sexual conquests and what he’s so very proud of in his pants. With that said, Draven has been there as a friend without meaning to, without objective, and without trying to get in my pants. Do you understand? If you’re my friend, as you say you are, you should be happy for me, happy that Draven Van Zul of all people is acting maturely and not like a gigantic sexually matured child. If you can’t understand that, then I suggest you take a good long hard look in the mirror and ask yourself why?”
Shep’s face dropped. “I’m sorry, Mikey. I don’t mean to be like that, it’s just hard to look beyond his past. Every girl I’ve ever given a second glance to he’s bedded. Any girl that talked to me, that touched my hand even, he slept with. From middle school forward, Draven Van Zul has thrown it in, as my ex-stripper sister would say, each and every one of them. I was scared he’d try to do the same to you. I couldn’t handle that if he did, if he hurt you like that.”
Uh, this doesn’t make me feel any better.
Me neither.
“Draven’s been a total gentleman,” I promised.
Damn liar. You’ve been thinking about that French fuck’s kiss since you left shop.
Shut up. I have not!
Yes, you have.
Fine. Whatever. It was amazing. The things Draven can do with his tongue… His abs I could seriously wash clothes on! Even you would approve of them.
I highly doubt that. I don’t do white dudes.
Whatever.
“And if Draven wasn’t a gentleman, I’d tell Price since he’s my father and it’s his responsibility to defend my honor,” I said, pulling the door to the office open. “Besides, I can take care of myself. I’ve kneed him in the balls so many times now that I’m certain I’ll have to hold his hand when they have to do an ultrasound to make sure he doesn’t have testicular cancer because of it. What are you going to take for second and third period now?” I asked, changing the subject.
Shep followed, making a face. “Auto shop and I’m trying to figure out third period still. What about you?”
I shrugged, going up to the front desk. “There’s a packet for Mikhail and Justice,” I said.
The sectary looked through the pile of papers before finding it then handed it to me. “Mikhail-Justice Simoeau,” she confirmed. “Hey, Shep,” she said, handing him the envelope with his name on it.
“Thanks, Mrs. Snider,” Shep said with a smile, taking it from her.
Inside was a list of classes that were available. I had no interest in automotive shop, and I really didn’t want another class with a bunch of guys, especially since the two guys I’m stuck between in metal shop keep addressing the comments from those of the penial variety that don’t have permission to speak to me.
The shit I get myself into.
“Mrs. Snider,” I started, “can I take French third period and Mythology fifth?” I asked.
She smiled. “Of course. What about second period?”
Yeah, none of these classes are floating my boat.
Can’t we just sleep that period?
“Can I have a prep hour?” I asked, hopeful.
Mrs. Snider shook her head. “Sorry, Sweetheart, it doesn’t work that way.”
Damn it.
“I can use a T.A.,” someone offered from the back of the office where she was making photocopies. She looked over at me and smiled, her eyes sparkling like topazes in the sun, her soft complexion making them standout even more.
Shep softly knocked into me. “You’re staring,” he whispered.
Absently I nodded.
“Miss Lea,” he explained, “is the orchestra teacher. T.A. is a teacher’s assistant. You’ll hangout and maybe grab some papers from the office. It’s an easy gig.”
That’s the closest I’m going to get to vegging out for an hour in the library.
“Okay. Can I do that, Mrs. Snider?” I asked.
She smiled. “Of course,” she said, entering the schedule changes into the system before signing off on them. “Give your father my regards,” she said, blushing.
Yeah, not happening. You aren’t good enough for our daddy, Bitch.
Reel the claws in, Sis. Reel it in.
“I’ll see you in gym, Misha,” I said, giving him a hug.
A smile filled his face and he hugged me back. “Thanks, Mikey,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I was a jerk.”
“Not a jerk, just watching out for me,” I corrected. “I’ll see you in gym.”
Shep nodded then got his new schedule before hurrying out the door before the bell.
I waited until Miss Lea was finished with her photocopies.
“You look scared,” she commented, looking over at me.
I nodded. “Not at all,” I argued.
Really?
I don’t like her. There’s something about her that I’m not liking. A weird vibe or something.
Want me to change our schedule?
No, not yet. I want to see what this bitch is hiding.
That sounds like it could be dangerous for me and everyone else involved.
Possibly, but I already told you I will fight for us and to keep Daddy safe. His demons are nothing compared to ours, compared to what we’re keeping from him. That little bitch in the woods is proof enough! The demons followed us out west, and it’s only a matter of time before Daddy finds out. I’ll do everything I can to prevent that from happening, but it will happen.
I hate it when you sound so determined.
My job has changed since we’re no longer fighting to survive, in the Philly sense, she admitted.
I looked to the glass separating the office from the busy hallway outside.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
My reflection shrugged.
“That’s really annoying,” I pointed out.
She smiled wide.
You know what I mean. I shouldn’t have to break it down for you. You keep doing what you’re doing and I’ll do what I’m doing when your back is turned.
I cocked an eyebrow. “Now I’m scared,” I commented.
It’s nothing to be scared of, Sis. I’m only looking out for us.
“Mikhail?”
I jumped, startled, and spun around, protectively backing up against the wall of glass.
Miss Lea forced a smile. “I apologize. Are you ready for class?”
I shook my head. “Yeah.”
Stop.
No, it’s funny.
Bitch.
Jerk.
I giggled. “Touché.”
“This way,” Miss Lea said, motioning towards a side hallway I hadn’t been down yet.
“Sorry,” I apologized.
“It is quite all right, Mikhail. I understand, but know that I will not entertain Justice.”
I stopped in mid-step.
“Excuse me?” I asked.
Told you something was off about this bitch.
She stopped and looked at me curiously, her eyes moving over my face many times. “I will not entertain Justice, the second personality cohabitating in your mind,” she said, her tone hinting that I should have already been aware of what she was saying. “I have warned your father about it, warned him to stop entertaining the other personality and that it is not safe or healthy for you. Regrettably, he will not stop.”
Oh this bitch is dead! She’s trying to take my daddy from me.
“Take you from Daddy,” I corrected. “You’re the therapist he’s been getting a second opinion from.”
Miss Lea nodded. “I am.”
That slimy bitch!
“And you moonlight as a teacher when you aren’t trying to destroy families and relationships?” I scathingly asked.
She looked at me, almost amusingly. “I am a teacher because I decided to retire from the psychiatric community, but I still wanted to help others. How am I tr
ying to destroy your family, Mikhail?”
I got in her face. “I warned that lost puppy already today not to psychoanalyze me. You won’t like me when psychoanalyzed,” I warned. “Stop trying to take my daddy from me, you bitch.”
When she didn’t say anything, didn’t even flinch, I knew she refused to respond since it was Justice that said it and not me.
“Stay away from my father,” I warned.
“Or you will do what, Mikhail?” she asked, seemingly uninterested. “Price is the one that called me.”
“Don’t say his name,” I warned.
“Your father is an adult and can speak to whomever he likes when he likes, Mikhail. You are the child and not in control of his life, or your own apparently. That is something you should work on, but now is not the time. We are late for class, and unlike the students waiting for instruction, everything does not come naturally to them thus you are hindering their learning.” She gave me a look before turning and continued down the hallway, her wide ass swaying from side to side as she went, her high heels clicking against the vinyl composite tile flooring as she went.
I don’t like her.
“Me neither,” I whispered.
She’s hiding something, something that we need to figure out.
“Agreed… Man Whore might be able to tell us something,” I said. “He’s slept with the entire population of Anaconda, according to Remi, so that might prove to be helpful.”
At what? Knowing they named a new STD after him?
I chuckled. “Ew and ew. Mental picture I could have lived without.”
That’s what you get for crushing on a white dude.
I shook my head, not wanting to entertain her.
I think I’ll have a talk with Daddy tonight about this Miss Lea and find out what I can. He finds it near impossible to tell me no, and I’m sure I can get his guard to slip by busting out with the conspiracy talk again. Daddy’s guard always slips when I do.
I nodded my agreement.
Really?
“Yeah, I don’t have a good feeling about this bitch and we need to know why. For all I know, she could be a curse wielding thundercunt that wants to take our daddy or man whore from us. Neither of which I’ll permit. They’re ours.”