Page 15 of Playing With Piper

Something inside me snaps, and I’m shoving my lips against Blade’s. The kiss is a battle of dominance, teeth and tongues clashing for victory. A whimper slips out when Blade bites down on my bottom lip.

“You know your place, Piper. I may get on my knees for you, but don’t forget thatyou’rethe expert in begging,” Blade grunts against my mouth. I nod in agreement because I’m too far gone to object. We both know he’s right, and if it wasn’t for Owen still sitting on the bed, I would’ve shown Blade just how nicely Idobeg for him. I’m at his mercy, always, and he knows it, unfortunately.

Owen clears his throat, and I groan when Blade pulls away, annoyed. We both glare at the man sitting on the bed, who’s staring at us with a blank expression.

“Are you two done, yet? Jesus Christ, what the fuck is wrong with you two?” Owen says, annoyance laced with a hint of disgust in his voice.

“Do you seriously wanna do a deep dive into all our problems? Because, quite frankly, it seems likeyou’rethe reason for a few of mine,” I roll my eyes. Owen scoffs.

“Oh,please. Save it. You’ve caused me some of my own problems, you pretentious bitch,” Owen finally shows an ounce of emotion. I tilt my head in confusion.

“We’ve had like three halfass conversations before. What is your beef with me?” I almost laugh in his face, but I refrain. My curiosity is begging for more, but the humor in this entire situation isn’t lost on me.

“You took my brother away from me!” Owen concedes, struggling against his restraints. He looks like he wants to kill me, but he might just look like that all the time. I think the crazy in his eyes might be genetic because I’ve seen it in Blade’s eyes, too. The only difference is that Blade has never looked at me with anything close to murderous intent. It seems Owen’sonlyemotion toward me is psycho rage.

“What the fuck are you talking about?Youtried to kill him!” I’m losing it. I have to be. There’s no fucking way this dude is blamingmefor Blade disappearing when it directly stems fromhiscrazy.

“Before that! He was mine first!” Owen screams. Blade crosses the room until he’s standing directly in front of his brother. I watch as he leans in close, whispering something that I can’t hear. Owen smirks.

“Don’t,” Blade warns his brother. He looks like he’s holding back from killing him right this second. Ilook to him with knitted brows, but Blade refuses to meet my gaze.

“Don’t what?” I squint, crossing my arms. Blade ignores me, and Owen’s smirk turns to a sinister grin.

“Am I your little secret, baby brother?” Owen asks. Something builds inside me, and I’m not sure if it’s fear or disgust. Both, I assume.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I ask, voice wavering as I think of all the worst possible outcomes.

“Blade wasmybest friend first, Piper. We used to doeverythingtogether,” Owen laughs darkly. My stomach sinks further, and I glance over at Blade for an explanation. My heart hurts for him because I can’t be sure what he had to endure until he fills me in.

“Blade–”

“We weren’t friends, you fucking freak! You were my abusive older brother who loved to kick me around like a fucking ragdoll! You made me– God, you’re fucking vile, and I can’t wait until you’re dead!” Blade screams at his brother. Spit flies out of his mouth when he screams. It lands on Owen’s cheek, causing the older sibling to laugh.

“Go ahead, Blade. Pretend like it was terrible. We both know that you could’ve tried harder to stop it,” Owen continues laughing as he blames Blade.

My blood turns to stone as the words leave Owen’s mouth. My breathing turns shallow as I look tothe older man still sitting on the bed. Hatred runs its course through me, and I picture every way I could kill Blade’s brother. In this moment, I’d be willing to risk all I am if it means that Blade doesn’t have to worry about this asshole ever again.

“You abused your own brother?” I ask quietly. My unblinking eyes are burning with unshed tears as I stare at Owen. The motherfucker has the audacity to grin. He nods like he’s proud of it. I guess most abusers are.

“Does it make you feel good? Powerful? Knowing that you were hurting a child. Did it get you off even after it was all over?” I ask him quietly as I grab Blade’s knife off the entertainment center. He tries to object, but I don’t give him the option. I can’t look at him, or I might break down before I can do this. Owen looks at me unamused when I take a step closer, but he doesn’t answer.

I dig Blade’s knife into Owen’s thigh, and he finally makes a noise of discomfort. He hisses in pain while I crouch in front of him.

“Answer me, freak,” I hiss while twisting the knife. Owen spits on me, and I slap him hard enough to make my hand sting.

“Every fucking time,” Owen grits. I snatch the knife out of his flesh before slamming it back in again.

“How many times? How long?” I probe. My fingers ache from how hard I’m gripping the knife, but I don’t even think about easing up.

“Go to hell,” Owen growls.

“You first. How fucking long did you abuse your own fucking brother?” I say, scaring myself with how calm I sound. The war raging inside me threatens to spill out, but I need him to answer me.

“Go to–”

“A year,” Blade answers quietly. I look up at him, gaze softening as I nod in understanding. I stand up and pull the blade from Owen’s leg. Blood spills out, marking the already yellowed sheets with a sinner’s life source. Owen lets out a huff, still glaring at us, and he’s panting now.

“Tell me that you’re okay with me doing this,” I whisper to Blade. He swipes his thumb over the single tear trickling down my cheek, and I’ve never seen this much love in his eyes.

---