Page 16 of Fighting Shadows

“Charlie,” Atlas states, barely acknowledging him, unable to tear his eyes from the screen.

I feel his body turn rigid beside me; his muscles are tense and ready to strike. Dominic senses the tension and comes around to see what flipped the switch in Atlas.

We watch in horror as Charlie reaches back, his arm outstretched between the seats and gropes our girl’s thigh possessively.

The wooden chair creaks as Atlas’s hand squeezes it in a death grip.

Dominic, on the other hand, loses all self-control. He lifts the chair in front of him and smashes it into shards; his deafening yells as he lets out all of his feelings about his surroundings.

His legs give out, his body crumpling to the ground. Atlas rushes to catch him, folding his legs into himself as he goes down with him.

I knew we would eventually hit breaking point, but I never thought Dominic would break first.

I watch on helplessly as Atlas tries to console a broken Dominic, tears shimmering in his own eyes as he tries to hold them back.

Dominic’s body shakes as heavy sobs rack his entire body. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him cry; he has always been this unstoppable force. He's a little psycho, sure, but I never thought I’d see him like this.

Zander rushes in, Mrs. McKay following.

Their eyes widen as they take in the destruction that now surrounds us.

Mrs. McKay takes one look at Dominic’s crumpled body, her eyes filling with sympathy.

“Come on now, Demon Boy. Let’s get you up so the others can clean this mess up,” she says, approaching him as if he’s a scared fawn ready to bolt.

And maybe he is; his eyes are terrified as he looks up at her.

“I lost her,” he mumbles, ducking his head in shame.

We all shout out protests, but I know he’s not hearing us right now, too lost in his head for us to reach him.

Mrs. McKay clicks her tongue at him, her hand outstretched for him to take.

She leads him from the room, leaving us to clean up his destruction.

Filling Zander in on how we got here, we nearly destroyed the dining table, but thankfully, between the two of us, we managed to talk him down.

“You good now?” I ask Zander, my hand clamped on his shoulder as he tries to control his erratic breathing.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be ok until she’s home again. I lived for the fight. I let the anger simmer constantly, but I had none of it with her. I felt calm and happy. I didn’t even miss the fighting when I stopped, and now all those feelings are sitting there,” he says, his head slumped as he tries to piece himself back together.

Just like we all have been.

Even though it seems impossible without her, we need to try to stay pieced together long enough to bring her home.

Chapter 9

Charlie

‘Teeth – 8 Graves’

Ten days…

She’s still barely coherent.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go.

She was supposed to be mine by now. Cradled happily in my arms as I rock my cock into her sweet cunt, her lips parted as she begs for more.

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