Chapter Two; Maroon

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Ebony

The suns rages in my eyesight, a star so bright it clouds out everything else as it makes my eyesight prickle and burn. Blinking is the only thing that keeps tears from spilling out. They are not from fear or sadness or any other emotion, but the lack of sleep that wears at me. Even though not from the predicament I'm in, tears are a weakness. I hadn't expected sleep, especially when every core instinct in me had been awake last night. A crack might have signaled an intruder. A bang that Xavier had stepped back, unharmed. But none of the sounds were any of those things. Just common criminals and nightly dramas. But I'm exhausted and wish I could sleep.

I have been waiting. For his men. Maybe even Xavier... but I'm not even sure if they're in different categories anymore. And, if he's not, then I was on his hit list.

Because Cole's men have no family, have no love, and have no remorse.

When I'm not itching with the feelings that are attached to me like leeches, I'm watching the blood encrusted phone. I will it to buzz. To be Damian telling me he's brought me back my brother. I'm too tired to try to scrub out the blood stains in between the buttons. Too tired to do anything but wait. Watch.

I feel useless. A ridiculous incompetence that has my eyes flickering to the knife I left on the floor when I left with Damian. The silence looms over me, and I'm waiting for Damian to call and tell me, 'He's dead. I'm sorry'.

But Damian gets what he wants, and that means keeping his promises to me. Especially when I'm the highest on his accessory-to-acquire list.

I startle when the phone vibrates and in a second I snatch it, slamming it to my ear. "Where are the-" my words are cut off when someone chuckles. It's deep and reverberating and makes me shake down to my very core.

Damian doesn't laugh. He prefers the cold silence that sends uncontrollable tremors down to your bone.

"My love. How nice to hear you. Desperate. Needy. Wanting." It's uncanny how much that voice warms the embers in the fireplace of my mind. How much I remember the bruises on every single inch of my body. How and where. But I will bow. No matter how much I hate Cole, how many scars litter my heart and skin from him, I will go back. For Xavier.

"Cole." The word is soft. A plea, a pathetic whimper. A hole in my armor. A mistake. He can smell my desperation now.

"Please what, my love? I hear the begging, but I want it louder." My eyes clench shut, and my hand tightens around the exterior so much I hear the plastic crack.

"Give him back to me, Cole. I'll do anything." The promise is contradicting the promise I made to Damian. He will want me. But Xavier is who I'm making false and shaky promises for.

"The party... annual hosting of the, can I say, Society. Do you know about that?" I exhale sharply. That is enough answer. "Come, my love, you'll be sorry you ever left." There is no malicious tone, just someone who means to amend things.

But Cole is one of the biggest players in this game I've met. I'll come alright. With my own pawn.

"Done. But he comes back to me safe." The phone hangs up, just an empty dial tone left.

He was going to learn not to mess with insanity.

---

Damian watches me as he crushes my dreams slowly. "No." I growl at him and lunge.

"You promised you man-slut. If I don't get him back-" I realize the opening in my side and he grabs and pulls on top of me, it takes a nano second for him to flip me to my front.

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