Page 159 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

Mine Forever

ABBI COOK

Mine Forever is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

2024 Dark Vine Media LLC

Copyright © 2024 Dark Vine Media LLC

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

Published in the United States

About the Book

I wasn’t supposed to fall for Tia. She should have been no one to me.

She turned out to be the only soul I truly care about in this world. She knew what I was, and still she loved me. But every minute we spent together meant she wasn’t safe because of the life I lead. I knew I had to let her go.

So I ignored my heart and walked away.

Now I find out what I did was all for nothing. She’s marked for death by the head of my family.

Loyalty dictates I stand by as he kills her. Love demands I protect her with all I have. I’m nothing but a killer without her, but who am I without my family?

One

JAXON

My eyes slowly open, and the agony of the world’s worst headache hits me like a freight train. Looking around, I wonder where the hell I am. Pink and green flowers on the sheets. Those billowy white curtains on the windows. This is definitely not my place.

I sit up and tilt my head left and then right to crack my neck. The sun streaming through the windows makes me squint, and I look away as my headache threatens to split my skull open.

My mouth doesn’t possess an ounce of liquid, but I try to muster some by licking my lips. Headache and cotton mouth. Now I remember. I’m hungover after a night of heavy drinking.

That explains where I am too. Ryker’s place. This room screams Kaia’s been here. She loves flowers and makes sure they’re everywhere.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I try to stave off my headache that’s getting worse by the second. I would kill for a glass of water right now. Something to make this throbbing in my head disappear would be great too.

I throw the covers off me and swing my legs off the bed. So far, so good. When my feet hit the hardwood floor, the coolness feels incredible. But when I try to stand up, it’s a no go. My equilibrium is all fucked up, and I collapse back on the bed.

A knock on the door interrupts the mess I am this morning, and a second later, Kaia walks into the room. “Good morning, Jaxon! Oh my!”

Unsure what’s upset her, I look over at her and smile as she spins around to stand with her back to me. “If you have water and a handful of Advil, you’ll be an angel sent from heaven. Any chance you have either of those things?”

Still not facing me, she waves her hand in my direction and says, “Can you throw the covers back over you? I think you must have forgotten you went to sleep with nothing on.”

I glance down my body and chuckle. Grabbing the sheet and blanket, I cover up a raging morning hard on. “Sorry about that,” I groan. “I didn’t even know where I was when I woke up, if that makes it any better.”

Kaia cautiously turns around and smiles at me. “It’s okay. I just felt like I was violating some unwritten rule seeing you like that. Do you feel sick this morning? Is that why you want the Advil?”

“Hungover,” I answer as she walks over to the window and throws open the curtains. Jesus, that sun is bright. “Do you think you could close them? The light is killing me this morning.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I thought some fresh air would make you feel better.”

I’ve slept at Ryker’s before, and never once has Kaia come to see me first thing in the morning. Something must be up.

“Is everything okay?” I ask, rubbing my temples.

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