*** POV – Melaena
Not as they seem? Is he trying to claim innocence? How can his affairs, which are plastered over the news every week, by the way, be anything different? I look at his confronting emerald eyes and start throwing ideas through my mind. Did he just tell me not to judge his affairs? Does it look like I'm the judgy type?
"I'm not accusing you, but your shenanigans with the female species make for a very convincing closing argument. You could object that I don't have all the facts, and that's true, but everybody can witness the evidence of so-called flings in the tabloids and social media. Your face is plastered at least weekly, all over the internet, each time with a different brunette smiling at your side."
I suddenly wonder what it is with him and dark-haired girls. It's definitely his type. And I'm definitely not.
"Not to mention that I've experienced your love-em-and-leave-em deviltry first-handedly – TWICE. So, your honor, the accused is found guilty of being a play-boy heartbreaker. Court adjourned." I give him my best battle-winning smile ever and I feel even better when I see a touch of anger flickering in his eyes. At least it's an emotion for once.
"Damion, we're going to shoot some balls!" Logan calls, walking past us. Then I feel an arm encircling my waist from behind and a kiss lands on my cheek. I look up into Ren's warm brown eyes.
"Hi babe, sorry I'm late." Damion's expression on his face is now hard and cold. I hate that Ren calls me babe! It reminds me of the little talking pig flick and I'm not a pig, even though he was very cute.
Ren holds out his hand to Damion. "Hi dude, I'm Ren, Mel's boyfriend." I may be wrong, but I'm sure he pushed the last words out on purpose. Damion hesitates just for a second, staring into Ren's eyes, his own pulled into a frown, blazing as if it's on fire. He turns around, and walks away without another word, ignoring Ren’s hand. Ug, that guy will drive me to alcohol, man-whores, and the murdering of small-brained rodents!
"Friendly chap that one, like always." Ren frowns.
"I didn't realize that you know him."
"Oh, I haven't met him before, but he has a reputation, and he likes to use it. I'll be back, just going to see if I can find Jason." I watch his back while he walks off. He's a very handsome man, with a nice body, brown hair and dark eyes. I'm so lucky to have such a laid-back, friendly, and understanding guy in my life. Just think if you have someone like Damion as your boyfriend - moody, complicated, mysterious, cocky, and grumpy. No thanks! Suddenly, I feel sorry for that Chloe girl. Maybe that's why she's such a bitch! But it doesn't mean I like her, because I don't!
I wonder what he meant about Damion using his reputation. Maybe he uses his fame to pick up girls, not that he needs to. And I know for a fact that Damion hates that part of his job the most. The fame – not the girls. I turn back to the bar and order another fruity drink, sipping it slowly while eyeing the room, trying to find Kiara or Axel. They could be in the games room playing pool. I side-step a few times trying to avoid bumping into a drunk person and walk into my uncle's man-cave, just to find Damion shooting some balls all alone.
"You stalking me?" I ask pointing a finger at him.
"I could ask the same question since I was first here." Again with that freaking smirk. He leans over the table to shoot and I'm left with a perfect view of that fine ass.
"Have you seen Kiara?"
"I'm not her keeper, am I?" OMG, he just has no manners at all. He puts down the cue and leans against the table, arms crossed, checking me out with a strange sparkle in his eyes.
Then someone staggers through the door, holding on against the walls. It's Jason and it takes him a few minutes to register that it's me standing before him. He blinks his bloodshot eyes several times and then a smile appears on his drunken face.
"Oh, hi beautiful." He tries to stand up straight but falls forward onto my chest, grabbing my breast in his hand.
"I warned you, Steward, keep your hands off her!" I hear an angry growl from somewhere and Jason flies back and hits the wall with a loud thud. He gets up and looks surprised at Damion, now standing with his hands in fists. He seems tense. Jason focuses on Damion's face and he pulls himself straight.
"I'm not scared of you anymore." He shoves Damion back, pushing him with his hands, slurring his words. "And you can stick your threats up your ass ... You can't ... tell me what .... to do ... I'm not staying away from her anymore ... I'm going ... to fuck ... her and nothing you say will scare me ..." What the hell is the guy blabbering about? He must be drunker than I thought 'cause he sloshes his words around. He launches a pathetic punch aimed at Damion's face, but Damion dodges it with ease, and then his fist flies out and hits Jason square on the jaw. He passes out, sliding down the wall into a sitting position.
I step back, bump into Damion and start to lose my balance, but his strong hands grasp my middle, keeping me upright.
"What was that about? You just hit the guy!" Not that I don't like it, 'cause I do, he deserved it, but still. That BEAST smirk turns into a cocky grin that he knows is sexy as hell. He knows exactly what he's doing to my libido. I mean he's been trained or schooled to get under a girl's skin, or in her pants ... A voice in the back of my head tells me to run far away, but I don't listen. My body is winning this round, hands-on, and it's as if my mind is not even trying to fight back.
"Stop doing that," I can't let him see how he affects me.
"What?" His cocky grin now turns even sexier and his eyes, oh boy, don't even get me started with that.
"That thing you're doing with your eyes! It might work with other girls, but I find it annoying!" Annoyingly sexy that is.
"Really?"
"Yes, not everybody thinks you're hot, you know." His grin gets even bigger.
"I never had complaints before, but good to know! I'll put that in my confidence-building speech." He pulls me so close that my breasts are squashed against his chest, and I'm sure he can feel my hard nipples through both our clothes. I tilt my head up to him, his eyes trapping me and I can't move, my heart beating so hard I swear it's going to explode. He cradles me between his legs, moving his hips against mine while pushing me up against the pool table. So many times have I dreamed about experiencing feelings exactly like this, utterly consumed by somebody, sparks flying, but why does it have to be HIM?
The look in his eyes is a combination of danger and trouble, and it's so intense it terrifies me. With one hand, he tucks my hair behind my ear, moving his fingers to stroke my neck. A shiver moves down my body and causes an aching feeling between my thighs. A soft moan escapes my lips and I bite my lower lip, preventing another sound to slip past it. I want him to do all the terrible things to my body that I've read about. He licks his lips and I want to move my hand, and push my fingers through his hair, but instead, I just press my palms against his chest. Then he places his forehead against mine and inhales deeply.
"You're mine, Mel Blackburn. You just don't have any idea what you're doing ... " His voice is husky and soft.
"Mel, you in here?" Kiara calls from just outside the door, interrupting him. Damion removes his hands, leaving me feeling both cold and hot at the same time. And it hits me so hard that I need to steady myself against the pool table just to not fall to the ground - I'm in love with the devil! Oh, shoot. I'm in love with the freaking devil himself! Did I say that already? Ship! Ship! Ship! Ship! I feel my blood draining from my body and it feels as if I'm going to faint. No, I must be confusing love and hate again. My heart doesn't know what it's doing, I must just listen to my mind saying I hate him. I hate him, I hate him, I hate him. That's better, now I can breathe again.
Kiara and Axel enter the room, followed by my brothers. They don't look too surprised to see Jason still lying limp against the wall in an awkward position, and they don't ask. Damion pushes past everybody without saying a word but he bumps into Ren, and without warning, he grabs a surprised Ren, holding his shirt collar in a tight grip.
"I'm not scared of your threats, Grimm!" Ren grumbles, a strange light in his eyes. His body seems tense, as if he actually is scared, contradicting his words.
"You should be," Damion says calmly and removes his hands slowly. He wipes some imaginary dust from Ren's shoulder and then pats his cheek with his flat hand a few times before he storms off.
"What's wrong with him?" Kiara asks.
"Ug, with that dickhead you never know!" Enrique's arm is still around the ginger, but his eyes are on me hanging onto the pool table for dear life, my legs too wobbly to stand on.
"Hey, my friend's not a dickhead .... he's just a little messed up sometimes." Logan looks at Jason's limp body, pulling his mouth into an upside-down smile before he too eyes me.
"There's something mysteriously wrong with that guy, and I want you to stay away from him," Ren tells me, still angry after getting manhandled, his eyes are so full of hate that it scares me. I want to tell him that he can't tell me what to do but my voice hasn't returned yet.
"Maybe you're the one she must stay away from!" Jackson hisses at Ren, staring at him with a stern face. For some reason, Jackson despises my boyfriend. Ren just swallows hard and then moves closer to me.
"He's freaking hot." Enrique looks at the beauty in his arms as if he didn't know she could actually speak.
"Peops, you hear this ...." Enrique says in a mocking voice. The girl looks up at Enrique's teasing eyes and pouts her lips for a kiss.
"Jealous?" Enrique gives her a little peck but doesn't answer. If she knew my brother, she would know that Enrique never EVER gets jealous over a girl.
"She's right, he for sure is one of the best-looking men I've ever seen." Kiara agrees with the redhead. "But he's way too dark and moody for my taste." She continues glancing at Logan as if he's going to disapprove, but Logan just pouts his mouth.
"He's the type everybody warns you to stay away from, but you just can't do it, and then he shatters your heart into millions of pieces." Maybe the girl in my brother's arms is not as dumb as I thought her to be. She actually said something that I believe is true.
"Yep, exactly!" I suppose Kiara also thinks it's a precise description of Damion.
"What do you think, sis, is he handsome?" Jackson, like always, must stir the pot even if it's empty. All eyes move towards me and my mouth feels dry like the driest desert and I swallow hard. Anger gets hold of me. He's a freaking pain.
* ***POV - Melaena "Who the fudge cares!" Jackson smiles eerily as a serial killer would at his victim, but I don't give a hooting hell at this moment. I'm mad – mostly at myself for being so weak - and take big strides towards the bar without a word before anybody thinks to ask some more questions. Like, why am I so worked up over my little brother's stupid bloody friend? That right there is a VERY very good question. The asshole enjoys making me suffer, getting under my skin, and making me angry on purpose. Gmf, telling me I don't know what I'm doing! Hell, excuse me for not being a total slut and not jumping everybody's bones. I hope I never see the likes of him again ... ever!!! I order a drink, trying to calm myself down. Ren pulls me into his arms and I rest my head on his strong chest. I'm glad my boyfriend is not a psychotic, unfeeling, heartless maniac like certain other people. Sociopath – I'm sure he pulls girls' hearts out for fun and buries them in his backyard
*** POV - Damion Logan drags me – irritated by the whole situation might I add - to pick up his sisters or something. We walk through the school doors to meet her inside, something about wanting to make her angry – I’m not sure, but I follow his lead. All the girls are checking us out, trying to get our attention, but I just ignore them – I’m so fed up with girls throwing themselves at me by now. I fake a bored yawn, feeling even more pissed off at my friend for landing me in this situation. But then I almost choke halfway through the yawn. The big number 13 on the back of the black jacket … my jacket … the one I gave to that girl. I quickly glance at the sleeve only to find my surname changed to ‘grim reaper’ with a cute chibi cartoon reaper painted where the second ‘M’ used to be … but it’s mine. My eyes scan over the rest of the girl standing at her locker, her blonde hair curling down to her hot as fuck ass in some tight jeans. It demands me to stand up and pay fucking attent
***POV - Damion Over the years, I truly tried to keep my distance from her, struggling to keep control when she’s around. I really did … and mostly succeeded. But once, after putting pink roses on the steps of the haunted house, I let my emotions numb my mind and I dragged her with me to sneak into the zoo. Everything felt so right, it was just amazing – one of the best times on the worst day of my life. I felt so brave … strong enough to face anything. But after I dropped her off, the shadows appeared from their hiding spots … I got scared shitless – frightened of the control she had over me; like a fucking voodoo doll. I realized that if she stuck a needle in the doll’s heart, I’ll never recover. Not to mention that I’ll have to break my rules, the only thing that keeps me in line, the only thing that keeps me from falling down the dark hole. So, being the dick I am, I made sure that she saw the brunette on my bike the next day. I got back control, but the hurt in her eyes would
***POV – Melaena D: Mayday! Mayday! A little actor is dying! I’ve changed his caller-id on my phone so I know when it’s him. I put away my phone. I’m not going to let one crazy guy ruin my life. He’s been sending me messages almost every day since that first time at the party. Mostly I just ignore them, but it’s starting to creep me out – this ‘mayday’ shit is something new because usually he just rants on about how I belong to him and that soon we’ll be together. And what does he mean by dying … could someone be after Enrique? Would he go as far as trying to kill my brother? Nope … it’s just a joke. Perverted ass-hat stalker! “This overall is ridiculously unflattering!” Kiara shouts while bursting into my bedroom, pulling at the fabric of the black overall covering her lean body. “I don’t think looking stylish on the paintball course was what they had in mind when they designed this.” I tease my best friend, looking down at my matching black outfit. “At least we’re on the same
***POV - Melaena I see Damion’s mouth move but my heartbeat pounding in my ears causes ferocious drumming inside the helmet, deafening me for a few moments. I take a deep breath and close my eyes to calm my ticker down and when the thumping slowly stops, I can hear his voice. “You okay?” He asks as soon as the grievous bodily harm to him stops. I nod and then I hear Enrique laughing from behind some logs. Douchbag! “Enrique, you’re going to be a bloating carcass when I’m finished with you!” Damion shouts, but Enrique just laughs harder. I smell that fresh, citrus, and woody scent I have come to associate with Damion over the years. Dior … he’s the face of Dior … and if I have to take a wild guess, today he’s wearing Sauvage. Mixed with sweat! But somehow it triggers my butterflies. They must be drawn to the musky smell of perspiration. I barely register the pain from the bruised wounds on my torso as it is being drowned out by the heightened, throbbing ache between my legs. Th
***POV - Damion I sit at the table with the guys in my grim-reaper suit next to Enrique. Ilkay, a psycho doctor, and Axel, a werewolf, are opposite us. Logan, a devil, is talking to Cat-woman in a dark corner. My gaze scans the room, secretly looking for a certain person. My heart gives a double beat when my eyes eventually find her walking down the stairs. She’s dressed in a short black skirt with white lace trimmings and small red roses around the hem; a short tight black crop top exposes her toned tummy, while black net stockings with knee-high black boots clad those perfect legs. Her face is painted lightly white with black circles around her eyes, red lips, and a stitched-in smile. Her light hair is hanging loose over her shoulders with red roses on the top of her head. Coincidentally, her sugar-skull girl theme fits perfectly with mine. My bitch-stick moves, but I just smile - I came prepared today. I didn’t get dressed as a reaper solely because of my surname … no, I can e
***POV - Melaena I run between the flowerbeds and up to the glass building where my class started ten minutes ago, wondering if it will be okay to rush in or if I should rather just miss it altogether. My professor hates it when we’re late, and I wonder if she’ll understand if I explain that Jackson was released from the hospital this morning. He was lucky - the knife penetrated his lung - but because Ilkay and Deimos were there, he survived with only a small scar to show for his ordeal. The frustrating part is that we still don’t know who D is or why he wants revenge. Jackson didn’t see the person sticking the knife between his ribs from behind, but he did manage to hit the man with his elbow. Axel and the police checked everybody at the party … but no one other than the paintball guys showed any marks on their bodies … which left us to believe that the attacker either escaped or he is one of the 20 or so guys that attended the paintball match. We’ve been going over the list, che
* ***POV - Melaena A neon sign lights up above us. INFERNO. I drive around the building and park at the back, knowing that there’s always paparazzi lurking in the front. Enrique and Logan are both famous and the reporters just love to hang out at their club, to write about their spicy social lives. And with Damion and Jackson also being here most of the time, this is a paparazzi paradise. Lucinda’s eyes grow big with astonishment. “We’re going in there?” She points to the club, pushing back her glasses again, and I nod my head. She types a message on her phone and puts it back in her handbag. “It’s my brothers’ club, so we can eat for free.” Her eyes grow even wider. “I didn’t know you have a brother.” She’s almost prancing with excitement next to me. “Actually, I have four.” Her mouth drops open and then she just shakes her head. The guard opens the back door for us without a word. I take Lucinda by the arm as she’s almost frozen with amazement and we walk up the stairs to th