Page 38 of Rebel

At first, I wasn’t able to tell where the blood came from. I realized that Rebel’s eyebrow had been cut open. Crimson ran down the side of his face. He either didn’t know or didn’t care.

Both guys were back on their feet throwing punches. Rebel took one in the nose before catching the next. He grabbed River’s hand with both of his and twisted. River’s shout of pain cut through me. Rebel must have broken his wrist. I expected that to bring everything to an end. It didn’t.

With an angry cry, River used his good hand to punch Rebel in the throat. It must’ve hurt like hell because Rebel dropped to his knees. He coughed and gagged, making a strangled sound. That’s when River grabbed his hair and slammed his head against the ground, face first.

I gaped open-mouthed at the scene before me. Several people, including his friends, shouted at Rebel to get up. Both hands clutching the grass beneath him, Rebel raised his head and looked right at me.

A possessive gleam burned in his blue eyes. With sheer grit and determination, Rebel shoved to his feet, blocking River’s next hit. He tackled River to the ground, his arms flying as he pummeled River’s face. Blood sprayed.

Something overtook Rebel, bringing out a viciousness to him we hadn’t yet seen. He pounded River’s head against the ground while dropping fists into his face at record speed. Finally, he wrapped his hands around River’s throat and began to squeeze.

That’s when both groups made a move. The Kings rushed forward to grab Rebel, hauling him off River. The Venom guys picked up their friend, dragging him away. One of them turned back to shout at Rebel, calling him a piece of shit for trying to kill their friend. For a moment I worried things were going to escalate into a violent showdown between both groups.

A maniacal grin lit up Rebel’s face. He let his friends drag him away, staring down River the entire time. Without so much as blinking, he licked a drop of blood from the back of his hand.

“I fucking warned you, asshole,” Rebel shouted. “Stay the fuck away from Storm. Next time there will be nothing left of you for your friends to clean up.”

I cringed. I really hoped my brother hadn’t heard that. There were too many people. I didn’t see him anywhere. That didn’t mean he wasn’t around.

Needing to get away from the crowd and the craziness, I rushed across the graveyard, trying to lose myself among the crumbling headstones. I knew he was coming for me. Felt it before I saw him.

Soon Rebel appeared. He’d wiped most of the blood from his face, but a trickle continued to slide down his cheek from his wound. His face was a mottled mess of bruises that would no doubt worsen as the night went on.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” I demanded before he could speak. “How dare you use me as an excuse for violence? I don’t care if you and your friends have a beef with the Venom guys. I want no part of it. I want no part of you.”

Undeterred by my words, Rebel grabbed my chin in his strong hand, tipping my face up to his. “Feel better, pet? Would you like to tell me off some more? I’m listening.”

With his lips brushing against mine, I was suddenly unable to speak. I merely shook my head, wishing I possessed the strength to pull away. When he pressed his mouth firmly to mine in a kiss that overtook me, I fell headlong into him.

“Good. I’ll give you until the count of ten, and then I’m coming after you. Use your time wisely.” He inclined his head toward the forest behind the graveyard.

I did a double take. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?” Rebel quirked a brow. A sinister but sexy smile graced his lips. “I’m willing to give you a head start. I want you to run, pet. When I catch you, I’m going to fuck you until the entire party hears you screaming my name. Better get moving. Unless you’d prefer that I bend you over this headstone and take you right here.”

Rebel didn’t kid around about shit like this. I knew that. A surge of adrenaline filled me. I chugged back the last of my drink and shoved the empty bottle into his hand. Then I ran like hell.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

STORM

I fled the graveyard, moving as fast as my feet would carry me. More than a little drunk, my mind and body struggled to work together as I navigated my way through the headstones.

I thought I heard Athena call my name, but there was no stopping. Rebel would be right behind me in no time. I knew that he would catch me, and he would do exactly as he’d promised. My goal was to be as far from the party as possible before that happened.

The forest stretched wide behind the graveyard. I ran straight ahead at first before veering off to the left. Twigs cracked under my shoes. Leaves rustled as I pushed through. No doubt Rebel would know exactly which direction I’d gone. I wasn’t exactly being incognito here.

There was no way of knowing how far I’d run. My lungs heaved as I gasped for air. Slowing my pace, I listened hard for any sound of him behind me. Noises from the party in the distance reached me. Far away now.

I was starting to understand why some people said that silence could be deafening. The harder I strained to hear, the less I was able to make out anything specific. Everything was so quiet. It freaked me out.

Something creaked a few feet behind me. Even though I wasn’t able to see very far ahead, I took off running again. A tree branch slapped me in the face, scraping against my cheek. I touched the stinging wound, hoping it wasn’t bleeding. The moon provided enough light for me to make out the silhouettes of the trees around me, but that was about it. It sure didn’t help me see the tree roots sticking out of the ground.

My foot caught on a root, and I went down hard. Flinging my arms out to catch myself, pain slashed through one of my wrists. What the hell was I doing? Still playing Rebel’s games, even though I said I would quit. Why couldn’t I deny him?

“I didn’t think you would make it so easy.” Rebel loomed over me. He reached down to pick me up, holding me around the waist when I tried to break free. “Nice try, pet. I’ve already caught you. You’re not going anywhere.”

My hand seemed to move on its own when I slapped him across the face. “Why are you doing this to me? Why can’t you leave me alone?”

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