Torn

Chapter 8✓

Carter

I pull away quickly, my cheeks heating with embarrassment at how quickly that escalated, and shame for almost kissing Quinn when only a few hours ago I was thinking about kissing his best friend.

Quinn groans and presses his forehead to mine. "Whoever that is, they have impeccable timing." He grumbles and lifts me off his lap, placing me onto the couch.

"I'll be right back." I giggle at how grumpy he is at being interrupted and turn to go get the door, wondering who would be coming here so late.

I open the door and gasp at the man standing on my porch. This couldn't be happening. My luck isn't seriously this bad, is it?

"Xander? What are you doing here?" After the way he had left me at the park, I'm shocked to see him standing here. I figured he would need some time to himself.

Xander looks down meekly, his light brown hair is sticking up at odd ends, as if he has been running his fingers through it in frustration. He has one hand grasping the back of his neck and it looks like he's struggling to figure out exactly what he wants to say to me.

"Carter, I just wanted to say that I am so sorry for how I behaved, and I'm sorry for showing up here so late, but I needed to talk to you. After all the time we've spent apart, I couldn't just leave it like that. I don't want to lose you again." His voice is so quiet by the end I have to strain my ears to hear him.

"Oh, Xander. No-" I start when a deep voice cuts in from behind me.

"Are you okay, little one? Who is it?" Quinn's arm wraps around my waist as he comes to look at who my guest is.

I look up at Xander and see the realization on his face when he discovers I'm not alone. His eyes turn black when he sees who it is that's here with me.

Before I can say anything or move a muscle, Xander lunges at Quinn, punching him straight in the jaw.

My own jaw drops in shock and I jump out of the way. Never in my life would I have thought this would be the situation I walked into when I returned home. Quinn? Sure. He was always the bad boy. But Xander was the sweet one. He was the thinker. Always going over the situation in his head before he acted.

Not tonight, apparently.

"Holy shit, Xander! What the hell was that for?" I scream at him.

Before he can reply, I hear a deafening growl beside me as Quinn lunges through the door, knocking Xander past the porch and onto the ground on his back.

Xander kicks Quinn in the stomach, effectively pushing him off. In the blink of an eye, faster than could be humanly possible, they're both on their feet, circling each other. Their hands are splayed, and claws have burst through from where fingernails should have been., Deafening growls rip from their throats as they bare their teeth and circle around each other.

Holy shit! They have claws. How do they have claws? Why do they have claws? Are they growling? Goddess, they sound like feral animals. What the fuck is happening! My eyes are as wide as saucers as I stare at them, not moving. They're going to kill each other.

I watch from the doorway, not daring to so much as breathe, as they continue to circle each other. It's predatory the way they appear to be looking for a sign of weakness before they make their move. Quinn roars and launches himself at a snarling Xander, moving so fast he looks like a streak of color through the air.

Their bodies collide like two boulders crashing down a mountain. Fast, powerful, loud. Xander claws Quinn across his face, leaving bloody streaks down his cheek, making him look that much more dangerous. Quinn gives a murderous roar and throws punch after punch at Xander. Xander's able to dodge a few of his throws but is knocked back after a miscalculated attempt to sidestep one of Quinn's clawed hands.