14. Harper
Alexa Play: Bottom Of The Deep Blue Sea by MISSIO
“ H ello, Harper. Fancy seeing you here,” Axel’s voice rolled through the cemetery like a deadly threat.
I immediately slipped my fingers into my pocket and hooked them into the eyes of my kitty knuckles.
I’d been wondering when this guy would show up again, and I was ready for him. Ever since I’d pulled that tower card, I’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I guess today was the day.
“Fuck off. Not interested,” I snapped, trying to bulldoze past him. However, predictably, he reached out to grab me.
I danced away and flashed my self-defense weapon at him.
“You get one warning. Try to touch me again, and I will fucking stab you,” I hissed. Axel’s grin only widened.
The sun was beginning to set, casting long, deep shadows across the graveyard. I glanced around, hoping to see someone passing by that might help, but it was just me and Axel. Looking up at his massive, looming form, a spike of fear shot through me.
Maybe I should run?
I hovered on the balls of my feet, my mind whirling a mile a minute as I tried to come up with a plan.
“I like a little fight in my women.” He laughed, stepping closer to me and forcing me to back up.
“I’m warning you,” I growled, tightening my grip on my kitty knuckles.
Axel let out a dark chuckle. “Warn me again, gorgeous. It’s cute.”
There was a deep rumble, and a sudden familiar voice asked, “Is this cute, asshole?”
I grinned as Remus appeared, grabbing Axel by the arm and jerking him around just to plant his fist directly in his face.
I laughed and whooped just as I felt Romulus’ familiar presence approach from behind me.
“What did we tell you about cutting through the graveyard, little sister?” he rumbled in my ear as he passed me, joining his twin brother who was sizing up a sputtering mad Axel.
“Come on, douche fuck, you were acting so tough two minutes ago!” Remus was chirping, his boyish face cracked open in an amused grin.
His knuckles were bleeding from hitting Axel so hard in the face, but he didn’t seem to notice it.
“It might be a good idea to run,” Romulus growled, prowling around Axel so he could corner him from behind.
The twins were the epitome of light and dark. Rem’s sunshine smile laced with violence was a direct contrast to Rom’s dark scowl.
I stepped forward, ready to jump in and help kick the shit out of this dude, when Axel fell back into a loose and practiced fighting stance.
He grinned at Remus, a small trickle of blood dripping from the side of his mouth where my brother had hit him.
“Come on, Fenrir, we both know how this is going to end.”
I frowned.
Why the fuck had he just called him Fenrir?
Romulus roared in rage and launched himself at Axel from behind as Remus snarled in response to the strange chirp Axel had thrown at him.
Axel didn’t even look at Rom; he just moved and slammed his elbow into my brother’s face so hard he hit the ground.
“Rom!” I cried, rushing to help him as Rem took his turn, launching himself at the strange, awful man attacking us.
Rem was able to connect another punch to Axel’s solar plexus, but the victory was short-lived. I watched in horror as Axel wrapped his hands around my brother’s head and slammed his forehead into his skull.
Rem crumbled immediately, falling to the ground, unconscious.
I felt like I was going into shock. This guy had totally overpowered both of my brothers in seconds, and suddenly, my kitty knuckles felt like a piss poor weapon in my hands.
I hovered on the balls of my feet, torn. On the one hand, I wanted to go to my brothers, but on the other hand, my survival instincts were telling me to run for my fucking life.
Romulus groaned and spit out a mouthful of blood as he tried to get to his feet.
He looked up at me, his dark eyes wide with panic.
“ Run!” he shouted at me, and I didn’t think. I just turned and bolted.
However, I barely made it two steps before I somehow slammed directly into Axel. He was suddenly in front of me and gripping both of my shoulders so tightly I knew I would bruise.
How had he moved so fast!? It was like he teleported!
“Gotchya.” He grinned, his eyes burning with the promise of violence.
“Get off me!” I screamed, stabbing the ears of my kitty knuckles into his gut over and over again, relishing in the thick, hot blood that erupted from beneath Axel’s white T-shirt.
He just laughed and placed his mouth directly against my ear, his hot, rancid breath making my stomach roll with nausea.
“I’ve waited centuries to know what it would feel like to have your hot pussy bounce on my cock, precious,” he growled, and I thrashed in his grip, panic taking over me completely.
No, no, no! Get me the fuck out of here! Help me!
I cried to the universe, using every bit of magic and intention I had to plead with it to send someone to save me.
Just when I thought my spell would go unanswered, there was a thwack and a groan .
Axel’s head snapped unnaturally to the side, and blood sprayed across my face as the man suddenly let me go and crumbled to his knees before me.
I stared in shock at the unconscious—maybe dead man—that was curled in a ball at my feet. It took several moments before I registered the tall, dark, and very relaxed shadow that had taken his place.
“Gabriel?” I breathed, taking in my new neighbor’s eerily composed expression.
He was standing there in his usual black attire, crisp shirt, and matching slacks. He had one hand in his pocket and what looked like a golden bat slung over his shoulder.
“Hey, gorgeous. You looked like you needed a hand,” he said, and the small smile on his face felt out of place.
He had just beaten a man’s head in with a bat! Shouldn’t he be a little more… bothered?
I couldn’t think straight; the world was moving in slow motion, and I was almost positive I was in shock.
Romulus groaned, and I turned to him in a daze. He was struggling to get up, his arms shaking with the effort to push himself to his feet.
“Harper, run,” he growled, his nose still gushing blood from where Axel had hit him in the face.
“It’s ok,” I muttered dumbly, stumbling toward him. “Gabe’s come to help, he?—”
Suddenly, Gabe stepped past me and slammed his golden bat into Romulus’ head, and I screamed as my brother went down again.
“What are you doing!” I screeched, “That’s my brother!”
Gabe chuckled and turned to face me. My stomach sank as I took in the cold, sinister smile on his face.
“What—?”
The strange bat disappeared in a wisp of smoke, and suddenly, he was holding a damp white cloth.
He took a step toward me, and instinct told me to run, but I was still fighting the cold fingers of shock that had wrapped around my limbs.
I was too slow, and he was too fast.
Before I could make it two steps, he jerked me into his chest and wrapped impossibly strong arms around me .
My nose flooded with a sweet, sickly scent as he pressed the cloth firmly against my face.
I whined and bucked against him, trying to break free, but whatever was on that cloth forced my eyes to roll back into my head, and my body slowly began to go limp.
My kitty knuckles slipped off my fingers and clattered to the ground.
“Shh, just relax, gorgeous. It’s over now,” Gabriel hummed into my ear as I sank against him.
“You’re going to make my hellcat a very happy boy,” he purred, and those ominous words were the last thing I heard before my vision went dark.