Maybe I deserve this…this…betrayal. Maybe the decisions I made when I lived in the Realm of the Gods are finally catching up to me, barreling me over like an out-of-control bull.
Sweat slides down my forehead as pain lodges in my throat. Fucking pain. How can the physical type feel so damn good, while the emotional one destroys me?
Panting, I lean up against the nearest tree and remove my phone from my sweatshirt pocket. There are a few texts from the guys.
Arsin: Lookkkk I’m textingggggggg. Loveeeee me woman
Avery: You okay?
Desmond: I just put toilet water in Tate’s coffee. More details on how he reacts later. Love you! Stay safe!
Helio: where r u?
Nothing from Tate, though I shouldn’t be surprised.
And then, in a separate group chat, are numerous ones from my brothers. A smile springs to my lips before I can contain it, and tears prick my eyes as I read through their conversation.
Colton: We had fun last night, little sister!
Ray: I don’t like them.
Henry: Her “friends”?
Colton: Friends my ass! I think Emmy got herself a harem.
Ray: I can shoot them if you want. Make it look like an accident.
Henry: No need. I know how to dispose of a body without the cops ever knowing.
Ray: Burn the body and then crush up the remaining bones? Throw them in the ocean?
Henry: Yup. Or acid.
Ray: How the fuck would you get acid?
Colton: Y’all, I’m pretending I don’t hear this conversation. Deniability.
Henry: Coward.
Ray: Pussy
The laugh that escapes me is hollow and pained.
My brothers have always been three of my best friends. But, as Rebecca has taught me, I can’t always trust the bonds of friendship, now can I?
Placing my hand over my mouth, I release a muffled scream, channeling all of my pain and anger into that one, heart-wrenching sound. The anguish of their betrayal stops my heart. A sob tears past my lips, and my tears feel scorching hot on my suddenly icy skin.
But before I can give in to my grief, allow it to drag me away like a wave in the ocean, footsteps pound on the pathway behind me. Immediately, I whip myself behind the nearest tree, using it for coverage in case of an attack. I know, logically, that this newcomer could be just another jogger, enjoying the trails in the early morning sunlight, but I prefer to be cautious and alive than naïve and dead.
Ragged breathing reaches my ear as the person gets closer and closer. I brace myself, one hand on the tree and the other on my pepper spray. Yeah, I know. The Goddess of Pain should definitely have something more badass than simple pepper spray. Maybe a knife or bazooka? Hell, even my trusty bat would be more useful, but it’s kind of difficult to carry one along with you on a jog.
I can feel my power percolating in my stomach, the dark residue twisting and churning with every passing moment. My heart roars in my chest as the familiar tendrils of fear grip the organ in a tightening embrace.
A figure appears on the top of the nearest hill, the sunlight silhouetting his body in murky shades of gray and black. Still, I recognize him instantly—though I don’t move from my crouched position.
As he passes the tree, maintaining a light jog, I lunge forward and wrap my arm around his neck, causing him to stumble.
“What the fuck?” Tate growls as his fingernails dig into my wrists. It’s not sharp enough to sting, though I wish it would. I really, really wish it would.
“Why are you following me, asswipe?” I hiss, releasing him and dancing stealthily away. He spins on the balls of his heels, his face contorted into a sexy as sin scowl. Really, it shouldn’t be fair that he can look that fucking gorgeous, even when he’s furious.
“Do you have to ask stupid questions?” he demands. I take a moment to eye his athleticwear, and my heart—which has steadily returned to a semi-normal tempo—speeds up once more with a damning vengeance. Fuck, Tate is a literal god, pun intended. The white shirt he wears conforms to his muscles, and with every move he makes, his biceps flex. He wears a pair of loose basketball shorts, despite the chilly weather. I’ve never been particularly attracted to a man’s legs before, but there’s no denying that Tate has great ones. Thick, with corded muscles and a prominent vein running down the side.
Suddenly, I’m exhausted, my body utterly spent. I can’t deal with Tate today and his constant mood-changes and his hot and cold attitude that never fails to send my thoughts into a tailspin.
“Just go.” There’s no hiding the enervation that has crept into my voice. All I want is to sleep the day away and forget everything that transpired the night before. Because pain? Emotional pain? It sucks.
Tate folds his arms over his chest and levels me with a cocky smirk. Normally, that smirk would both infuriate me and arouse me, but today, it only makes me even more tired.
“I’m not leaving,” he states firmly.
“I want you to go.” His gorgeous face, shadowed by the steadily rising sun, is suddenly too much for me. Everything about Tate is too much.
“Nope.” He pops the P, irritating me, and I throw my hands up in the air, rounding on him.
“I said that I want you to go,” I hiss, punctuating each word with a finger shoved at his sculpted chest. His cocksure smile remains firmly in place as he grabs the offending finger between his hands.
“And I said no.”
We glare at each other, a contest of wills. His dark, smoky eyes lock with my own, each of us begging the other to bend and snap. But I’ll be damned if I give into him again. Maybe the old me would’ve, but the new me is stronger than ever before. The pain of my brothers’ and Rebecca’s betrayal caused as much. There’s steel on my skin now, impenetrable armor that no one can destroy.
And that’s why I never lost
