TWO
Saraya
I didn't want to be the reason why Phoenyx lost everything, and maybe it was also me being a pussy.
I don't think I would have been able to handle what my stepfather was threatening me with.
I still had one more year of high school, and Phoenyx was getting ready to leave for his first year at college. I would have been left alone…
Rinsing my hair in the shower, I push away the past and think about the most recent events.
Phoenyx agreeing to help me is a huge relief.
I honestly thought he would slam the door in my face.
I haven't talked to him in twelve years, so his agreeing is a godsend…
no pun intended. He may be a God of Nyte's Hall, but he's far from being one.
Now, the conditions that he mentioned may have me slightly nervous.
Phoenyx is so much scarier in person than he is in the newspapers and magazines.
Yes, I've watched from afar because, come on, do you ever really get over your first true love?
He may have more tattoos and a hardness about him, but when I look into those gray eyes, I see the boy that I grew up with since the fifth grade.
The boy who always protected me and the boy I eventually fell in love with.
I'm willing to do whatever it takes to ensure I don't go down for Ken's murder.
It doesn't matter what I must do; I refuse to go to jail for protecting myself, but Ken's a cop.
The only ones who can protect me are the Gods of Nyte's Hall.
That said, they can also crucify me for killing a cop, so yes, I will do what is asked of me.
There is one little issue I'm afraid to look too much into—Amara.
Are she and Phoenyx now together? Aside from Phoenyx, Amara was my best friend growing up; we told each other everything, but I never told her why I did what I did.
I was sworn to secrecy. I really fucked a lot of things up the day I gave up love in order to protect not only him but also myself.
My stomach growls, so once I'm dressed, I decide to go to the kitchen and see if I can find anything in the fridge. I'm just leaving my room when I hear moans coming from down the hall. When I look in that direction, I freeze.
Cold gray eyes meet mine as Phoenyx stares at me from his room.
It takes me a moment to realize he's thrusting into Amara, who is also straddling another male.
It must be one of the Gods of the Hall, but that's not what has me stuck to where I stand.
It's the male with inked arms almost the size of tree trunks, his pectorals, and the washboard abs that are working overtime with each thrust he takes.
He looks hotter than hell when he fucks, and suddenly, an image of him thrusting into me that way, has my heart racing.
Phoenyx grins as he asks Amara, "Whose cock do you love pounding into this sweet ass of yours, Mara?"
"Yours Nyx—I love your cock in my ass!"
I jump at the sound of the slap to Mara’s ass before Phoenyx praises, "That's a good little slut."
A ringing sounds through my ears, and I feel light-headed. Instead of returning to my room, I flee down the hall, not paying any attention to where I'm going. I can't breathe, and when I get to a darkened hallway, I drop to my hands and knees and try to take in some deep breaths.
I haven't had one of these attacks in years.
It always came just after I saw a photo of Phoenyx with another woman or whenever he looked happy.
That is until Ken caught on to what was causing the attacks and started beating me for it.
The mere fact that both Phoenyx and Mara would do this to me tears me apart.
I don't care what I did; I would never rub anything like this in their face.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A masculine voice sounds from behind me. "Which one of the guys sent you to me?"
I look up, my long brown hair falling over my face, but I can see clearly enough that it's Zilas. Who can miss the rich, creamy chocolate color of his skin tone, paired with light green eyes? Growing up, he always had girls surrounding him, and he's only gotten better looking over the years.
"Zilas…" I whisper.
"You've found me, pretty thing. Are you hurt?" Zilas asks as he reaches out his hand to help me.
"No, just trying to catch my breath after having an attack," I tell him, pushing the hair from my face once I'm back on my feet.
It takes him a minute, but then his eyes widen. "Saraya?"
I snicker. "In the flesh."
"Does…Nyx know…"
Holding my hand up, I stop him from saying more. "Yes, he knows. Go ask him, but he may be a little busy at the moment."
Zilas studies me, and I don't miss the smirk he tries to hide. "So, what are you doing in my wing? Are you wanting to finally see what the women love about me?" He starts to back me against the wall.
"Ha, ha, Zilas. You're not funny." My hands come up and flatten against his chest just as my back hits the wall.
"Oh, I'm dead serious, Raya. Nyx always shares his women with us. Although I'm sure he's over you after that little stunt you pulled, you're nothing to him but the stepsister you wanted him to think of you as. He won't care who fucks his sister."
Ouch, that hurts.
"That's not necessarily true," says an amused voice.
My head snaps to the right, and I see Phoenyx leaning against the wall, about ten feet away, in just a pair of black sweatpants. "Phoenyx, I'm not…he…"
"I what, Raya?" Zilas cages me in with his arms and leans in enough that I feel his hot breath fan over my skin.
"If you want to fuck him, Saraya, then fuck him.
" Phoenyx chuckles. "I want to watch, though—it's only fair.
" The look in my stepbrother's eyes is pure lust-driven which has me wanting to squeeze my thighs together.
"I would love to see all three of my friends take you.
I bet you would love every minute of it. "
What in the actual fuck?
"Is that all you do around here—is have sex?" I shove at Zilas's chest, and this time, he moves back. "I'm not fucking anyone in this Hall!"
Their laughter follows me down the hallway until I reach the back stairs leading to the kitchen.
Although I find myself still attracted to Phoenyx, I'm not here to be anyone's whore.
They seem to have enough women to go around, especially with that gentlemen's club they have recently opened.
Club Unholy is a very popular club that is talked about all over the world.
How they pulled that off is beyond me. I should be proud of them all, but a nagging feeling tells me there's something more to it.
"You lazy, ungrateful bitch! All I ask is that you have dinner on the table by the time I get home at six, and you can't even do that! What the fuck have you been doing all day?"
Ken's hand swings, and he backhands me, making me spin and slam into the China cabinet. I feel the blood rushing from the wound on my head instantly.
"I'm sorry. I got called back into work because of a coding error that had to be fixed immediately. I can have dinner on the table in thirty minutes."
Ken rushes me and grabs my neck. "How about I tell you that you have to wait because someone else was more important, and I couldn't fulfill one little fucking thing asked of me?"
"Ken…" I claw at his hands as I call out his name. "You're strangling me!"
"Good! Maybe I'll toss your body over the balcony and say you committed suicide."
"Please, let me go!"
"I'll never let you go. I'll kill you before I ever give you up." Ken flings me to the side, slamming me into the kitchen island. "Forget the food, I want to fuck now."
Bending me over the island, I hear him unzipping his pants, and I cannot let him stick his dick in me one more time. So, when he's busy trying to get his pants down, I make a decision and reach over and grab the butcher knife from the block.
I don't wait for the right time to do it. Swinging my hand downward, I dig the knife right into a meaty thigh, and a howl of pain ensues. "You fucking bitch! You're going to pay for that!"
I twirl and plunge the knife into his shoulder next, then his arm, then his hand. It continues as I scream and let all my anger out as I swing the knife down time and time again. "Fuck you, you son of a bitch! Burn in hell, you fat fuck!"
Dropping the knife on the floor, I back away from his still form. I don't know when we fell to the floor, but as I climb to my feet, the situation I just got myself into becomes clear. Fuck. I'm so screwed.
Just as I go to walk away, his hand wraps around my ankle, and I fall to the floor. Grabbing hold of the knife once again, I stab it into his stomach, and he finally lets go of me. A gurgling comes from his lips, and he stares at me as he rattles out, "You will pay for this…"
I sit up in the big king-size bed, panting and sweating. I almost forget where I am, but then the familiar objects start to take shape, and I begin to feel safe again. I lie against my pillow and close my eyes, but a thought runs through my head.
Am I really safe being back in Nyte's Hall again?
I know my stepfather is gone, but Phoenyx has changed. Will he be like his father now that I'm back and after our history together? Will he allow me to finally be free, or have I just moved from one prison to another?
Looking at the clock, I see that it's almost five in the morning. I'll never get back to sleep now, so I fling the covers off and go to my suitcase, where I packed one set of workout clothes. After changing into them, I leave my room and head to the gym.
It was the day my world fell apart that I started getting into working out.
It helped relieve the pent-up anger and frustrations that I had on a daily basis.
I hid it all well. I had to. Working out has become my solace and has stayed with me all these years.
There were times I wasn't physically able to because of Kenneth's treatment of me.
To this day, I don't understand why my stepfather gave me to such a vile man after everything that happened that day of all days.
I also gave him my promise and stuck to it.
I never knew how much he hated me until then.
I'm worried that Phoenyx will do the same thing.
I know I said I would do anything for his protection, but there is one thing I won't do: marry again without love as the foundation.