Chapter Sixteen | Axel
I'm not sure Cordelia realizes she just agreed to marry me as she sits at the bottom of the shower, letting the water wash away all the blood. “Come on.” I say, lifting her off the ground.
“Everything hurts Axel.” She whines against my chest as I hold her upright. Her necklace feels cold against my skin. I locked that collar around her throat and literally threw away the key. It'll have to be cut off to be removed.
I gently wash her body, trying carefully not to hurt her more. I really should punish her for the show she put on, but she didn't know I was in on the test, she thought my parents just threw me at her mercy. If I know my mom, which I feel like I do, Cordelia passed this test with flying colors and I have no doubt that my mom's planning Cordelia's first assignment. Although, now we'll have to play the initiation wedding too.
When JT and his girls had their wedding, it was a show. I want to do that, only better. We have a family ritual now, my parents renewed their vows after coming up with it. So we'll have to include that in there somewhere, but I want Cordelia on her knees submitting to me for all to see that she's mine.
After our shower, I wrap Cordelia in a towel and carry her upstairs to find my parents sitting in the living area, waiting.
“That was one helluva show she put on.” My mom says, almost sounds proud.
“Did you watch all of it?” I ask, feeling irritated as hell.
“Up until she cut you free.”
“The second she started stripping, I was kicked out.” Garrett says, raising his hands. Thank fuck for that, I'd hate to have to stab him for looking at her naked.
“Did she pass?” I ask.
“Of course she did. Garrett and the staff will get rid of Clayton.” My mom says as I turn to walk away. “Oh, and son,” I stop at her words and look over at her, “If she's to be your wife, then you need to make that happen soon.”
“Why?” I ask, curious as to why she wants that to happen so quickly.
“We need you to lock her down.” She replies with a cocked brow as she checks her nails.
“Did you figure out who her father is?” I ask, shifting the weight of my sleeping little deer.
“Yes. Yes we did.” That's all she says as she waves her hand for me to leave.
“I'm taking the SUV.” I shout over my shoulder.
“Keys are on the table!” Garrett shouts back. I swipe the keys as I walk by and head out with my soon to be wife.
After I buckle her into the car, I jump in and take off down the gravel road until I get to the gate, punch in the code and I’m gone. Once I hit the highway, a yawn stretches my face. Fuck, I’m tired, but there was no way I was staying there. I’ll drive for a bit, getting away from here and take her to a hotel of some kind. There’s one off the highway about an hour away.
Using the hotel key, I open the door and carry a still sleeping Cordelia into the room, laying her on the bed. I’m so exhausted I almost didn’t make it up the stairs with her, my body feels so heavy, so I crash down next to her, kicking my shoes off and my eyes fall closed instantly, swallowing me whole.
***
“R ISE AND SHINE!” THE curtain flies open, as Cordelia wakes me up with her chipper voice and the fucking sun. I pull the pillow over my head and groan. “Where are we?” She asks, jumping on the bed, which makes me jostle around.
“Five more minutes.” I mumble.
“Oh, so I can take the car?” She asks as I hear the sound of the keys jingling. I pop up out of the bed and reach for them only for her to hop backwards off the bed and run across the room. Her hand touches the doorknob. “See ya later gator.” She rips the door open and sprints down the hall.
“If you make me chase you little deer, you won’t like the punishment.” I hear her stop and smile.
“You know, you’re completely unfair.” She stomps back towards the door as I sit on the edge of the bed waiting for her with my hand held out.
“Unfair or not, I will make you scream. Whether it’s from pleasure or pain is your choice.”
“Ugh,” she groans. “I don’t want pleasure or pain, my entire body is battered. I need a couple nights to recoup dude.”
“Your pussy was made to take a beating.”
“No, no it was not. I think I have chapped lips, and not up here.” She says point to her face.
“Keys.”
She crosses her arms and I feel my eye twitching, “I think I’ll drive.” She tucks them into her pocket and smiles. “Also, what’s with the baggy clothes again?” She points down to the grey sweats and large black sweater she’s wearing.
“It was either that or the towel I carried you to the car in. You’re lucky one of my dads’ had a go bag in the back.”
She moves closer to me, eyeing the hand that I still have up for the key, waiting for her to hand it to me. “You know, you’re a bit of a control freak?” She rubs her finger on her chin, “We’re going to have to fix that, all of this toxic masculinity is a bit overbearing.”
“Toxic masculinity? Little deer, this is timid to what I could be doing. You’re lucky we stopped at a hotel because I was tired. Otherwise I’d have you locked in my room, tied to the bed while I make you scream out my name.”
“This is not timid anything Axel baby. Do you know who’s unhinged?”
“You?”
“We’re unhinged. You know, one of these days I’m going to get you to do it.” She claps her hands. “No you did it wrong big boy. We’ll work on it later! Let’s get back so you can take me home!” Take her home, she’s thinking of her own house, but my little pet isn’t understanding this whole she’s mine thing still. “Come on, I still have to work and I need to go home. I can’t keep wearing all of these baggy ass clothes.” She pulls at her shirt, and I open and close my hand, telling her to come here.
She moves towards me, not even bothering to watch me, it’s like she’s off in la-la land as she steps closer. Her mind somewhere else instead of right here with the psycho in the room. She really does love living on the wild side of life. I snatch her hand and drag her to me, using my free hand to reach into her pocket and get the keys before her head comes back to reality. I pocket the key and let her fall into my lap, where she truly fucking belongs.
“Tell me little deer, when you say going home, you realize it’s no longer the four walls you once occupied, right? Your home is now by my side.”
“I swear. You just can’t let a girl do her own thing?” She asks, leaning back against me. “I like stripping, I like my house, I love killing. And I spent a lot of money on my basement to make it my safe space.” She sighs.
“Then after the wedding, we’ll find someone to make a room in the house for you to feel safe.”
“Can’t we just live in my house?” Then she sits straight up and pushes off my lap, turning around to face me so fast her hair whips her in the face. “Wedding?”
“Yes, don’t remember little deer, you told me yes.” A dark grin splits my face as I lean back on my hands, look up at the pissed off pet before me.
“I-uh-no I did not. I told you to apologize.”
“I apologized little deer, and you said yes.”
“I am not fucking marrying you! We don’t even know each other!” She punches the air and kicks her feet as she storms through the room cussing and mumbling like a lunatic.
“We’ll get to know each other after.” That sets her off, coming to a full stop, her head snaps to look at me, nostrils flared and the devil in her eyes. My little deer has gone dark, bring it on baby. A laugh slips out of me as she runs towards me and I catch her just before she jumps on me, flipping her to the mattress.
She makes a cute humph sound and then starts laughing. “You're too much Axel Mazitti.”
“And I can't get enough of you Cordelia Crawford.” Bending down, I sink my teeth into her neck, forcing her to push her chest up into me.
“Axel.” She moans my name, sucking in a deep breath. “I'm so sore.” She says as she wraps her legs around me. Talk about mixed signals.
I break away from her, staring down at her delicate features. Her soft eyes, upturned nose and down turned lips. They look like a proper bow and she's unafraid to use them as a weapon, one of the things I like about her.
“How about you tell me about yourself.” She says, pulling and crawling away from me up the bed.
“Like what little deer?” I prop up on my elbow and watch her as she gets comfortable.
“Favorite color?” She shrugs and rolls her eyes, almost like she's annoyed she just asked that.
“You want to ask me what my favorite color is?” I scoff, rolling onto my back.
“Yeah, why not?”
“We can go now.” I push up off the bed, step into my shoes and pull the key out of my pocket. “Come on.”
“So not fair! I try to leave and you get all, don't make me chase you. But when you want to leave it's all, we leave now. Such a fucking caveman.”
“I will throw you over my shoulder if you don't get up right now.” I roll my shoulders a little more annoyed than I should be, but I'm not ready for her to ask questions. Anyone who asks me questions always asks about my time in prison, and I'm not ready to discuss that with her. If I ever do.