CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CLOVER
“Wow, you’re really good with that stuff.” Blaze nodded at the eyeshadow blending brush in my hand. “You make it look so easy.”
“I’ve had a lot of practice.” I dabbed the brush onto a glittery shade of green in my palette, blowing it lightly before applying it above the purple already covering my eyelid.
I stood in the bathroom getting ready for the party we were attending tonight. Blaze sat on the edge of the tub watching my every move with keen curiosity. He seemed to have a genuine interest in my routine. I found it both irritating and kind of cute.
The week had passed quickly. By the time the weekend arrived, I was more than ready for it. I hadn’t heard anything else from the cops and prayed that I never would.
Since I’d had classes most days this week, the guys hadn’t been as demanding of my time and body. They understood that I needed time to rest and work on my studies. I appreciated that.
Once Saturday rolled around, that had changed. They’d announced that we were all going to the party at the Gods’ house tonight. My stomach had twisted uncomfortably. I loved any chance to see Raina, although I didn’t love the idea of taking the Angels to her home. She’d assured me that it was fine when I asked.
Blaze pawed through my makeup bag on the counter, pulling out a bright pink lipstick. “Oh wow, you should wear this one. It’s almost blinding.”
I laughed, shaking my head at him. “You’d think you’ve never had a girlfriend before. Why is this so fascinating to you?”
“Does that mean you’re my girlfriend?” he teased with a wink.
“That’s not what I said.” Even though we’d all had a pretty good week, I hadn’t changed my mind. I still intended to go ahead with the plan Raina and I had formed.
“I’ve had a few over the years. Nothing serious. After my first girlfriend broke my heart by cheating on me with a close friend, I stuck to casual hookups only.” Blaze glanced up, meeting my eyes in the mirror. “That was a long time ago though.”
I tried to picture a sad, heartbroken Blaze. It wasn’t easy to conjure up.
“That’s rough. Relationships are hard. My first boyfriend was a cheater too. He slept with pretty much everyone. Total douche.” I found it easy to talk to Blaze when he was chill and relaxed. Too easy.
“Who is he? Want me to beat his ass?” Quirking a brow, Blaze poked me in the side.
“Don’t do that,” I laughed, narrowly avoiding a second poke. “That tickles. You’re going to make me mess up my makeup.”
“Well, we wouldn’t want that now, would we?” He snuck in one last poke between my ribs.
I whirled on him with my mascara wand held like a tiny weapon. “I said cut it out. I’m trying to get pretty here.”
“You don’t need anything to make you pretty, Dollface. You’re always gorgeous.” Blaze let me slash him with the mascara wand. He feigned a wounded expression, gaping at the smear of black on his forearm.
As we both broke into laughter, a twinge of guilt made my chest ache. The Angels weren’t good for me. Sure, they made the top of my head almost blow off with each orgasm, and they’d gone over and above to protect me, but they were becoming too embedded in my life. I needed to break ties while I still could.
That’s what I told myself as I applied the pink lipstick Blaze had chosen. The Angels were like junk food. Yeah it tasted damn good and made you want more. That didn’t mean it wouldn’t hurt you down the road. When it was too late to change anything. Maybe that wasn’t the right comparison. All I knew was that the longer I let this go on, the worse it would be for me.
Cash let out a low whistle when I descended the stairs. “Damn, Sunshine. You sure know how to brighten up a room. You bring light to our darkness. We needed that.”
I swallowed hard, trying not to be shaken by his comment. I glanced down at the fuchsia dress that clung to my body and forced a smile. “Thanks, Cash. That’s sweet of you to say.”
He pulled me in for a kiss that sent a flutter through my stomach. Although I’d never say so to him, I’d kind of liked it when he picked me up and threw me over his shoulder the day he drove me home from the lounge. It was such a bullheaded, caveman move. Liking it made me question my own mental state.
Daire strolled into the front entry as he emerged from the kitchen. Tucking a joint behind one ear, he wore faded jeans and a black t-shirt that showed off a glimpse of the crowned skull inked on his upper arm. The lightning bolt tattooed beneath the outer edge of one eye was still sexier than it had any right being.
What was happening to me? The closer I got to the moment I’d planned with Raina, the more my head tried to convince me to abandon my plan.
“Jesus, Angel. I almost need sunglasses to look at you.” Daire’s powerful green gaze slid over me. “That dress is pretty intense. Makes your tits look fucking amazing though.”
I rolled my eyes at his compliment. Not quite as sweet as Cash. It wasn’t in Daire’s nature.
We piled into Daire’s car. During the drive to Raina’s, I fussed with my hair, running my fingers nervously through it. Our plan was to lure the Angels into an ambush. I would tell them the Gods had a big drop tomorrow night. The Gods would be there waiting for them.
It felt like the right thing to do at the time. I’d been desperately needing a way out. The Gods would distract them while I took off with Raina. I would be free of them.
There were so many ways this plan may go wrong. I knew the risks I was taking. I couldn’t continue on this way. Being their toy. The body they used for their pleasure. Their obsession. It wasn’t right for any of us.
I listened to them make conversation as we drove. Cash hassled Daire about his driving skills while Daire colorfully explained the many violent ways he would hurt Cash if he didn’t shut up. Every now and then, Blaze would add a quip or remark that made the other two turn on him.
A pang of regret momentarily stole my breath. At what point during the rough sex and threats had I started to like these guys? Talk about Stockholm Syndrome. Even more reason to break ties now.
People spilled out of the house when we arrived. Eager to see Raina and have her calm my nerves, I beelined up the front walk. I dodged a drunk guy stumbling toward me and stepped over another guy sprawled on the ground. Some people really couldn’t hold their liquor.
“Don’t go too far, Little Unicorn,” Daire warned. “I want you close.”
“I’ll be with Raina. I’m sure you can cope with that.”
He swatted me on the ass as I entered the house before him. “Don’t make me bend you over and spank that ass in front of everyone.”
No sooner had I stepped inside than Lyra leapt off a sofa in the front sitting room. Eyes wide, she hurried over to me. “Save me from, Jet. Please. I need a break.”
Her jerk ass stepbrother sat on the sofa she’d vacated. He frowned in our direction. Several other people occupied the front room, chattering and laughing, keeping him from hearing Lyra’s plea.
Raising my voice so Jet would hear me, I grabbed Lyra’s arm and gushed, “Oh my god, girl. I have to talk to you. You won’t believe what happened.”
Before Jet could stop me, I dragged Lyra away. She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”
I’d always wondered why she put up with Jet’s controlling crap. Now I knew that these situations weren’t always what they seemed from the outside looking in. There was so much more going on beneath the surface.
“No problem. Let’s find Raina. I need a break from male nonsense too.”
Ignoring the scowl Daire shot me, Lyra and I took off into the kitchen and living room area. When I didn’t spot Raina, I knew she’d be outside. She preferred to escape the packed house and get some fresh air.
We found her hanging with a group of people from campus. Havoc had an arm wrapped around her waist, holding her tight against him. When she spotted us, she disentangled herself from him and came to greet us.
“I’m so glad you both came.” She pulled us each into a hug. “There’s drinks on the patio. Help yourselves.”
Raina steered us over to where a keg sat next to a table filled with bottles and plastic cups. I splashed some vodka into a cup and added some Coke. I wasn’t picky. With the way I’d been feeling all evening so far, all I cared about was getting a drink or two into me. Maybe then I’d relax.
“How’s everything going?” Raina lowered her voice despite nobody paying attention to us. “Are we still on for tomorrow night?”
I took a long drink from my cup, following it with a sigh. “Yeah, we’re still on. If I don’t do it now, I never will.”
My gaze strayed to the patio door. Blaze stood in the kitchen sharing a joint with another guy. I tore my gaze away, staring into my cup instead.
Lyra swirled the beer in her cup. “Is everything okay, Clover? You’re usually a lot more peppy than this.”
“It’s been a long week,” I said. “I found out that Zane died. Then the cops questioned me about it. The Angels haven’t let me out of their sight. They’ve been a lot nicer lately. It’s confusing as hell.”
Although Lyra was a good friend, I hadn’t told her the truth about Zane’s death. Only Raina knew. That kind of criminal knowledge shouldn’t be shared freely. Raina was part of the crime world. I trusted her with that information. If I hadn’t told her, I’d have exploded from holding it inside.
“Yeah, that’s crazy about Zane. Sounds like he didn’t take your breakup so well. You can’t blame yourself though. He wasn’t right in the head.” Lyra patted my shoulder, offering me a sympathetic grimace.
A lot of people suspected that Zane had ended his own life. I did nothing to correct them. The rumor mill among those in our social crowd would buzz for a while. Eventually it would die down.
A brief image of Zane bleeding and begging flashed through my mind. I blinked vigorously to clear it away. I’d been seeing him in my dreams lately. Reliving that time. It was all I could do to focus on my school work and move forward. Zane was gone. There was no turning back time.
“Most of these guys aren’t right in the head,” Raina muttered. She stared across the yard at Daire who mingled with some campus guys.
I cringed when I thought about liking the things he’d done to me. Would Raina think less of me if she knew the things he’d done and that I’d enjoyed the hell out of it?
I listened to the two of them shit talk men and their possessive bullshit while downing my drink. I’d never had any man treat me like a possession before my recent experience. Zane had been willing to kill me to possess me. The Angels had been willing to kill for me.
They’d given me the choice to be theirs or be dead. Would they really kill me though? Part of me didn’t think so anymore. Although after tomorrow night, they may want nothing more than to see me dead.
I was so jumpy that I almost leapt out of my skin when someone approached me from behind. A light touch on my shoulder had me stifling a shriek. I whirled around to find Jaden O’Hare, better known as Riot, standing behind me. He was one of the Sinners, the campus hackers.
We’d chatted a few times at parties. Otherwise, I didn’t know him all that well.
Riot inserted himself into our small group. “Any chance one of you ladies know where I can score a joint?”
Lyra and I both looked at Raina who plucked one from her bra. She pulled a lighter from her jeans and lit it up. After taking a large drag, she handed it to Riot.
“Sweet. You’re a lifesaver.” Riot sucked on the joint before passing it to me. “How’s it going tonight? You’re looking a little grim for someone at a party.”
He nodded at me when he said that last bit. Was I so obvious? The Angels were going to see right through me.
“Long week,” I said by way of explanation. “I’m taking summer classes. Biggest mistake ever.”
While sharing the joint, we made small talk about what courses we were taking. Riot was taking various computer science and technology programs, which came as no surprise to anyone. The mundane small talk helped me relax. Maybe that was the weed.
Perhaps it was my imagination but I thought Riot flashed me a flirtatious smile. When he nudged me and asked what I was doing later, I knew I hadn’t been imagining anything.
“Coming home with me.” A voice said from behind me. “Like she does every night.”
Daire shoved his way in between Riot and me. Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he pulled me against him. Raina’s eyes narrowed. For my sake, she didn’t voice her obvious disgust.
“Is that so?” A devious grin lit up Riot’s face. “Remember that favor you owe us for the work Felix did for you? I think I’d like to cash it in now. One night with your girl.”
My jaw dropped. So did Lyra’s. Not Raina though. She seemed mildly amused and even a little impressed at Riot’s audacity.
Daire didn’t find him the least bit amusing. His temper exploded. Releasing his hold on me, he threw a punch that Riot never saw coming.
My hand went to my mouth to cover my shocked gasp. Knowing exactly what was coming, Raina grabbed Lyra and me, pulling us away.
Riot stumbled back a few steps, almost losing his balance. He took a moment to process what had happened. “I can’t believe you did that. I could turn your life upside down with a few clicks, asshole.”
“Oh yeah?” Daire cocked his head to one side, inviting a fight. “Try it and they’ll be finding pieces of you from one side of the country to the other.”
Unwilling to walk away, Riot launched himself at Daire. The first punch he threw was blocked. The second one landed. Daire didn’t react like someone who’d been hurt. A maniacal laugh fell from his lips. He spat blood onto the grass before tackling Riot to the ground.
Several people took notice of the fight. It drew Riot’s friends as well as the Gods and the remaining Angels.
Before anyone could jump in or split them up, Raina raised a hand and shouted, “Leave them. If they want to be idiots, they deserve to hurt for it later. Especially Daire.”
I frowned, not loving how much she hated him but totally understanding. I should hate him too. I did. I had to.
Daire was a fighter. He had been as long as I’d been attending Ravencrest University. A hotheaded guy with an attitude. Always ready for a scrap. Watching him slam an elbow into Riot’s face before banging his head off the ground made me both uneasy and a little turned on.
My face flushed with embarrassment. Thankfully, nobody was looking at me. The warm twinge between my legs had me wanting to give myself a punch.
People shouted at each guy, encouraging them both to beat some ass. The Gods kept anyone from interfering or splitting it up. Only when Raina decided it was enough would they make a move. She was their Goddess after all.
The more punches Daire threw, the more enraged he seemed to become. Once Riot’s eyes rolled back in his head, I nudged Raina.
“Make it stop.”
She nodded to her guys who quickly dragged Daire off Riot. I breathed a sigh of relief when Riot got up, staggering away with his friends. Enough people had died because of me. Riot didn’t deserve that.
Those who’d gathered to watch the fight dispersed. Blaze and Cash took over, pulling Daire free of the Gods. They steered him toward the gate that led to the front yard.
Blaze glanced back at me, beckoning me with a finger. I sucked in a deep breath, bracing myself for what was to come.
“Guess that’s my cue to leave. I’ll talk to you girls later.” Before the expressions on my friends’ faces stopped me, I followed the Angels from the yard.
Some women would have been flattered to have someone snap the way Daire had because of Riot’s proposition. All it did was confirm for me that I needed to escape the Angels, and I needed to do it now.