Crash and Burn (1)

can't stay quiet when you're on your knees for me

♚ ♛

"YOU ARE NOT DRINKING right now!"

Breathe.

Inhaling deeply, I stomped up to him and whipped the bottle out of his hand. His eyes leveled with mine, icy and angry. "I thought you didn't like to drink, Calloway."

"I don't." He snapped quick enough to make me flinch back. "But you're pissing me off right now and I'm too sober for that."

Biting hard on my bottom lip, I nearly drew blood. Why him? Why had I gotten stuck with him? "I'm pissing you off?"

Instead of replying, Soren snatched the bottle back and took a long swig. Grimacing, he threw his head back afterwards. "Ah, odio esta mierda."

"Are you insane, Soren?!" I was so close to snapping. I was going to throttle him. Seth was coming to Red Hook, probably hoping to fucking murder me and Soren was going to blow our one shot to kill him by getting trashed. By being trashed. He was already drunk. "What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Soren sneered, stepping up to me until we were chest to chest again. I had to look up to meet his gaze, but when I did, I wished I hadn't. It was glacial, the icy anger in those green orbs almost freezing me in my spot. "What the hell is wrong with you? All I do is help you, Lacey. And you still manage to throw it all back into my face."

Baffled, I swiveled backwards. "What?"

Soren let out a shaky sigh, setting the bottle down. I'd thought that he was done talking but he finally pinned me with a glare and seethed, "You drive me fucking crazy."

I drive him crazy?

Oh my god. This fucking man.

"Why, huh?" I hissed forcefully, stepping closer to him. "Because you can't control me? Or because I'm not afraid of you? Soren, I d-"

My words broke off as my back hit the edge of the bar, his chest pinning me against it. Blinking rapidly, I could only catch the slight orange glint on a blade before he was tilting my chin upwards. My breath caught in my throat when Soren slid the tip of his knife under my chin. "It would be rather poetic, no?" He drawled in that husky accent. "If I killed you before he even got here? I'd be more than one step ahead."

I couldn't muster any words when the cold blade softly grazed my jaw.

Threats mean nothing if you don't follow through on them.

My heart hammered in my chest as I narrowed my eyes at him, watching the way his gaze steadied on me. The killer in him was strangely acute while drunk. "That would really piss him off, no? How long has it been, huh? 7 months, Lace? All that time he's been trying to kill you..." he mused, his other hand snaking up to my throat, slowly, softly, seductively, "you afraid yet?"

Gritting my teeth and swallowing back all the panic, I blinked and focused on his eyes. They were swirling with emotions. Despite it, his expression was neutral, calm, collected. "Go ahead. Kill me." I snapped. He wouldn't, he couldn't. "No hesitation."

His eyes darkened, but that ring of gold seemed to push through.

Breathe.

"What?" I nearly whispered. "Threats mean nothing if you don't follow through on them, Soren."

He released a groan that sent something in me racing. And then he was wrenching himself away from me, the knife clattering to the floor as he tugged at the roots of his hair. "Fuck. Lace, I can't kill you."