Chapter 16
Delilah
I think I black out because when I open my eyes, which I don’t even remember closing, I’m in a dorm room. Coal’s cinnamon scent is so heavy in here that my heart races.
“What the fuck?” I sit up too quickly, my vision goes fuzzy, and I feel like throwing up. I jump to my feet and stumble into the adjoined bathroom and dry heave into the toilet.
“Gross,” I cough, then slump to the floor and look around as I catch my breath.
The towels and floor mats are black. The shower is all glass and massive, and there is a separate tub.
“Flower!” I hear Coal yell for me and cringe. The fucker’s girlfriend gave me a concussion, and he’s yelling at me?
“In here, Coal,” I say in a bored tone, not bothering to get up off the floor or raise my voice. He can hear me just fine, and if he couldn’t, he could scent me. The yelling is entirely unnecessary.
“What the fuck are you doing in…” he pauses when he sees me on the floor.
“Concussion,” I offer simply, pointing to my aching head.
“Can I please go rest in my dorm?” I ask, hoping he’ll be too bored with me to force me to stay here tonight.
What fun will I be if I puke on him repeatedly?
Not fun enough to fuck with, I’m sure. Coal walks across the room and crouches down in front of me.
“Drink this…” He hands me a small vial with green liquid that I didn’t notice him bring in. I look at it suspiciously. I know what it is since Dean gave me something similar that first day in his room, but Coal and Dean are very different men.
“Poison?” I ask him because, at this point, that wouldn’t surprise me.
“No, it will heal you.” He gives me a look that says, ‘Are you stupid?’
“Seriously?” I ask. “Why are you giving me this? You’re the reason my brain got rattled in the first place.” My tone is snippy, but I don't care if he punishes me right now; at least no one is around to witness it. Let him get his anger out now.
“I didn’t give Jessica permission to touch what’s mine,” he says matter-of-factly. As if that explains why he’s helping me.
I roll my eyes but take the vial and shoot the green liquid back, hoping it doesn’t come back up.
Within just a few seconds, I’m already feeling better.
I sigh in relief. My head no longer pounds, and I no longer feel like I might vomit.
I watch as the random bruise on my thigh fades quickly as well, and I’m grateful the drink wasn’t actually poison.
I suppose if he wanted me dead, he'd do it with his own hands.
“Thank you,” I whisper, annoyed that he’s done something to help me. I prefer his anger over whatever this is… Pity? Kindness…? Nah. It wouldn’t be fun for him to abuse his toy if it was already too broken to play with.
“We already missed Combat.” His words are clipped, and it seems like he’s just as bothered by this unusual kindness as I am.
I get that what Jessica did was an insult to him, but that’s something he should address with her. Why it makes him treat me like this, makes no sense to me. Wait, did he say I missed Combat? Shit, I guess I was out for a while.
“Quil thinks you like being punished. Hurt. That the reason you got so turned on when we spanked your ass is that you like how fucked up we are. Is that true, flower? Did you like it when I spanked you?” He starts stripping his clothes off and turns on the shower. Oh shit, I’m out of here.
The last thing my libido needs is a vision of a naked, wet Coal. Fully clothed, Coal already fucks my head up. The fact that Quil is correct is a secret I’ll be taking to my grave.
I jump to my feet and rush toward the door.
“Where are you going? You don’t need to rest, now that you’re healed.
You can wash me,” he says with a devilish grin as he lifts his head, scenting the air.
Balls, I’ve given myself away. Just the thought of Coal naked has messed with my scent, and he now knows that. Deny, deny, deny.
“That stuff made me feel weird…” I lie, but Coal gives me an unconvinced look, and now, not only have I basically admitted I’m turned on, but he also knows I’m a whole-ass liar.
My mouth gapes open like I'm a fish, and I just stare as he removes his clothes the rest of the way, leaving only his boxers. Fuck, his body is a work of art… I force my eyes not to follow the trail of hair leading below his boxers as he pulls those off too.
My core clenches, and Coal groans, his eyes dropping to my bare thighs. He smirks, and I watch as he turns the shower off, never turning his back to me, and I lose the fight not to drop my gaze to his dick.
While I stare at the floor, he fills the tub and pours a blue liquid into the steaming water, and as soon as the scent hits my nose, my muscles start to relax.
The liquid was some kind of calming potion.
I keep my eyes down, refusing to look at his dick again.
I will not! I’m stronger than the horny goblin in my brain telling me to lift my skirt…
My clothes are staying on. No matter what. Even if this stupid skirt is hardly a barrier.
When Coal snaps his fingers, my eyes pop up to meet his. He’s in the water, and his nakedness is hidden below the bubbles. I can see his chest well though. The sleepy look in his eyes from the potion he added to the water makes me feel a little less tense.
“Here,” he says, lifting a bar of soap and holding it out to me.
I move to the side of the tub and take it from him.
I’m feeling a bit more relaxed because of the potion he poured into the water, so I cup some water in my hands and wet his hair before I rub the soap in between my hands.
I sit sideways on the tub and start massaging his scalp.
I use my nails, and tug lightly on his sandy hair, getting lost in the silky feeling between my fingers.
The position is odd, and I can't hold it long because of how awkward it is. I look down into the water and can see his abs, leading to a very alluring V. I can’t see below the bubbles, but I can’t help but think of how naked he is.
I wonder if his dick is big enough to be seen over the bubbles if he gets hard.
I shake that thought away. My brain is being very uncooperative right now.
Coal must have removed my shoes for me at some point after I passed out, so I kick one leg over the edge, then the other.
The water is hot, and as soon as my feet are submerged, I sigh with relief.
That feels wonderful. Magical. The urge to sink lower grows, but I manage to resist. I’m not getting in fully clothed, and I’m definitely not getting naked.
I push Coal forward, so I can spread my legs, and pull him back, so his broad shoulders are between my thighs.
“Oh,” I whisper, as I see the scars. How did I not notice these before?
Has he always been scarred like this? I drop my fingers to the marred skin and gently caress it.
“What happened?” I whisper, a painful ache seizing my chest, as I think of the only things that can scar Wolves.
Wounds that nearly kill them, and an Alpha’s claws.
I frown, thinking of all the times I’ve seen Coal with his father.
Tears sting my eyes. It has to be from his father. My mother has never so much as spanked me. I can’t imagine what it would be like to have someone who’s meant to protect me, hurt me this badly. The silver and red lines criss cross over his skin. Some of these are new.
I draw in a deep breath, my heart hurting for him. He hasn’t moved, hasn’t spoken since I noticed the scars.
“I think you can figure that out on your own, Delilah.” His voice is low. Dangerous. The urge to settle him washes over me, and I sink my hands into his hair, pulling him back into my body. My thighs are spread wide, my clothes wet and soapy. I don’t care.
After a moment, he relaxes against me, dropping his head back into my lap and looking up at me.
“What?” I ask him, curious about what’s going through his mind at this moment. He looks so calm, so different from what I’m used to. So unlike the angry Wolf I usually deal with.
I stare down at his vibrant blue eyes, filled with pain, and for the first time understand why he’s so cruel. I now know who hurt the once sweet Wolf so badly that he now spends his days hurting those around him. How could I have been so blind?
He looks lost in thought, and in moments like this, I wonder who the real Coal is.
“You’re beautiful when you’re not looking at me with hatred,” he mumbles so quietly that I don’t think he meant to say it out loud at all. He’s never said I was beautiful before. He’s never complimented me at all.
I frown. I can’t deny the flutter of attraction inside me when I replay his words in my mind, though.
Is this the real Coal? Why doesn’t he treat me like this all the time? What does he get from hurting me?
I cup water in my hand and rinse his hair, not caring that my clothes are soaked.
For a moment, while his eyes are closed, enjoying the feel of my touch, I let my guard down.
I caress his brow with my thumb, before dropping it to his lips.
When I trace the outline of his mouth, he looks up at me through wet lashes, his lips parting, and his tongue flicks out to taste my skin.
Fuck, why does he have to be hot? Why does he always have to be so cruel? I wonder if he knows that I’d give in to him if he just treated me with kindness. If he let me in and showed me the Wolf that was once in him.
I push my thumb between his lips, surprising us both, and his eyes darken with lust. In a flash, he’s spinning around, and pulling me into the water with him.
I yelp, startled at first, until his lips crash against mine.
I gasp, and he pushes his tongue into my mouth, groaning as we taste each other.
“Coal!” I scold, when he rips my shirt open, then tugs the straps of my bra off my shoulders, exposing my breasts to his greedy hands.
He cups them, pinching my nipples. He grabs my thighs, lifting me and pulling me against him, so my legs straddle his hips, and he stands.
I wrap my arms around his neck, feeling my wet skin slipping against his as he lifts us both out of the tub, and carries me into his room.
“Why aren’t you fighting me, Delilah?” Coal growls. He sounds pained like this is hurting him somehow, but the scent of him and the way he feels in my arms is clouding my mind. The sight of his scars causing understanding to shift everything I thought I knew about him.
The first time they'd hurt me, it was because Michael forced them. Since then… Neither had lifted a finger to me. Well, other than that spanking, but that moment was so fucking different.
“Why aren’t you hurting me?” I ask and feel his body shudder. He shakes his head, not answering.
“Quil told me everything,” he whispers, avoiding my eyes, but I feel his hardness between my legs.
“You want him to fuck you.” It’s not a question. Coal’s grip on my ass tightens, and he pushes my back against the wall. He leans back, looking down at my breasts.
“I want to watch him fuck you,” he dodges my statement, and I smile.
“What if I want to watch him fuck you?” I whisper and bite my lip when his eyes glow bright blue.
“You shouldn’t ask for things you don’t really want, Delilah.”
“How would you know what I want? You can’t even tell me what you truly want.” My words are taunting, but I’ve got him alone, and I want answers. “Why aren’t you hurting me?” I ask again, and he growls in frustration.
“Watch yourself, flower,” he warns, but I don’t listen. One way or another, I’m getting answers tonight. Either this ends bloody, or it doesn’t. I’m not leaving unless I’m thrown out. He pulls me away from the wall and walks toward his bed.
“Tell me Coal. You use your words like weapons, trying so hard to wound me, but when we’re alone, when it’s just us, you don’t hurt me.
You don’t let anyone but Quil touch me either,” I whisper, and Coal growls, and I let out a squeak when he drops me.
My back hits the bed, and I look up into his glowing sapphire eyes.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, Delilah.
I just like h-hurting you with an audience.
” He stumbles over the word hurt, and I shake my head.
I push my ruined shirt off, then my bra, get up onto my knees, and shimmy to the edge of the bed.
I cup his cheek in my hand, and his eyes fall closed.
“Hurt me,” I whisper, and his eyes snap open.
“Don’t push me, Delilah.”
“Hurt me, Coal. Hurt me, or tell me the truth.” I see in his eyes that I’ve pushed a button.
But he holds still. Frustrated, I grab his wrist and lift it to my breast. “Hurt me,” I demand, and he growls, yanking his hand away, but not stepping back.
I reach down, pulling my panties off from under my skirt, and his eyes flash with pain, as he takes a deep breath, groaning.
“Delilah,” he warns, as I sit back on his bed, pulling the red thong off completely.
I drop it beside me on the bed, leaning back, and spreading my legs.
He can’t see anything because of the skirt, but he doesn’t need to.
I’m pushing him. I know this is stupid, I know I might be poking the bear.
I know I might be wrong, but I don’t think I am.
He takes a deep breath, and I know he can scent my arousal.
“Prove me wrong, or confess,” I tell him, and his face crumples with pain. He turns away from me, slamming his fist against the wall so hard that he makes a hole.
“Fuck!” he shouts, but I push on.
“You could have done worse, so many times. In the woods, outside the school. Quil too. But you never went further than I wanted. You could have forced your way into my body, but you haven’t. I don’t think you ever would have. But I saw those scars, Coal. Tell me the truth.”
I hear a door slamming, just before Quil steps into the room, eyes wide. Coal turns pleading eyes on his best friend, and Quil snaps his head to me. His eyes drop to my exposed breasts, and then my spread legs.
“Damn it, Delilah!” Quil tugs his shirt off, tossing it at me. It hits me in the face, and as I pull it away, so I can see again, Quil is shoving Coal into the bathroom and slamming the door. When he turns to me, there's a dark look in his eyes that I don’t like.