The Art Of Seduction ✓

|45| Growl

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"... you don't have to wait for someone to treat you bad repeatedly. All it takes is once, and if they get away with it that once, if they know they can treat you like that, then it sets the pattern for the future." 

Jane Green, Bookends

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PIPER WOULDN'T STOP growling as I plonked on the sofa, reading my chemistry notes. I'd long since given up coaxing her to stop growling or to see why she was. There wasn't anything on the floor that could make her growl. 

Maybe she was practicing.

So I ignored her as I focused on studying. I was highlighting my notes when I heard a sharp yell from upstairs. I glanced down looking for Piper to notice she was missing. There was a yelp, without thinking twice, I grabbed a knife from the kitchen, dashing upstairs. 

The voice was distinctively male. 

My palms were sweating when I was upstairs, the noises of my dog and a man came from my parents room. I wanted to run away. 

Kaden.

Hands shaking, I called him, keeping the phone in my pocket and praying he'll answer and rescue me in case things take a turn for the worse. 

The sound of Piper crying made me push open the door to see the man. He was about three inches taller than I was, jet black hair possibly ten years older. He was fit, very fit, not as big as Joey but bigger than Kaden. 

But what stopped me from throwing the knife and running was seeing Piper on the ground, underneath the man's boot. "Let go of her," I screamed, holding the knife threateningly up. The man glanced up, shock plainly written on his face.

For a minute he stared at me, and the knife. 

Piper stopped crying. 

"Let go of my dog," I repeated, courage flooding into my voice. I tipped my head to the side.

He obliged, "You must be Amy's kid." He let go of Piper, who moved a distance back, I didn't glance at her because I was afraid to look away from the man.

The man caught me off guard, I lowered my knife slightly. 

In that moment, a lot of things happened. I heard someone moving up the stairs and then the man, with my knife lowered grabbed my arm painfully, so painfully that I dropped the knife, he wasn't done there, he twisted my arm painfully that I couldn't stop a cry that followed and then with my back facing the man, he pushed the part behind my knee, so I fell gracelessly on the ground. 

I heard the sound of a shot, then the weight on my back was released as the man was pushed off me. 

When I turned around, I saw a familiar lean body of Kaden pushing the man and there was so much shouting and barking that I could barely make out the words. 

My head ached but I picked up the knife from where I dropped it, just to be safe. 

Kaden and the man were rolling on the ground, my head was aching but something was off about the man. How did he know my mum's name? It took me a minute and enough time for the man to get a firm hold on Kaden for the pieces to connect.

"Let go of him," I whispered harshly, fear replaced with anger.

The man was taller and bigger than Kaden but he clearly knew how to fight, he'd pinned Kaden to the floor in a way that he had probably done to me.