8
Sal
“Did you sleep?” I asked Cozen when I opened the door to the training room that he was using to make my arm. It was nearly seven in the morning like Kier wanted and I found Cozen in here.
“No, but I will after I finish this arm.”
I looked at the hunk of metal he had. He was working fast. Last night when I went downstairs to get a drink of water, Cozen had been downstairs but left quickly to get work done.
I didn’t think much of it.
“You don’t want… to be around me anymore?” I asked, unable to stop myself. This was the first time I saw him in years, and I didn’t want this to be the last.
He looked up, turning to look at me. He pushed his goggles up, hair being pushed back into his chestnut hair. “I’d love to be around you more… But Viper is waiting for me, and I have clients and—”
“No, I understand.” He had a life. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to guilt you. This is a lot to do in a small amount of time. Thank you.”
He blinked at me while the gym door behind me opened. I glanced back to see Kier coming in, stretching. He wanted to fight me and beat me up more than his brother did yesterday.
“Have fun,” I said to Cozen.
“You too,” he answered back with a chuckle as I closed the door. Glancing back, I saw him through the small window that he had turned back to work. I moved toward Kier in the middle of the room.
“You said you were a skilled fighter, so let’s see what you got.” Kier rolled his shoulders.
I just watched him, waiting for him to be done.
Then he took off his shirt and my eyes stayed glued to his tattoos all over his buff arms and chest. Heat rolled over my body, wanting to just touch him. God, I hated how I reacted to him.
“Ready?”
Blinking, I nodded.
Then his fist flew. I dodged it, narrowly missing getting hit. He moved fast, throwing all the punches as I did my best to counter a lot. But I was defensive and cautious, and he could tell. He played into my weaker side, staying on that side for the main hits.
His knuckles cracked against my face, and I hit the mat with a thud. My vision blurred from the pain.
“Come on, Ashbourne. Is that all you got?”
For someone who was worried about my face last night, he sure didn’t care now. I rolled to my feet before deciding to throw a punch of kicks; he defended them with his forearms. Then, his hand grabbed my ankle like his brother, but his slid up my thighs as he slammed me onto the mat.
I grabbed his shoulder, willing my breath to come back. My thighs spread to make room for Kier’s gigantic body.
“You’re weak. Why is that, Ashbourne?” he snapped.
I sighed, feeling my nipples bud under my sports bra. That was when I realized how dangerously close, we were to each other. His hips lined up with mine, semi-hard erection against my pussy.
“Are you who you say you are?” he whispered in my face.
I licked my lips, eyes dropping to his lips. I couldn’t fucking think. The smell of his body wash was intoxicating and overwhelming. My body shook slightly under his. “I’m not lying to you.”
“You’ve lied to me this whole time,” Kier muttered, eyes dropping to my lips. “Beat me up, Ashbourne, like you said you would.”
“Get your cock off me and let me focus, ass.”
He chuckled, sitting up. “Can’t focus because of me?”
I rolled my eyes, rolling on my stomach to get up to my feet. Glancing at him, I prepared myself. I needed to win to prove myself, but my arm hurt, weighing me down. With this dead arm on me, I kept trying to use it as if it would hurt.
But Kier was not about to see me weak right now and without an arm.
“Let’s go again,” Kier said, smirking. Each time he brought me down to the mat, using his body to slam it into me. His cock got harder with time, clouding my mind with need. The need made my body shake. I hated this. I was getting beaten up and tortured with denial.
The moment he tried to slam me down again, I wrapped my legs around him and used my body weight to flip us, so I landed on him. He made an “oof” sound as I reeled back. I was too slow; his hand grabbed my wrist and flipped us over. His hips pushed into mine, sending pleasure through my body.
I tried to hit him, but he grabbed my arm and held it above my head. My chest heaves against him, mouth parted for air.
“What do you do now, Ashbourne?”
“Fuck you!” I snapped.
“Is that what you want?” He smirked.
I pushed my hips up against his large member. “So, do it. We both know you get off on hurting me.”
He licked his lips. “Sure. I like seeing you struggle and would love to see you struggle under my heavy cock too.”
My thighs shook around him. The smell of his cologne was intoxicating, making my panties soak even more. I was testing him, and he was testing me.
“But I need you strong, Ashbourne. I need Spectre. No time for me to taste you or…” he leaned in and pressed his lips against my neck. A sigh escaped me. “Burry my cock into your wet, warm pussy. I can feel how wet you are for me.”
I melted against him, hips rolling. I should not be this horny, not for him. Ever.
His nose dragged against my skin, over my chin and then his mouth was right in front of mine. I looked down at it, waiting for the moment we tasted each other and filled the need within us.
But he never moved.
“Do you want me, Psalm?”
My eyes closed at the sounds of my name on his lips. I needed a moment where our bodies were pressed so tightly together. “Kier, please…”
“Please what?” he muttered, lips brushing mine. His free hand grabbed my ass and pushed me against him. I pushed myself forward, moaning as I tasted his lips.
Kier’s hand on my wrist moved to cup the back of my head. He groaned, pushing his body into mine.
Our lips moved, his tasting like coffee and sin.
In a swift moment, I lifted my hips, gaining control. I rolled onto him, pressing my breasts into him further. His hand grabbed my ass and pulled me against him.
With a whimper, my left hand called for a weapon. Then in a moment, I pulled back and pressed the knife to his throat.
He was breathing harder than he was in fighting, but he was smirking at the cold silver against his skin. But he gained control, flipping us over and taking my dagger. Before I could put my weapon away in the Celestial world, he stabbed it into my arm.
I yelped before I realized it was my right arm. He had it pinned up, cutting all the wiring.
“What are you doing?” I barked, trying to push him away.
“Getting rid of dead weight,” he muttered before he punched the arm and broke it completely in half.
“Kier! Stop!” I finally pushed him off of me. The weapon disappeared into the air. “What the fuck are you doing?!”
“I just said—”
Rage exploded inside of my chest where the lust once was. I attacked, kicking him.
But he jumped back to his feet before I could fully land it on him.
My fist flew, and I worked with my feet to get in good combos. He was defensive, not letting me hit him until I landed a few hits in a row.
“That’s it, Ashbourne!” He encouraged.
I pushed him in the chest, finally tired of my own attacks. “Fuck you! Fuck you, Kier. Why would you do that?”
“Look at how much faster you are! You finally hit me.”
I called for my dagger and threw it right at him. He dodged at the last moment… Sad.
With a growl, I left the room, parts falling from my arm. I had to get the fuck out of here before I lost my fucking mind. He broke my arm off. He had no regard for my things just because he was fucking rich.
I opened the front door, pushing myself outside.
“Sal, get back here,” Briar yelled after me.
“Fuck you and fuck this whole fucking place!” I snapped.
A hand grabbed my arm, and I slapped it away.
“Don’t fucking touch me and don’t fucking stop me. I’m leaving!”
“You want to leave so bad?” Briar snapped at me.
“Yes!” I damn near screamed.
“Then get in the fucking car, and I’ll take you wherever you want to go!”
“Promise?” I asked.
“Please. I want you out of the house more than you want to leave. Get in my car. Now.”
Huffing, I listened, climbing into his car in the driveway.
He closed the front door before getting into the car and starting it. With a glance at his mirrors, he was pulling out and speeding down the street.
“Take me anywhere. Far from this shit hole. Take me to Ashbourne and let the citizens kill me for all I care about.”
“Stop being dramatic,” Briar muttered.
“Dramatic?” I growled. “Look at my fucking arm, Briar! He broke it. Now I have nothing.”
“Except for the new arm we are paying for.”
“And what about for now? I’m the one-arm freak of Evercrest. What did you get getting off on humiliating me? That your kink, rich boy?”
“Hey!” he barked, dark brows pulling together. “I worked for what I had! I worked to get into the academy and get money. It’s not my fault.”
“Yeah, because you rich people could give two fucks about Ashbourne! You cross the street if you saw us, spit at us, and laugh at us.”
“Maybe other people. Not me.”
“Have you been to Ashbourne before me?”
He stayed silent.
I scoffed. “That’s what I fucking thought! You all are so fucking entitled. So entitled you let him break the shit I worked hard for—”
Briar pulled the car to stop on the side of the road somewhere. Barely any other cars were out just yet. He twisted to me, rage in his eyes. “Let’s get one thing straight. Just because you are pissed at Kier doesn’t mean you can take it out on me! You have a fucking habit of doing that. Cut it out before I fucking turn this car around and take you back there!”
“Fuck you. You barely know shit about me, mister-I-only-care-about-myself-and-keeping-me-safe. I get it. I’m damaging to you and your little friend group, and I get it I’m not one of you.”
“Don’t you dare twist my words, Psalm. This isn’t a fight you’re going to win.”
“I don’t need this shit from you. You don’t even like me. You’re trying to get rid of me right now!”
“Or I don’t plan on dropping you off anywhere. I’m letting you cool the fuck down because I can’t have you running the street like a crazy woman,” he said, shifting into drive and beginning to drive.
I stay silent. Though he was trying to make it sound better, he didn’t want me to leave the house alone, and I could tell. I sat back, reaching up to touch my severed arm.
My eyes closed and I could damn near hear the laughter through the cries of my pain. After the mutilation, I knew I had passed out when I came to a young Cozen begging me to wake up. Blood was everywhere but inside of me. Jade lifted my head making me drink sugar water. It helped a bit.
My foster father sucked his teeth. “Damn. Now she’s fucking ugly.”
My eyes were wet with tears, and I tried to push myself away or tried to hide. But my body was too weak from losing a limb.