Page 76 of Steel Rain

“No, you aren’t,” I said, feeling the sadistic blackness of my heart overtaken by the need for revenge. I placed the flat side of the blade against his cheek, carving it lightly down his gorgeous cheekbone. “But you will be, sweetheart. Oh,” I laughed, loud and joyful, before I schooled my features and snarled, “Youwillbe.”

Chapter 36

Ajax

Shewasbeautifulasshe stood over him. She centered herself, a small, cruel smile coming to her lips.

“Back away, boys,” she said in a commanding tone. “Let’s give Keith some room.”

Eoghan’s lips pulled back in a grin, his canine teeth catching the light of the overhead chandelier in a creepy, strange way.

Keith looked … relieved. Hetrulythought that she was being merciful. He thought he had a chance at living. Like the mouse fighting to get away from the snake it wasraisedto be eaten by.

As she was born to rule, Keith was born to break before her. I could see it so clearly in their entangled fates.

Keith scrambled to his feet, his blood mixed with the tears and snot on his face.

“Sinead, I’m sorry, I’m sure … if you …” Keith’s eyes came to me, and then turned back to my woman. “If you want out of the marriage contract, fine. I see it clearly now. You’re meant to be with him.”

“As if we needed your permission,” I snarled.

Sin put her hand up, her palm out to silence me, and I shut up.

It washerrevenge, after all. She was the champion, and I was the coach. I was there to back her play.

Sin’s eyes shut for a moment, then she looked up at Keith through her thick, black lashes. “You mean it?”

Her voice was high. Almost childish. It was a tone that I had never heard before. Innocent … and also very, veryfake.

But hope blinded Keith. Hope that he could get out of this alive. But he was a dead man walking.

“You’ll leave us alone?” She looked at me, then turned back to her prey. She was a cat, toying with the mouse, just batting it around a bit before she’d take her bite. “You’ll let me and Ajax …”

The words hung in the air. What would we be allowed to do? To fuck? To “go steady”? To date? Live together?

To marry?

“With my absolute blessing!” Keith was so full of relief and hope that he was blinded by it. It was as if he didn’t see the executioner’s ax as it made its final, high arc.

His blessing meant less than dog shit stuck to the bottom of my shoe.

“Really?” Her voice was breathy… eager, even. As if she truly cared that he’d allow us to be together. But Keith couldn’t see the look in her eyes, or the way her fingers twitched, aching to claw the skin from his flesh. My vicious little fighter wasplaying.

It bothered me that I was getting hard. Her cruelty … her downright inhumanity was making me admire her even more.

This man had wronged her, and she had learned to armor herself. She had built herself into the warrior she was now, and it was going to pay off right at this moment.

I prickled when her hands reached out to Keith, her palms up in a giving gesture. “I’m so glad to hear you say that.”

Keith, the fool, reached out to take her hand, and I repressed my laughter when she lunged toward him, grabbing his wrist as she turned around, pulling her wrist over her body, jutting up her hip so heflippedover her, and found himself on his back on the ground.

Her fist came down hard on his face, his head falling back and crashing on the ground. His skull cracked on the hardwood floor, leaving blood and other liquid behind.

“As if your word means anything to me.” Another punch, and she struck his cheek, his head turning to the other side. “As if you have any power over me!”

Another hit, and his head turned the other way.

“Sin … I … I …”

---