Kole
The punch came faster than I was ready for, not even a chance for me to block it. My skull felt like it shattered and I landed on the ground hard, pain shooting through several areas at once since the stone floor was unforgiving.
I groaned and tried to roll to my feet but failed.
“Enough, Onyx,” Father snapped.
“I’m getting to you next,” Uncle Onyx sneered, giving Father a warning look.
And he backed down. That was what floored me more than learning how psychotic my uncle really was.
“You shut your fucking—” Onyx warned me.
“No,” I bit out, wheezing as I tried to take in a full breath. “No, not on this. It is pathetic you’re so obsessed with my ex-girlfriend.”
“If you ever loved her, I would agree,” Onyx threw right back. “But you didn’t.” He pulled up his pant legs and squatted down in front of me. “I felt the same. I felt pathetic and horrible all the time because I wanted her and she was with you.
“That died the moment I learned you never cared and wanted the prize of being prince. So do not test me, Kole. Stop talking about her like you are and not just in front of me. Stop talking about her like used goods or so fucking help me I will end you. I’m not—she’s mine.
” He jerked his fist back when I snorted and Father grabbed his wrist.
My eyes went wide as Onyx stood and, in one powerful move, flipped Father over onto the stones next to me.
“What the fuck?” I whispered.
Onyx chuckled darkly. “That’s the secret your father never wanted even you to know. I’m more powerful. I’m stronger. My dragon is. That’s why I left home so young. Your father begged me to so I—”
“Enough, Onyx,” Father coughed.
“No, it was enough, but now I’m fucking done,” he seethed. “I warned you both to handle this without hurting her because I want her to be my future. But you couldn’t. You couldn’t swallow your fucking pride and grow as a man or—”
“He got recorded without his knowledge,” Father defended.
“Bullshit!” Onyx roared, dragging me up to my feet and then slamming me back down. “No more lies! Admit it to him now that you knew you were being recorded and set it up to get payback!”
“What?” Father gasped and looked at me in horror. “You swore to me that you were talking out of your ass—”
“I was, and it was stupid,” I lied. “I am sorry and I—”
“You’re so fucking full of shit, and it’s grotesque how Vex still can’t see the real you—this fucking blind spot for you.” He turned and kicked Father in the ribs. “And you? Paying media and doing focus groups to help this piece of shit? What are you doing, Vex? Like who are you?”
“I’m protecting this family and—”
Onyx let out a roar and kicked Father under the chin, knocking him out… And then turned to me with a smirk that scared me. My death was in his eyes and I was actually and truly afraid of my uncle.
“You should be,” he chuckled, knowing exactly where my head was. “You should be fucking terrified of me, Kole. I want you dead. I want you dead after this last bullshit hurting her.”
I backed away when he reached for me. “I’m your nephew.”
“You’re a maggot and she’s going to be my mate,” he bit out.
He chuffed when I tried to swallow a snicker.
“You are clueless, boy. You had the perfect woman right in front of you and you weren’t man enough to know what to do.
I do, and she loves every second of it. You couldn’t get her wet? I do. One kiss and she reacts to me.”
I chuffed and he enjoyed it, ate it up, but I still couldn’t stop.
“I know how to touch her and make her come apart. So you might have had her first, even maybe had her virginity, but I will have all of her pleasure. I will have her.” He lifted me up, and the look in his eyes was not sane. “And the way she begs me to give her more—I would kill you to keep that.
“Do you understand now? Do you believe me now? Just that. Just so I get to experience that again, I would kill you. You mean that little to me compared to her.” He shook me.
“Do you understand?” He chuffed when I nodded.
“You are completely in the wrong. How you still play the victim or the family card when you are the asshole in all of this—”
“No, this is her fault for airing everything; letting that dog say I was just a bet and humiliating me. She deserved everything I said in that video and for people to hear it.”
“It was all lies!” he roared in my face.
“Fuck you. Who cares? Who cares about the truth when they get to shit on that bitch because they don’t want a female leader?
She humiliated me, the elders, the high priest—the list never ends.
How can you—she deserves it all and more that she’ll get from others.
You think the elders will leave any of it alone? The temple for what—”
I needed to learn to keep my mouth shut. I used to be better at it, but something about Onyx—really this whole thing with Sagan just set me off.
And that was how I got slammed into the stone again.
I winced when I saw Father was conscious… And clearly had heard all I’d said.
Fuck.
Onyx opened his mouth to blast me, but then his phone vibrated. I almost thanked the gods when he held up his finger to hold us both off… Until he answered.
“Hey, baby girl,” he murmured. “You okay?”
I swallowed the gag in time when I saw he really might kill me if I irked him.
“Fine, a bit confused,” Sagan answered, meaning she’d heard him call her that before.
And Onyx just smirked, using it for my benefit.
Fucker.
“I thought we were going to handle the rat problem and then I find out you’re gone without even sending a text,” she continued. “Was there a problem in Protesia or—”
“No, no, sorry, I misunderstood you,” he soothed. “Or I didn’t explain better. I’m sorry. Really.”
She was quiet a moment. “What is going on, Onyx? It’s not—we have misunderstandings when you’re not clear with me. Like the fob?”
He groaned and rubbed his hand over his neck. “Yeah, but I can’t ever regret or apologize for that given what happened. And I know you don’t regret it either.”
“That’s neither here nor there,” she breathed. “I just want less confusion.”
“You’re right, and I should apologize like that again. A few times. For several things.”
She didn’t respond right away. “I think that depends what you’re doing that you’re not explaining to me.”
Onyx pumped his fist in the air. “I’m handling the rat problem.” He focused on me and smirked. “Right now.”
“You’re handling it?” she asked, her tone tense. “I thought we were going to discuss options? I don’t like you just doing whatever for my problem.”
“I’m not signing your name to the check.
I would never do that, but there are certain things I can do to the rat that you can’t, baby girl.
” He chuckled when she didn’t say anything.
“I’m making it clear what I would do to them if I had my way.
We’ll do whatever you want—we will always do what you want. ”
She huffed. “It’s not fair you get to be violent with him and I can’t. But honestly knowing you are is maybe hotter than the planking video.”
Onyx licked his lips. “So you did like that, huh?” He frowned when Father mumbled something and moved his hand over his face.
I did too. What was that all about?
Sagan cleared her throat. “I was going to tell you, but, well…”
“I was a fucking moron and ruined our first date and then the rat did,” Onyx mumbled. “I’m so sorry. I wanted to give you normal, and I—I’m making it up to you right now. I’ll get—give me a chance, okay? I’ll show you I can make things better.”
I snorted and then groaned when he kicked me.
“Is he there right now hearing this?” she hissed.
“They both are,” Onyx admitted and then cleared his throat when she didn’t respond. “You said you warned Vex you weren’t going to hold me back anymore—you said don’t hold back anymore. I didn’t misunderstand that.”
“No, you didn’t, but I thought after we talked.” She cleared her throat this time. “Don’t ask him about the video.”
Both of us looked to Father who flicked off Onyx.
What the fuck was that?
“I can’t not ask now, and you know you would do the same,” Onyx replied.
She sighed. Heavily. “Did you at least beat his ass good?”
“Which one?” he hedged.
Sagan sucked in a harsh breath. “You’re beating Vex too?”
“I can’t lie to you, but I’m not sure if I’m about to be in trouble or not.”
“Not in trouble,” she chuffed, clearly turned on. “Land some good shots for me?”
“I will fucking end you,” Onyx warned me when I opened my mouth. “And now you know Vex can’t stop me. I haven’t even gotten to the threat yet, so enough. I want to do this.”
“Do what?” all three of us asked.
“Can I tell you when I get back, baby girl?” Onyx asked her. “I prefer you get to know me a bit better before you see this side of me.”
“This is why Vex snorted when I said you were chill, right?” she hedged. “You’re really not, and I just don’t know you at all yet either?”
He licked his lips and stared Father down like he wasn’t sure if he was pissed or not. “Let’s just say Myriam isn’t the only one who has no problem going into the darkness for you. I’m just going to make it clear where my loyalty lies now that you said no more holding back.”
She didn’t respond for a few moments again. “Hurry back. I want to see that plank in real life. Maybe see if I can go just as long. And then we can talk about how we should handle this as the team.”
“I’ll finish up here and fly right back. Promise.”
“Thanks, Onyx.”
“Anything for you.”
“Really?” she checked.
“Always.”
“Make it hurt.” She hung up before he could respond.
And he broke all the ribs on my right side before I could blink. Father’s too from the way he reacted.
“Wait, before I continue to beat your fucking asses—what happened with the video that you’re flicking me off and she’s embarrassed?” he asked Father.
“I’m not talking about—”
“It wasn’t a fucking request, Vex,” Onyx seethed and kicked him again.
“You won’t want Kole to hear,” Father coughed.
“He should suffer in his regret,” Onyx mocked.
“But then he just acts out more!”