Page 103 of Hate Me

But before he could properly react, Caleb was across the room, grabbing Jeremy’s shoulders, and ripping him away from her.

He staggered back and only just managed to brace himself with a hand to the coffee table so he didn’t end up on his ass.

Well, then.

“What the—” Jeremy started.

A fist to the face from Cal cut him off, his head snapping to the side.

“Don’t fucking touch her!” he roared.

Jeremy hissed and slammed his knee into Cal’s gut.

Being the pain whore that he was, it didn’t even faze him for a second, no doubling over, nothing. Instead, it just fired him up all the more, and he swung at him again.

This time, Jeremy blocked it, then smashed his fist into Cal’s face, his knuckles scraping across his cheek.

He went in for another hit, but Cal snatched his wrist, then used the hold to haul him around and slam him into the bookcase.

Jeremy spun unsteadily around just as Cal reached him.

But it wasn’t fast enough to stop Cal from getting right up close and wrapping his hands around his throat.

“Gonna rip my throat out, killer?” Jeremy rasped.

“As if you don’t hold that same label, motherfucker,” Cal roared, shoving his knee between Jeremy’s legs and making him grunt and double over.

“Stop!” Sky cried, rushing over.

The two of them ignored it and Cal snarled at Jeremy, “But, yeah, I am a killer. Something you should be really fucking cognizant of right about now.” He tightened his grip around Jeremy’s throat, making him splutter. “Oftentimes, I don’t even feel remorse. I’m gonna have none for you after what you did to Skylar, you slimy piece of shit!”

“Took… care of… her.”

“Yeah? Is that what you call feeding her your cock?”

I knew we should stop this, but for the life of me I couldn’t bring myself to actually do it.

I was with Cal on this. I wanted him punished, I wanted to make damn sure he didn’t touch our woman again.

“Wasn’t… like that,” Jeremy eked out.

“You were in a position of authority and power. You abused it. Fucked her when she was vulnerable—scared, insecure, in pain, and grieving. It was basically sexual assault! You can deny it, try to bury it behind this friendship façade, but it won’t make it untrue! Accept it! Acknowledge that’s what it was.”

Cas was right upon them then, but he pulled up short at the tail end of Caleb’s words, his eyes meeting mine.

He wasn’t just talking about Jeremy and Sky.

This was about Damien.

“He still plied you with liquor, brought you back to his place, settled you into a false sense of security, then stripped you naked and had his hands and God knows what else all over you.”

“Stop it.”

“It was sexual assault, Caleb.”

“No!”

Sky pulled at Caleb’s arm. “Let him go.”

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