Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Tempest
I woke up, the night a blur as I tried to remember it. Mason was snoring on one side of me, and I glanced on my other side to find Wolfe.
“Beer?” Channing mumbled from the doorway, waving a bottle at me. “It’s cold.”
“Thanks,” I yawned, climbing out of bed and padding naked towards him, taking a long drink. He gave me a once-over before glancing at his friends.
“When did you guys go to bed?”
“Beats me.”
“I mean this in a nice way, but you’ve gotta go home,” he sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “We’ve got something to take care of and it’s best that you don’t know what it is.”
I was used to that. A lot of the guys I fucked around with had dodgy business going on, and he was right, it was best that I didn’t know. I didn’t want to be sucked into their shit, especially since I was a Reaper’s daughter.
“Give me five minutes and I can be gone,” I answered, chugging the rest of the beer before starting to look for my clothes. My bra was missing and my dress was torn in the front, making me sigh.
Why did guys rip clothes? I mean, it was hot at the time but I was sick of replacing shit.
“Take this.” I glanced over my shoulder and noticed Wolfe sitting on the edge of the bed with a shirt in his hand. “Keep it as a token of my gratitude for letting me blow my load in you.”
“Charming.” I took it and slid it over my head, finding my panties and pulling them on. The shirt was longer than the dress I’d shown up in, so I put my shoes on and grabbed my handbag. “Thanks for the UTI.”
“See you next week,” he snorted, reaching for his phone and acting like I didn’t exist. He’d never been the type for small talk, being more than happy to come and run .
Mason, on the other hand, was always chatty the following day.
He stretched as he climbed from the bed, his dick on display as he winked at me.
“Don’t want to stay for a morning fuck?”
“Mase,” Channing warned, making him scowl.
“Never mind, Mom said I can’t play with you anymore. I’ll walk you out,” he offered, finding his boxers and raking his fingers through his hair as he led me outside. “Text me later.”
“Why?” I asked as we reached my car, making him chuckle. I leaned back against it, his boxers not hiding his morning wood in the slightest as he pressed against me.
“So we can hook up again.”
“Next, you’ll want candle-lit dinners and chocolates,” I said flatly. “This is a casual arrangement. We can’t fuck all the time.”
“Why not? You’re hot, I’m hot, it works for both of us.” He leaned down to nip my lip, his hands moving to my waist. “Me and the guys like you hanging around.”
“That’s because you all have easy pussy,” I said as I raised my eyebrow, pushing him back a step. “None of you actually like me.”
“Not true.” He glanced back at the house as Channing called for him, and he let out a sigh. “I’ll see you later.”
“Thanks for stuffing me like a turkey.”
“Merry Christmas,” he snorted, heading back inside to deal with Channing and leaving me to drive home.
My head hurt, but I felt better once I had a coffee from the diner, sipping it as I drove through Blackwater and into Ashburn Valley. I glanced at the time on the dash, scrunching my nose.
It wasn’t even nine yet, so no wonder I felt like shit.
I turned onto my street and parked the car in front of the house, walking inside and raising my cup to my parents, who were sitting at the kitchen table.
“Morning.”
“Where the fuck were you this time?” Dad bit out, his eyes narrowing on my outfit. “Who were you with?”
“I don’t know, look for a dude without a shirt, I guess,” I deadpanned, sitting down on a chair at the table.
He was fuming, but Mom spoke more gently. “We just like to know where you are, honey. We actually want to speak to you about something.”
That made me nervous.
“About what?”
“Your allowance.”
“What about it?” I asked, knowing exactly where this was going. “Are you cutting me off?”
“We think it’s best if we lower it. You seem to be using most of it for partying, which isn’t what it's for. Maybe you’d be able to find a job or go to college if you had an incentive,” she said carefully, and Dad eyed me seriously, his voice low as he spoke next.
“And we’re not covering your car expenses anymore either. You keep driving while under the influence, and since you don’t think you need a job, we’ll give you a reason. You want to drive that nice car of yours that your sister bought you out of the goodness of her heart? Pay for it yourself.”
The thought of being stuck here all the time made me want to claw my eyes out. I’d one hundred percent kill myself if I was stuck within these walls for the rest of my life.
“You can’t take my car away!” I screeched as pure panic filled me, and I was surprised Dad let Mom take the lead. He was so good at telling me what to fucking do.
“We’re not taking anything away, we’re just handing the responsibility to you.”
“Fuck you!” I shouted, throwing my coffee across the kitchen, the liquid flying everywhere on impact. “I can’t afford that!”
“Do not speak like that to your mother,” Dad warned as I shoved back from the table.
“You want me to get a job? Do my thing for the community? Fine. Don’t get mad when you find me selling my pussy on the sidewalk. I give it away for free, so I might as well make money off it.”
“Tempest, don’t be ridiculous.”
“You think I’m joking? I got railed by three guys last night. Imagine what I could’ve charged? What’s the going rate, Mom? You’d fucking know,” I snapped, stomping towards my room with Dad hot on my heels.
“Watch your mouth!”
“Why?” I demanded as I spun around in the hallway. “Are you going to hit me? Fucking do it!” I was heaving, his eyes softening a fraction.
“No. I want you to calm down and respect your mother. What the hell’s going on with you? This is getting out of control. What drugs are you coming down from?”
“Fuck off. I’m an adult.”
“Is that right? You want to be an adult? Pay for your own shit. I’m done funding this lifestyle for you. And you know what? If you want to live here you need to play by my rules. No drugs in this house, no boys over, and you’re going to start pitching in around here. Everyone else works full-time or studies, and it's not fair that you don’t have to help when you do nothing all day. You want to eat? Eat what we cook for you. You want to go somewhere? Walk. Anything you need like a roof over your head, food, water, and electricity is already paid for, so you can figure out anything else yourself.”
He barged into my room, my eyes going wide as he started yanking my drawers open and tipping them out on the floor.
“What the fuck are you doing?!”
“Checking for drugs.” He didn’t stop as I pummeled my fists into his shoulder, screaming at him to get out. Mom was crying somewhere in the house, and I wasn’t going to be surprised if someone called the cops on us.
Dad snatched up all the small baggies from the floor, going through my closet next and yanking clothes out everywhere, pausing when he found an old syringe I’d stashed.
He turned to me, fury in his eyes. “What the fuck is this from?”
“None of your business!” I tried to snatch it, but he held it out of my reach, and a look of defeat crossed his face.
“You’re doing hard shit now? Who’s selling to you? There’s no way in hell the Psychos and Devils are giving it to you.”
“Dad—”
“Who the fuck is selling you meth? Are you high right now?” He was yelling but he didn’t sound mad, he sounded completely destroyed.
I choked on a sob as my emotions tore me apart, not knowing how to answer him. I’d tried a lot of shit over the years and I knew that would disappoint him.
“Get out of my room,” I begged, and he finally left without pressing for more.
I slammed the door and slid my back down it, crying as I looked around the carnage he’d left behind. My room was trashed, the contents of my closet and drawers all over the floor.
I pulled my phone from my handbag that I’d dropped on the floor on the way in, flicking through the messages. So many contacts, none that actually gave a fuck about me.
My finger hovered over Ryder’s number for a second before I hit call, and I was surprised when he actually answered.
“What?” He sounded half asleep, so I’d probably woken him up. I had no idea what time he’d left the party, but I knew it was late.
“Ry?” I was trying to control my crying but my voice cracked, waking him up properly.
“Temp? What’s wrong?”
“Dad flipped out and trashed my room, and Mom’s crying, and?—”
“This is what happens when you’re a hot mess, everyone’s on your ass about shit all the time. What do you want me to do? Show up and take your side against your dad? Whatever he was pissed about was probably valid. I’ve got my own shit to deal with. I can’t handle yours too.”
“I need you. No one gets me like you do, remember?” I pleaded, getting desperate. “Please.”
“You don’t need me, you need rehab. I mean that because I care, okay?” he said gently, clearing his throat. “I have to be selfish here and think of myself. I can’t be around you like this, or I’ll end up back on everything. Get off the drugs. Trust me. Until then, don’t call me.”
He hung up and I raked my hands through my hair, yanking hard to feel the burn. It didn’t help, neither did smacking myself in the head.
I popped my phone out of its case and took the silver blade between my fingers, toying with it for a second to see if I could calm myself down. Deep breaths didn’t work, and my mind was too loud to think of a distraction, so I pulled the large shirt out of the way and pressed the blade to a spot high on my thigh, an instant calm washing through me as I dragged it across my skin, and I focused on the crimson blood that rose to the surface.
I did it again, feeling the sting a little more this time, and I wiped the blade on my shirt before putting it back in between my phone and the case. I dropped my head back on the door, closing my eyes and listening to the thumping in my head as I felt the blood run down my leg.
The peace I felt in these moments was the reason I couldn’t stop.
Everything was okay again, my head was silent.
Ryder
I laid in bed but couldn’t get back to sleep. Guilt burned in my chest until I growled and swung my legs out of bed, getting dressed and snatching my phone off the bedside table before stomping downstairs.
Marco and Skeeter were in the kitchen, and Marco called out to me before I could get past them. “Where are you off to?”
“I have to deal with something. I’ll be back later.”
I was trying to be quick but they obviously weren’t reading the vibes.
“Sit down and have breakfast first. I want to talk to you,” Skeeter said, his voice firm.
“Later. I need?—”
“Sit. Down.” He was losing his patience, but so was I. Tempest wasn’t my problem, but I’d never forgive myself if she was finally pushed over the edge and I hadn’t tried to stop her.
“I said later!” I bit out, not giving a shit if I looked rude. “I think my friend’s going to hurt themself.”
That seemed to calm his mood as concern filled his eyes.
“Want us to come with you?”
“No, they’ll freak out. I just need to make sure they’re okay then I’ll come home. I promise,” I explained, catching Skeeter’s keys as he tossed them to me.
“I hope they’re alright. Take the McLaren, your Hellcat’s still at Beckett’s.”
I thanked him and darted down to the garage, not wasting time as I peeled out of there like my ass was on fire.
No one stopped me as I sped along the road, and I cursed as I realized I’d have to park somewhere that Lexi and Archer wouldn’t hear or see me. If I barged in, they’d want answers.
I found a spot two streets down and locked the car before running towards Tempest’s house, sneaking through the side gate and around to her bedroom window like I had a million times before.
I peeked inside to find her sitting on the floor by the door, blood on her fingers and fresh cuts on her thighs. She didn’t look like she was going to slit her throat or anything, but I didn’t want to leave just in case.
I put my hands on the window and popped it open, her eyes flying up to mine as I hauled myself inside. “Ry?”
“Shh,” I whispered, closing the window behind me and walking towards her. She hadn’t been kidding, her room looked like a tornado had hit it, but I managed to get across the carnage and squat in front of her.
There was already blood on the large men’s shirt she was wearing, so I grabbed the bottom of it and dabbed it across the cuts so I could get a better look at them. They weren’t life-threatening, but she needed to wrap them to keep them free of infection.
We’d done this before so I usually knew where she kept everything, but everything was currently all over her fucking floor.
“In my bed,” she mumbled, continuing when I raised an eyebrow. “I fell asleep with it the other night.”
I stood and managed to get to her bed without breaking my damn neck, pulling the blanket back to find a cloth and ointment, as well as blood stained sheets.
“They’ll notice that.” I turned to face her, seeing her shrug.
“They won’t care. They’d be better off without me anyway. They’d probably throw a party.”
“Don’t call it that, the correct term is a funeral,” I joked as I grabbed the water bottle off the bedside table and dropped down in front of her again.
I went to speak again, but Archer’s voice came from down the hall. “We’re going out. Stay home!”
The front door slammed, making me cringe. “What happened? He’s mad you stayed out all night?”
“That, and the fact I fucked Channing and the guys. Then he found an old syringe while trashing my room. They’ve cut me off financially.” She rolled her eyes as if it was no big deal, but the hurt seeped out of her like a tsunami. “I think he finally realizes his daughter’s a lost cause.”
“He just doesn’t know how to help you.”
“I don’t need fucking help.”
I wasn’t going to argue with her, so I helped her to her feet and opened the door.
“C’mon, I’ll clean you up in the bathroom.” I led her along the hallway, opening the bathroom door and sitting her on the sink while I rummaged in the small cabinet for a fresh bandage. “Do you want a shower before I wrap your thigh?”
“Are you coming with me?” She stared back at me as I met her gaze. “You didn’t get a release last night, right? You know I can give you one.”
“Temp—” She knew she was tempting me. I could’ve shoved a knife up her pussy and she’d thank me for it, and that thought made my dick hard.
She slid off the sink, dipping her fingers below the waistband of my sweats.
“Come on, Ry. Fuck me and slap me a little. You’ll feel better.”
“Last fucking time,” I warned, grabbing her by the throat. “After that, we’re done. Okay? Wash your cunt first. I don’t really want my dick playing with the Blackwater family daycare you’ve got going on right now.”
I didn’t really care, it wasn’t like I was putting my mouth on it. I’d shared body fluids with those guys plenty.
“Says the one with whore on their cock.”
“Not yet, but there’s about to be,” I grunted, watching as she pulled the massive shirt over her head. I was pretty sure it was Wolfe’s, but those guys all seemed to share their shit, not just women, so I wasn’t sure.
I made sure the door was locked, not that it would keep Archer out if he got home to hear someone murdering his daughter’s pussy, then I stripped naked and turned the shower on.
Blood was dripping down Tempest’s leg from the damage she’d inflicted on herself, and part of me wished I’d been the one to mark her instead.
“Have at it,” Tempest murmured, offering me the blade from her phone, knowing my thoughts somehow, and snapping me out of it.
“I don’t want to cut you up.”
I did. I wanted to drag a knife across her back and watch the pretty crimson lines form against her skin.
I wanted to feel her skin tear and hear her scream of pain.
I shook the thoughts from my head, finding her eyes on me as she stepped under the spray.
“Yes, you do. You want to mark me, claim me, break me. I know how you like it, Ry. You’re allowed to hurt me, I like it.”
“Wash the cum from your pussy so I can fuck you and go home,” I bit out, not wanting to think about marking her.
She chuckled, finding me amusing as she cupped her pussy and spread it open, fingering herself and washing the evidence of her fun night away. She pumped soap into her free hand, tilting her head at me.
“Come here so I can wash the slut from you.”
“You’re the biggest slut I know.”
“Touché,” she smirked, wrapping her soapy hand around my length as I joined her, stroking me while fingering herself. “I might be a slut, but those are your favorite. Admit it, no one fucks you like I do.”
“You need me to praise you for getting on your back for me like it was hard work?”
I was being a dick, but her eyes lit up at the idea of fighting with me, my dick jumping in her hand.
“Feel free to tell me how good I make you feel.” She tightened her grip on my dick, making me grit my teeth as she ran her thumb over my slit, smearing precum. “Say it. Say I fuck you better than anyone.”
I grabbed her throat and slammed her back against the cold tiles, the water pounding down against her face. My grip tightened and she gave me a sadistic smirk, telling me she knew she had me.
I slipped my hand between her thighs, roughly shoving two fingers inside her and not being gentle as I fucked her with them.
“You like your dirty cunt filled with cum? I can feel it in there, you filthy whore.” Something calmed inside of me the more I spat degrading shit at her, and she grew wetter by the second. I was in control and she wasn’t stopping me from taking charge.
“Yes,” she whimpered, and I released her throat to slap her cheek lightly, her pupils becoming blown with heat. “Fuck, do that again.”
“You want me to smack you for being a slut?” I demanded, slapping her a little harder this time. I pumped my fingers in and out of her, going harder as she came.
I spun her around and forced her face against the wall, fisting my ridiculously hard dick in my hand and sliding it up and down her pussy. I pushed inside her, wrapping her gorgeous blonde hair in my other hand.
“Fuck me hard. I want it to hurt,” she begged, and I was too far gone to rein myself in. I fucked her like my life depended on it, her cries bouncing off the walls, and a frustrated growl left me when my balls tightened then the feeling died again.
“Choke me,” she panted. “Choke me until I fight you.”
“Why would you want that?”
“Because you want to be the villain, and I like being your victim. Do it. Choke me. Just don’t drop me if I pass out.”
My balls tingled at the thought, and I needed to come so badly that I didn’t listen to the part of me that said it was wrong.
I turned her around and lifted her leg, slamming back inside and making her moan. Her nails dug into my back and I wrapped my fingers around her slender neck, holding her gaze as I started to squeeze. Her pupils were large, her pussy clenching around me as the oxygen started leaving her, and before long, her panic reflexes kicked in.
The more she fought me, the harder I became until I finally filled her pussy with hot cum, my hand leaving her throat as we both gasped and panted to catch our breaths.
Now I’d finished and was using my head again, reality hit me at what I’d done.
Tempest was still choking as my cum ran down her legs, mixing with the blood on her thighs from the cuts she’d given herself. Her throat had early signs of bruising, and her cheek was tinged pink from my palm.
I bailed so fucking fast that I was surprised I remembered to get dressed.
“Where are you going?” she asked as I shoved my wet limbs into my clothes, the water turning off behind me just before soft hands touched my back.
“Don’t fucking touch me, Tempest!” I shouted, confusion crossing her face.
“Why not? What’s wrong?”
“I fucking hurt you. Jesus Christ,” I hissed, grabbing her chin firmly to inspect her face before letting her go again. “Fuck!” I slammed my fist down on the sink, self-hatred burning inside of me. I was sick.
This was why I’d wanted to get sober, my desires had become twisted while high, but they were invading my mind more and more lately, despite staying off the drugs.
Rehab couldn’t fix this, I needed the whacky shack.
“Hey, I’m fine. That was really good,” she insisted, sliding in front of me and grabbing my face in both hands, forcing me to look at her. “I really liked it. No one else fucks me like that.”
“Because it’s wrong!”
I was everything I hated in a man. I was a monster.
“Ryder, that was fucking hot. Calm down.”
“I need to go.”
I was admitting myself and getting one of those free straitjackets. I guess my family would be glad I’d be completely sober. I couldn’t hold a beer if my arms were strapped.
I pulled away from Tempest and stalked through the house, leaving out the front door and heading back to the car, locking myself inside and speeding off before Tempest could get dressed and chase after me.