11. Zela
Getting away is harder every week. Thankfully, Reed is always here early and lets me in, so I didn’t have to wander around for hours waiting. Isaac said he went looking for me at the school, which means I can’t afford to linger anywhere and risk being caught.
Today, I’d been so close to confiding in him, telling him what I’m dealing with in hopes that he’d help me. But that’s not fair to him. My brothers are his bosses, and asking him to lie to them for me isn’t only stupid; it’s wrong.
Besides, it’s not like he owes me a damn thing; he already does more for me than I deserve, if you ask me. More than most anyone else does, not since…
No.
I need to get my shit together, and thoughts of him won’t do that; they’ll do the exact opposite.
Stashing my schoolbooks away, I strip down to my shorts and sports bra and head to the little gym to work through all these stupid-ass emotions. There are still hours before the fights start, but I need to center myself, get my head on straight, and the only way I know to do that is physically.
Maybe I can even get Reed to hold the pads for a few rounds.
The day feels never-ending as I make my way back to my little locker room to collect my things. I’ve been up too long, running on adrenaline and caffeine, and I don’t see an end to it coming anytime soon.
Not with me giving them the slip again or my run-in with Jace.
I gulp down my water as I push open the doors, only to come to a grinding halt and nearly choke.
“You know, I’ve been waiting a long time for this, Foxy,” Jace says, without looking up as I walk back into the room that’s supposed to be only for the fighters.
I’m not surprised to find him here, considering they own the place.
What is surprising is that he’s here with some girl on her knees sucking his dick, and he doesn’t seem to notice.
He’s sitting in the same chair I did my homework in hours ago, leaning back like he doesn’t have a care in the world, cleaning his nails with a very sharp-looking knife.
If I couldn’t see the girl with my own eyes, I would never guess she was even there.
His breathing is even, and his words come out clear and full of his usual teasing tone, and when he finally looks at me, his eyes sparkle with mischief.
Jace is dangerous.
I’d heard stories about him back before I knew he and his brothers owned this place, when they were just faceless names to me.
People say he’s unhinged, has more than a few screws missing.
He used to fight; they all did, and while I don’t know why Isaac or Kolson stopped, I know stopping wasn’t Jace’s choice.
They made him stop because he kept killing his opponents. And yeah, I can see why that would be bad for business.
I’d never worried much about him before because he wasn’t my problem. I came, I fought, and I went home. I didn’t know I’d caught their eye with my fighting or that they would someday be my stepbrothers. Now he’s a problem both here and at home.
Fuck.
I should turn around, walk out, and go find Reed. Hell, I should probably just leave altogether; that would be the smarter choice, but for whatever reason, I remain rooted in place, unable to look away from the strange display in front of me.
With a loud huff, he throws his head back, dropping his arms so they dangle on each side of the chair as if he’s gone limp. I make sure to keep track of the knife still clenched in his left hand.
“God, you're boring,” he says, looking down at the pretty blonde with her lips wrapped around his cock as if she’s shit on the bottom of his shoe.
Without any warning, he reaches out, gripping her hair hard enough that she lets out a pained whimper, but she doesn’t try to pull away. It’s probably the smartest choice considering the knife, but fuck if I don’t wish she would, or maybe she should just bite his dick off.
I’d pay to see that.
With her hair still fisted in his hand, he bucks his hips forward while pushing her head farther down, impaling her with his cock. Her gags and whimpers fill the air, bouncing off the walls around us in the mostly empty room.
It’s disgusting, and my stomach rolls, but there’s not much I can do. I won’t go against him with a knife. He’s liable to use it on either of us if I do. No, it’s better to keep my mouth shut, for both of our sakes. No matter how much I might not want to.
I ball my hands into fists at my sides to keep myself from doing something stupid as he holds her there, making her take him far past what she’s comfortable with. For the first time since I entered the room, and probably since she started, Jace groans in pleasure, but it’s short-lived.
One second, he’s holding her close, and the next, he’s pulling her off him like she’s burned him. The poor girl barely has a second to breathe before he lifts his foot, planting it on her chest. He kicks her backward hard enough that she ends up sprawled on the ground.
Tears leak from her eyes, but I’m not sure if they’re from being forced to choke on his dick or him kicking her. Probably a mix of both.
“Get the fuck out!” Jace roars, his usual playful teasing gone, and I see why people say he’s unhinged.
The girl scrambles up on all fours, crawling to the door as she tries to get her feet beneath her. The second she does, she bolts, not so much as daring to glance back.
I’d like to say it stung that she left me here alone with him, but it doesn’t.
I don’t want to be alone with him either; hell, I’m half tempted to turn tail and run after her. I stood and watched while he just had his way with her. She doesn’t owe me shit.
I watch from the corner of my eye as the door swings closed behind her; the dull thud echoes around the room, reminding me I’m here alone with him now.
He doesn’t bother to put his dick back in his pants as he pushes to his feet. I try not to look, but it’s hard to ignore as he goes from semi-hard to rock-hard as his eyes rake over my body.
I’m still in my fighting clothes, only my tight-ass orange sports bra and booty shorts, but at least I still have my mask on. I’ve always felt different when I put it on. I’m no longer the scared little girl all alone in the world; instead, I’m someone else, something else.
Zela would be afraid right now, but Vixen… Vixen isn’t afraid of anything.
“Oh, Little Fox, the things I want to do to you,” Jace says as he slowly stalks toward me, flipping his knife in the air so seamlessly it’s almost like second nature.
“I’ve tried to get down here a few times, but Kol,” he tsks, shaking his head, “Kol keeps me on a tight leash when it comes to you.” He points my way with the knife as if it’s an extension of himself.
Everything tells me I need to leave. Warning bells ring in my mind, screaming for me to get out of here, yet I remain right where I am.
I know if I were to run now, he’d give chase and probably enjoy it, too.
I’m small, all lean muscle, but so is he, and I’m not sure I’d be able to outrun him.
I’m even less sure because of his knife.
Somehow, I don’t think he carries it around for show.
No, I have no doubt he would use it if he thought it necessary, or maybe even just for fun.
He stops a few steps shy of me, licking his lips as he looks me over from head to toe. He sinks his teeth into his bottom lip with a groan that rivals the one from earlier when he had his dick buried in that girl's throat.
It’s strange. I hate almost everything about myself as Zela.
Being Vixen is the only time I feel even halfway comfortable in my own skin, but to see him react like this to me…
It’s confusing. The attention is nice, but it would be much nicer if it were from just about anyone else or just by someone without the last name DuPont.
“You're one of our best fighters, but I’m sure you know that.” Holding my gaze, he shamelessly wraps his fingers around his cock. It jerks at his touch, and he lets out a hiss of pleasure.
“Watching you fight is like sweet, sweet torture, baby.
I sit up in the box with my brothers, hard as a rock.
Watching you beat your competitors bloody, and all I can think about is fucking you like that.
You drenched in their blood, them unconscious on the ground, and an entire audience watching as I claim what's mine for everyone to see.” His hand slowly works his dick as he talks, his words coming out slow and husky.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve made a mess of myself watching. I don’t appreciate how often you make me walk around with my boxers full of jizz, but I can’t help myself. I can’t stop thinking about you and all the ways I could have you, whether you want it or not.”
His eyes roll back in his head, and for a second, I think he might come right now. My eyes dart down to his hand, and I watch as he grips the base of his cock hard, no doubt trying to fight off his release.
“I’ve waited so long, and finally, I’ve got my chance,” he says as his eyes slowly flutter open, his pupils blown wide with lust. “I’ll have to remember to thank my new little sister for this wonderful opportunity later.
She’s given me the best gift by pulling Kol away, and she doesn’t even know it.
” He throws his head back and barks a laugh, and a shiver crawls down my spine at his words.
Somehow, I don’t think he plans to give me a simple thanks and be done with it. That doesn’t seem to be his style.
“Now, be a good Little Fox and get on your knees for me,” he says, all hints of his humor from a moment ago gone.
We stand unwavering for a moment, neither of us looking away, and I see the confidence in his eyes. He thinks I’m going to do exactly what he says.
Well, he’s in for a rude awakening.
“No,” I tell him, thankfully sounding more confident than I feel.