Twisted (Editing)

Chapter 18

Jonah's POV

I felt in the minute it started. I felt her heartbeat pick up, her excitement, all of it. My blood was boiling. Who was touching my mate? My hands shook with rage. "Who's the fucker who's touching her?" I curled my hands into a fist. If I didn't calm down I was going to punch through the wall. I changed my clothes and headed to the gym in the basement.

After exercising, I didn't have the immediate urge to strangle someone. I was in the showering when I heard the doorbell ring and someone go to answer it. So she was back. I wrapped a towel around my torso and stepped out as she headed to her room down the hall.

"Imani, how was the party?"

"Great." She averted her eyes downward. I could feel her emotions. It was a mixture of guilt, embarrassment, and fear.

"It was Ezra's party, wasn't it? He's a great host, isn't he? Parties at his house are the best." I watched as a thought passed through her head. Too good a host. I smiled, despite my urge to go over to his house and bash his skull in.

"Yeah, he is a good host. I'm going to sleep. Goodnight." She tried to bypass me. I stepped to the side.

"Can I have a goodnight kiss?"

"No." She moved to the other side and I followed. "Cut it out."

"We're mated Imani."

"I'll choose who I want to bestow my affections too. I don't give a damn about your moon goddess. I believe in Jesus." Bold words. Still, I could feel her embarrassment from looking at me without a shirt on. And something else. I put my hand on her shoulder and brushed back a braid that fell over her eyes when she took off the white wig.

"Goodnight Imani. Sweet dreams." She rushed past me and closed her door with a slam.

I would bring it up again later. As for Ezra...the two of us needed to have a talk...now.

___________________________________________________________

Liz stopped me near the front door as soon as she saw me. Her eyes were wide with panic. "Did you see?"

"What?"

"Jonah beat up Ezra last night during the party. He stormed in near the end and jumped him. It took seven people to pull him off and Ezra ended up unconscious."

I put my hand over my mouth. I did that. It was all my fault that it happened. I thought once he didn't bring it up last night that he didn't know, but of course, he knew. He probably knew the whole time the kiss as happening. "I can't believe it." Which was a lie. "I thought they were friends."

"I don't even know. I threatened to call the police but one of the twins, Emma, said that it was an old families problem and that they needed to handle it among themselves."

"I think I'm going to be sick." I walked towards the bathroom to wash my face. My head was light. Ezra got hurt because of me. It's my fault. Near the bathroom, a pair of hands grabbed me and pulled me into the janitor's closet. A hand clasped over top of my mouth.

"Imani." He whispered. "Did you hear about what I did?" His hand slid off my mouth and moved to lock the door.

"You're sick. Why did you have to knock him unconscious?"

"Because he kissed you." His breath tickled my ear as he spoke. "Did you think I wouldn't know?"

"Let me go," I commanded, steeling my voice. He wasn't going to scare me.

"Or what?"

"I'll scream."

"Have you ever heard of a witch Imani? They can make all sorts of things. Medication, magical objects, enchantments. Even ones for silencing." A tear ran down my cheek. No one would hear me scream then. "You know when I felt it, I was angry. Very angry. Then I realized it was my fault for not making it clear enough."

"Making what clear enough?"

"That you are mine," he whispered lowly, but the words still hinted danger. "I didn't want to be possessive. I wanted to spoil you, cherish you. But you need to know that you are mine and I am yours."

"I don't want you."

"That's too bad. Because you have me and you always have. We were literally made for each other."

"I'm not even attracted to you. The reason I kissed Ezra was that I'm actually attracted to him."

"Not attracted to me? Not at all?" His lips left my ear and moved to hover over the mark he'd left days earlier. He kissed it. I blew air out from between my teeth.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, nothing." He scratched his canines along the puffy skin. A sigh escaped me before I could stop myself. He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes, a smirk growing. "I thought you weren't attracted to me."

"I'm not. That was a hiss of pain. Stop scratching at it, it's sensitive."

"Sure it is. He nipped at it. My fingers dug into his arms. "Say it and mean it. Say you're not attracted to me. Not in the slightest."

"I can't. Not with you biting at me like that."

"You're not affected by it though--that's what you said."

A heat crept through me. "How are you doing that?"

"Doing what?" I groaned as he scratched at it with his teeth again.

"With your teeth. What did you do when you bit me?"

"I tethered us together and this patch of skin became sensitized."

"But when it rubs against my shirt straps I don't feel anything."

"I'm your mate. I gave you this mark." He traced it with his finger. "It reacts to me. So say it, Imani. Say that you're not attracted to me."

He brushed over it on purpose. I clamped my mouth shut to keep another noise from rolling off my tongue. He bit on the skin, pulling it a little with his teeth. Another groan flew out of my mouth.

"I thought so."

I stepped back, turned around and righted my shirt. Heat burned at my face, but thank God because of my dark skin it wasn't visible. He stood between me and the door.

"Can I go now?"

"We just got here."

"I didn't come here by choice," I snapped. "Haven't you embarrassed and belittled me enough for one morning?"

"No." He crossed the distance between up and placed his lips on mine. I sucked in my breath. Those mind-numbing feelings from before he bit me came back. I thought those were gone for good.

"You said the symptoms would go away."

"You're able to think aren't you? A bite isn't a way to sever connection forever, it's a way to build it."

He bit at my bottom lip with his canines. I backed up more and more until I hit the wall. He placed his arms on the wall by my head and leaned in.

It wasn't gentle like Ezra. It felt like a continuation of our normal arguments or fights. It was fiery. I pushed back and took a deep breath. He smiled at me, black hair falling over his eyes. He looked mischievous.

And it was so damn attractive. I curled my hands into fists. Only hours ago he beat Ezra into a pulp in his own home. Now he was kissing me. Or more importantly, I was kissing him and marveling at how beautiful he was. Where did my morals go?

"You're a terrible person. You could've killed him."

His smile fell. "Well aren't you the one kissing this terrible person? You're mine sweetheart." I pushed past him and unlocked the door as the bell rang. My lips were no doubt swollen and everyone would be able to tell what I was doing. "Don't try what you did last night again, because I will not be as nice as I was to the next guy as I was to Ezra." He pulled me back into his arm so his mouth was by my ear again.

"Next time, sweetheart, I'll tear his throat out." He released me and I fled the closet. Thankfully, he didn't come after me. My heart beat like a bullet and a mixture of fear and longing tore at me.