Page 11 of Mariposa
“O-O’Connell. K-Kade O’Connell, sir!”
Kade? O’Connell?
As in…?
No.
It can’t be.
“It’s Master Sergeant O’Connell.” His tone shifts into something dangerously calm, and I honestly think it’s more intimidating than when he yells.
I blink rapidly as my brows knit together, trying to defy human anatomy and not break into a sweat. I tighten my fistsand try to sneak a glance, but I decide against it when the tall, massive shadow moves toward me.
No.
I drop my eyes to the ground just as large, sandy combat boots come into play in front of my own planted footing. My feet look obnoxiously smaller than his.
I’ve caught the attention of the monster everyone’s been whispering about on the first damn day.
Just my luck.
“Isla…” he murmurs nonchalantly like he’s bored. His massive fingers poke at the last name on my uniform. I trail my eyes from his long legs onto his broad, muscular chest. He’s wearing the same camo top. He has tattoos on one side of his arm. Detailed snakes and skulls are intertwined with each other. He folds his arms against his chest. I try not to stare, but his body demands everyone’s attention.
He’s standing in front of me like he’s ready to light the whole world aflame because he’s pissed. He’s in the flesh, and dammit, he’s enchanting. The kind of beauty that radiates masculinity and villainously handsome features.
His dark brown, shaggy, wavy hair is gelled back on the sides. He has a dark, short beard with little strands of blond and silver that hug his perfect, sharp jawline. His lips are perfectly shaped and full. There’s a scar on his neck, and another massive one cut straight through his brow and seared into his cheek, like he was slashed by something. Even his aviator sunglasses cannot disguise the large diagonal scar. His tongue darts and sweeps his bottom lip like he’s not impressed by me.
Finally, he removes his sunglasses, and I’m met with cruel, mismatched, ice-cold eyes. One is a bright navy blue, and the other is a vibrant green. Eyes that could make any girl’s heart stop and blood turn into liquid fire.
He narrows his eyes at me like he’s testing me, studying me like I’m a parasite. His jaw ticks as I hold his gaze. If he’s trying to intimidate me, he’ll be waiting a long time; I’m not going anywhere. I keep a poker face, hoping it’s enough to mask that even though I’m here with a fight in my spirit, I can’t help but want to sink into a little hole and hide whenever he’s around.
“I’m Kade O’Connell.” He tilts his head upward, no longer giving me a death stare, and faces the rest of the class. “You all are in my hell now! I run this inferno, and if you want to see the light at the end of this tunnel, you’ll have to fight for it!” he growls. Flashes of his perfectly straight white teeth and sharp canines make their presence known, along with the vein in his neck pulsating as his deep voice continues to wreak havoc. Booker and the rest of the instructors smirk, with their arms crossed—all incredibly fit and massive. They’re watching every single student light up with fear as we all shout, “Yes, sir!”
“You’ll have to fucking earn it!” he exclaims, like he’s enjoying this a bit too much.
He turns back to me, forcing butterflies to flock and gear into fight or flight mode in the middle of my chest. I look straight into his heterochromatic eyes again so he knows I can take him. I won’t let him or any of my instructors intimidate me.
He whistles and hollows his cheeks with a quick tilt of his chin.
“I’m going to enjoybreaking you…” A short, unsettling pause slithers in between us.
He has his sights set on me, doesn’t he?
But then he finishes his taunting sentence.
“All,” he says slowly, but this time, he finishes his rant calmly, giving me and everyone here a whiplash. He smiles darkly because even though he’s announcing it for everyone to hear, it’s me whom he’s looking directly at, like he can’t wait to see me fail. His boots skid amongst the dirt and pebbles as hewalks away, taking the ability to breathe oxygen into my lungs with him.
I’ve done exactly what I didn’t want to…caught the attention of the one they call the Beast.
6
KADE
TEN MONTHS UNTIL GRADUATION
Violet Isla.
When I first met her, I had no clue who she was, but after catching up with Penny, she mentioned that Adam’s girlfriend was in the course.
