Sophie couldn’t have agreed more. Sleeping with him while he kept her in the dark, dependent on him, her blood boiled at the thought.
Ellen swatted Chay’s arm. “That’s ridiculous. I’ve had several of my friends’ brothers.” That got Chay’s head swiveled Ellen’s way. “My, you have the most startling gray eyes, or are they silver? Hard to tell in this light.”
Sophie slammed her hands on the tabletop. “Stop flirting with him, Ellen.” At the end of her rope, Sophie stood. “Can I talk to you outside?” She didn’t wait for his answer before marching to the exit. She barreled through a line of diners waiting to be seated and yanked on the door handle. Night had descended, bringing a drop in the blistering temperature and cooling the air. It did nothing, however, to ease her temperature.
She walked a few feet from the exit, then spun, prepared to shred an UnHallowed asshole.
“I told you to stay away from me.” A breath separated them. Five feet seven plus an additional three inches due to her heels, she came up to his chin, even with him cranking his head down to meet hers. Still, her neck ached trying to keep her eyes locked on his.
“I ignored you.” His voice was scathing.
She dropped a hand on her hip and snapped her head to the side. “What?”
“You’re in danger—”
“You got that right. I’m in danger from you.” Emotional danger.
His teeth pulled back in a silent snarl. “There are things out there that will kill you,” he continued.
“Of course there are. This is America,” she snapped. A group of people walked up. Sophie moved away from the entrance for a bit more privacy.
“You know I’m not talking about the day dangers humans face. Though, yeah, you need protecting from that too.” He folded his arms and glared at her.
Oh, that burned. “Because I couldn’t possibly defend myself like Scarla and Amaya and Dina?”
His lips puckered as if he had to lock his reply behind his teeth.
She snorted, he didn’t need to answer the question when it was all over his face. “Clean your ears ‘cause this is the last time I’m going to say it.”
He got closer, invaded her personal space. A growl raced up her throat and she shoved him away. Well, he let her shove him away. She wasn’t naïve enough to think she could actually move a six foot four inch, and whatever more he’d grown since Siberia, UnHallowed asshole. “You have no right to be in Jacksonville, and I don’t want or need your help. Stay the hell away from me, Chay.”
She spun, planning to leave him on the sidewalk, when his hand clamped onto her arm. A couple of things happened all at once. First, heat raced up her arm, dashed across to her nipples, then down her abdomen to land squarely between her legs, which mixed with the anger flooding her system. Something dark and violent slithered through her and she welcomed it. Second, she acknowledged the tempered strength in the hand wrapped around her bicep, which excited and annoyed her in equal measure.
“There are things in this world that would hurt you. Don’t stick your head in the sand and pretend you don’t know this.”
True. “I also know that I don’t belong in your world. I never did.” Not that they had ever truly included her. Amaya included her in the battle that saved the UnHallowed, not Scarla, not the UnHallowed. “Without Amaya, I would’ve been left on the sidelines. None of you wanted me there. The only reason I was ever involved with the UnHallowed was because of Scarla. The only reason they said yes was because of you.” So damn true. She had some misguided notion she was in love with him, and thought maybe he had some feelings for her. Such bullshit. “You and Scarla kept me like some amnesiac pet.”
Crimson flared in his eyes, a fine line circled his irises. “That’s a fucking lie.”
“Is it?” She yanked away from him, but he held fast. “I’m the friend of your adopted daughter, a human who’s seen too much, knows too much. So either finish the job and erase it all—”
“I would never completely erase your mind,” he said, frustration torquing his usually relaxed features. “You damn well know that’s not what I did.”
“—or leave me alone,” she finished. A cold wind blew through her. Whether it came from Chay or her, she couldn’t tell. Why was she so hollow? “There was a time I would’ve believed any words out of your mouth, and still wish I could. But I don’t trust you. Not anymore.”
His hand slid down her arm in a caress that tore her heart. Pull away, her head screamed while her heart clung.
“Darkling, Spaun, and all the things that could hurt me pale in comparison to what you and Scarla did,” she whispered.
A soft crimson sheen eclipsed his irises. In a low voice, he said, “You can’t believe that.”
Perhaps she did, perhaps she didn’t. “The demons belong in your world, a world I’m no longer a part of. As long as I stay away from you, and you stay away from me, I’ll be fine.”
Red blazed from his eyes, so bright it was all she could see, then it was gone. Flat pewter eyes regarded her, not even silver glinted in their depths. She waited for a reply and slowly realized his silence was his response. Her hand slipped from his.
“Goodbye, Chay.” She turned to leave and spotted her mother peaking out of the doors to the restaurant.
“Hey, there you two are. Everything all right?” Ellen’s gaze shifted between Sophie and Chay.
Before Sophie could gather her thoughts, Chay moved around her and reached her mother first. “Everything is fine, Mrs. Garner. I could use a drink. How about you?” He held out his arm for him to take.
Ellen wrapped her hand around Chay’s thick forearm, her smile wide enough to show all thirty-two teeth. “Well, if you’re buying.”
Damn it! Sophie growled low and followed them back into the restaurant. How dare he completely ignore her and enlist her unwitting mother into his scheme. She needed a minute, couldn’t do this right now.
Sophie headed to the ladies’ room. Her temple throbbed. She went to the sink and splashed water on her face, hoping to stop her turbulent thoughts. It didn’t work.
She hated him, and she didn’t. What was black and white when she stormed out of the training center didn’t quite apply anymore. She kinda, sorta, a quarter of the way, understood why he did it. Admitting what he and Scarla had done came from a place of love wasn’t the problem. She still felt violated. How can you guard against someone who can manipulate your mind at will? How do you trust they’d never do it again?
She rubbed at the ache in the center of her chest and marched back to the table. His laughter slowed her steps. The sight of his head thrown back, along with Ellen’s as they enjoyed themselves, without her, ground her to a halt.
She walked up to the table, hands on her hips, fuming. Neither of them spared her a glance. Chay nursed a second beer while her mother munched on her burger. Sophie’s steak and baked potato sat on her side of the table.
She parked her ass into the booth and eyed both of them. Then she picked up her knife, stabbed the steak hard enough to have the tip pierce through the other side and clink the plate. Now, she had their attention. She dragged the suspense out a bit, then picked up her fork and cut into the beef. Only because she was starving, and she couldn’t abandon Ellen, did she stay. Otherwise, she and her rental would’ve been on the highway.
“Are you sure you don’t want to order something? My treat,” Ellen offered.
“He doesn’t eat much.” Sophie spared him from having to explain. Immortal beings didn’t need food.
“Oh, don’t tell me you’re a vegan. You can’t be with all of those muscles.” Ellen poked Chay’s bicep.
He laughed, a deep rumbly chuckle she’d never heard. Two years and she’d never heard a genuine laugh from him, rarely seen a smile, like the one currently gracing his face, which was a shame. Chay’s smile conveyed all the warmth and love he hid beneath a stoic façade. It invited you in and asked you to stay.
“I ate before I arrived.”
Ellen nibbled on a fry. “So, what did you do to piss my daughter off?”
“He didn’t do anything.” This is the last subject Sophie wanted to get into in front of her mother and in a busy restaurant.
“Maybe that’s the problem.” Ellen winked.
“Don’t, Ellen.” Her mother’s innuendo hit a little too close to home.
“There is a lot of sexual tension between the two of you. Anyone can see it.” Ellen waved a fry between the two of them.
“There’s no sexual tension,” she managed to say between clenched teeth.
“I’d probably believe that if there wasn’t a vein bulging on your forehead.” Ellen took a bite of her burger.
Sophie touched her forehead and sure enough, a vein throbbed above her temple. Chay watched, his neutral gaze gave nothing away as he said, “I let her down. Betrayed her trust.”
Ellen’s fork clanked against her plate. Her eyes became thin slits and she growled. “You cheated on my Sophie?”
Something warm and fuzzy sparked in her chest. Seeing her mother like this, defending her when she’d never previously done so… Maybe there was more than DNA tethering them to each other. If she had a daughter, and some idiot cheated on her, he’d never have an erection again.
Chay’s gaze shifted to Ellen. “I would never cheat on your daughter, if we were in an intimate relationship. Which we are not.”
Ellen picked up her fork, her lips quirked to the side. Slowly, a grin spread across her face. “But you want to be in an intimate relationship with my Sophie, don’t you?” Her gaze skated between Sophie and Chay.
Chay drained his glass and took his time licking his lips clean of the bit of foam clinging to his mouth. “I want what she wants.”
Attention landed on her. Two pairs of eyes. Pewter and watery cornflower blue. “I want you to leave.” Barring that, she wanted to leave. “What are you two staring at?” she hissed, surprised when Chay didn’t budge.
Ellen looked away, a knowing smirk on her face. Chay stayed locked on, his eyes drilling into her.
“Everything okay here?” The waitress said in the most annoying singsong voice.
“I need another martini.” Sophie gulped the liquor and held the glass aloft for more.
“You don’t drink. Don’t like it,” Chay grumbled.
“Well, I do now.” Liquor was the only way she’d survive this dinner.
“Her father, my first husband, was an alcoholic,” Ellen whispered as if she imparted a national secret.
“And so were you.” Sophie jabbed a finger in Ellen’s direction. “You were no better than him, so climb off your high horse.”
“Sophie.”
She didn’t like the censor in Chay’s voice, nor the goosebumps it raised on her skin accompanied by a wave of guilt. He didn’t know her childhood, didn’t know what she went through and had no right to judge her. How dare he take Ellen’s side when he knew nothing about her. Unless Scarla had told him, and why wouldn’t she? Scarla and Chay were close. Father, daughter, mother, son, brother, sister, the titles were interchangeable, nevertheless, the bond was consistent.
Of course, she’d tell him all my secrets. The betrayal burned.
Her lips fused together to keep the words inside, but he knew. Whether he could now read her mind or by the fury in her eyes, he knew he struck a nerve. Though she was still pissed to hell and back with him, his opinion mattered. By the look on his face, he knew.
Her palm itched to slap him. Instead, she rolled her eyes and looked away—and locked eyes with Eddie, Ozzy’s jailbird brother.
Man on a mission, he marched over, shouting above the tasteful background music. “You pissed on my brother’s grave!”
Chay blocked Eddie before he reached the table.
Sophie leapt up, her fury latching onto a victim, someone she didn’t give a fuck about, someone she could rip to shreds. “I would’ve crapped on it too if you hadn’t interrupted!”
A few inches shorter than Chay, yet equal in body mass, Eddie shoved at Chay and was surprised when he hadn’t moved him, not a single inch. His attention cut back to Sophie, he pointed at her. “You desecrated a grave!”
“And your piece of shit brother desecrated my body every time he beat me, you asshole! He beat me so bad I miscarried! So yeah, I pissed on his grave, but it’s not enough. It’ll never be enough compared to what he took from me. You’re lucky I can’t dig him up, bring his sorry ass back to life, and kill him again because that’s exactly what I’d do. I’d dig that two-inch dick, motherfucker up and shoot him again. Wouldn’t stop until the clip was empty.”
Chapter Eight
“What do you mean I’m not the headliner?” Scarla eased up on the punching bag hanging in the corner of the room.
Gary, Dimi’s booking agent and all-around go-to guy, shrugged his shoulders and clutched his clipboard to his chest as if the office supply afforded him some protection from her. “You haven’t been in the cage in eight months. Fans have a short memory. In addition, you’re no longer the best talent we have.”
Oh really. She left the punching bag swinging and rounded on Gary. He’d lost weight since the last she’d seen him. Trimmed some of the pudge around his waist. His sex appeal had inched up a notch. Not enough for her to touch him with someone else’s hand, but it was better than nothing.
His eyes raked her with disdain. “I doubt you’re even undercard level now. You’re middle is a bit soft, thick. Sure you’re not pregnant?”
Correction. He was still a kiss-ass, upright turd. “Who’s the headliner?”
“No one you know.”
Fine. She let it go. Arguing with Gary would get her blood pumping but wouldn’t get her head in the right place. She needed to be in the zone so she wouldn’t permanently hurt anyone. “Who’s my opponent, female or male?” She hoped for a man. Females were too fragile. She had some aggression to work off and pulling her punches wouldn’t get her there.
Sophie hadn’t answered her phone any of the multiple times Scarla had called. Then, it stopped ringing altogether. Blocked, she suspected. She didn’t know how to take that, being blocked. Not only had it never previously occurred, the thought that someone would block her, was absurd. That it was Sophie just plain hurt. Her only friend had cut her off and Scarla couldn’t blame her. She would’ve done worse than leave if the person she trusted had wiped her mind clean, even if it were for the best.
“Female. Androgina. Rumor is she’s trans. So, technically you’ll be fighting a man. I know that’s what you like. If you win that fight, we have you scheduled to fight the winner of the Forbes-Radditz fight, and so on. Got to work your way up the ranks again, like everyone else. No special treatment. You owe Dimi, so you got to pay.”
“He didn’t save me with a pint of his precious blood.” One plane ride and now she owed the mafia boss her sweat. Not really. Any of the UnHallowed would wipe Dimi’s mind the second after she asked, but she was here, hands taped, hair slicked back, dressed in silk boxers, all because of the adrenalin rush.
Though, not much spiked her blood, not after that epic Siberia battle. A few rounds in a cage with a human registered 2.0 on her excitement Richter scale. Never let it be said she didn’t honor her debts.
He didn’t try to hide his glee at her downfall. Haters and suck-ups and crabs in a barrel, the description applied to each of Dimi’s crew. “Thirty minutes and then you’re up.”
“Get out,” she ordered, then she returned to the punching bag. No biggie, a few hours and then she’d get to play. Tonight was girls’ night. Amaya and Dina were meeting her later for some partying without their men tagging along. Two weeks after the big battle, everyone was healed, and the farmhouse was almost rebuilt large enough to fit Tiger Stadium inside.
Move-in day was set for tomorrow, after a night of partying. Scarla wasn’t moving. Rooming with all the UnHallowed was not her idea of fun and certified to put a bullet in her social life, not that she had much of one.
They
say women date the bad boy and usually end up marrying their fathers. Well, she had seven UnHallowed who made the bad boy motif look like neutered monks. All of them raised her and, with the exception of Chay, alternated between father figures and big brothers. Chay would always be her dad.
A dad who cockblocked every chance he got. By no means was she a virgin, and by no means had he made it easy, but she was half UnHallowed, and she put that dark half to use. What Daddy didn’t know, couldn’t hurt him. Not that she’d kept much from him, the exception being her sex life.
She snorted. Sex life, now that was an oxymoron. Her last lover couldn’t handle her smart mouth, her uppercut, or her body. She cut the fellow MMA fighter off eight months ago. No regrets, not even on lonely nights.
How hard could it be for her to find a man? Check that. Find a suitable man. Nope, not suitable either. What word was she searching for? Shit, Gideon and Dina found each other. Idiot Bane managed to lock down Amaya. He needed to man up and put a ring on it. Two UnHallowed had found “the one.” The obvious question churned in her brain: Was her one out there? And if so, please let it be—
“Are you decent in here?” Amaya called from the other side of the door. She didn’t wait for a reply before she strolled inside with Dina on her heels. Scarla wasn’t one to give another female a compliment. Her competitive nature didn’t allow it. Suffice to say, she didn’t make friends easily. That’s why Sophie was her everything. From the first moment they met in high school, introvert Sophie and supreme extrovert Scarla forged an unlikely bond. Scarla never needed anyone else.
Until now.
“Wow, you guys clean up nicely.” Dina wore a white halter dress with her auburn hair all slicked to the left. Diamond teardrops dangled from her ears. Nude makeup kept her look classy. Four-inch heels put her toned body at well over six feet. She was a stone-cold amazon.
Amaya was the exact opposite. Dressed in a red leather sheath that ended at mid-thigh and hugged everything God gave her. A zipper ran down the center with jeweled tabs at both ends that somehow kept the two halves together. Her eyes were smoky, her lips were the same color as her dress, and her long, wheat colored hair was three inches shorter and layered.
Only One I'll Have (UnHallowed Series Book 4) Page 6