Page 14 of Consumed by Darkness

"Of course," he replied, moving behind me. His eyes bore a serious focus as he guided my hand for the throw. His body pressed close to mine, and I could feel the warmth radiating from him. After a brief, intense moment, he stepped back, giving me room to throw the ball. I released it with newfound confidence, and it soared down the lane, hitting a strike.

Turning to him with a triumphant yelp, I said, "The student will outshine the master, just see." Simon beamed, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Maybe you're a fast learner, or maybe I'm a great teacher," he teased, the light banter calming me down.

We played a few more rounds, and it became increasingly clear that Simon was letting me win. At times, he intentionally missed the pins, and I couldn't help but smile at the gesture. His willingness to give me a push, even at the cost of his ego, warmed my chest.

During each round, he'd throw a ball that seemed destined to knock down all the pins, only to mysteriously veer off course. I caught on to his game, "Are you sure you're not trying to make me feel good?"

Simon laughed, a twinkle in his eyes. "Oh baby, if I were to make you feel good, you would know it with no need for questions.”

I erupted into laughter, lifting the bowling ball as if I might actually fling it at him. Simon ducked with an exaggerated motion, playing along.

"Simon, are you just trying to get in my pants?" I quipped, one eyebrow playfully arched.

He responded with a casual shrug, his shoulders shaking with his effort to control his laughter and look serious. "Can't blame a man for trying."

Shaking my head in mock disapproval, I pretended to be angry at him, but I was truly savoring the easy banter between us. I completely forgot about the fact that Adrik was lurking around, waiting for a chance to strike. I felt normal for a couple of hours, not like a woman on the run from her husband.

It seemed as if asking Simon out was the correct decision. It both allowed me to give myself a chance to move on and showed Adrik that he wouldn’t scare me into shutting myself off from the world.

After we played a few more rounds, we agreed to continue the night in the bar. I was craving those martinis from that night, and there was no way that women with the creepy eyes, or Adrik for that matter, were going to stop me from living how I want.

We stepped out, and Simon dialed a cab. We were just waiting for it to come pick us up. The atmosphere switched from lighthearted to charged in an instant. From the corner of my eye, I could tell Simon was staring at me intently. He grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him.

His eyes were hooded; he wanted to kiss me. My palms sweated, and I felt nauseous. My body and my heart were rejecting his touch. But my mind refused to listen to them. His face leaned in closer to mine, our breaths mingled, and his smelled mintyfresh. Gosh, he was perfect, not a flaw in sight. So why did this feel so wrong?

His lips touched mine, and I closed my eyes. It was just a small peck, as if he was asking for permission for a proper kiss. I opened my lips, granting him access. With the green card to kiss me, he went all out. His tongue skimmed over my lips before they went inside, playing with mine.

Yes, I was kissing him back. But it still didn’t feel right. My heart raced, and my stomach cramped. What the hell was wrong with me?

Before I could process my thoughts more, Simon was ripped away from me. Adrik, bigger than life, was standing behind him. I almost peed my pants at the sight of him, never had he looked this furious. His hand on Simon’s shoulder was so strong that I could hear the shoulder creak under the pressure before it dislocated, making Simon scream. His shout was covered by Adrik’s hand. Simon looked at me with a combination of fear for himself and concern over me.

I was a bitch, even though I was the reason he was in this predicament, he was still concerned for me. His eyes were signaling for me to run, but I couldn’t leave him alone.

This was all my fault. My hand reached out to Adrik’s hand that was placed on Simon’s shoulder, trying to dislodge it off. It was like it was super glued to his shoulder, my effort did nothing but cause Simon more pain.

“Let him go,” I growled in his face, but there was no response. He didn’t look human; it was as if he was possessed. His usually grey eyes were now black with anger, like obsidian. His mouth was pulled back in a snarl, wrinkling his devilishly handsome face.

He pushed Simon onto the ground, before straddling him with his thick thighs made of pure muscles. His fist reigned on Simon’s face and blood splattered everywhere. Fuck, if I did not stop him, he would kill him. With both of my arms wrapped tight around Adrik’s back, I attempted to pull him off.

“Stop it. I said fucking stop.” I yelled at the top of my lungs. He paid me no mind; his fists continued plummeting into Simon’s face. I looked over Adrik’s shoulder to see that Simon’s features were no longer distinguishable.

Blood coated his entire face, his nose was crooked beyond belief, and his lips were heavily busted. Still, Adrik kept going and going. I felt like I was going to faint.

Simon was knocked unconscious. The idea that he was dead played in my mind, making me stumble slightly. I balled my hands into fists, hurling them against Adrik’s back. When I noticed that this was not helping, I decided to change my tactic.

Putting my hand over my mouth, I sobbed loudly. Adrik finally turned to look at me, his eyes pulled together. I over-exaggerated how faint I felt, falling to the dirty ground. Laying my head on my bloodied and mud-soaked pants.

I hated acting so weak in front of him, but if that was what it took to save Simon, I would do it. He hauled himself off of Simon, who was still laying unmoving on the cold ground. Rushing over to me, he attempted to calm me down.

“Milaya, just breathe.” He begged urgently. “Take a breath. Please.” I shook my head. Collecting my courage, I spoke up to the devil, “It will feel like I can’t breathe as long as I am not sure Simon is okay.”

Fire danced in his eyes. Shit, that was the wrong thing to say. He pushed himself away from me, turning back to finish off Simon. “No, Adrik. Don’t!”

He lifted his leg to kick him before I blurted out, “His touch didn’t feel like yours.” Getting myself up from the floor, I stood in front of him. This effectively blocked him from Simon. “His kiss made me feel nauseous.” My hand moved a black lock that fell out of his gel-slicked hair away from his sculpted face.

“I didn’t feel with him what I used to feel with you.” I whispered close to his ear, eager to calm him down. Even though the words coming out of my mouth were the truth, they still tasted bitter. If not to save Simon, I would have never admitted them.

I went to hold his hands in my mine, but he pulled them back with lightning speed. He got closer to my face, his nose touching mine. With each word he spoke, his lips brushed mine, “My hands are sullied with his blood. Nothing of his will touch your skin again.”

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