Page 13 of Obsession

Crash’s fist flew at Riot. It connected with a sickening smack against Riot’s jaw, the force of the blow snapping his head to the side. For a moment, silence hung heavy. Then Riot snarled, a feral sound that chilled my blood. He lunged forward, retaliating with a vicious hook that crunched into Crash’s ribs.

I cursed under my breath, backing up against the cold wall as they traded blows. The thud of flesh against flesh was a drumbeat of impending doom, each hit echoing in the tight space. I braced myself, ready to dash out of the way.

“Enough!” Kane’s voice cut through the chaos. He threw his weight between them, shoving them apart with arms that seemed made of steel. “Crash, go cool your damn head. Take a walk. Go swim. Something!”

Crash spat blood, hissing like a cornered animal, but he backed off. Kane turned to Riot, his tone dropping to a menacing growl.

“And you,” he said, jabbing a finger into Riot’s chest. “Don’t think for one second that we’ll sit back and watch you play house. Crash won’t accept it, and neither will I. She’s going to bring ruin to us all, and you fucking know it.”

Riot’s lips curled in a silent snarl, but he didn’t move. Kane gave him a long, hard look before pivoting on his heel and stalking away. At times like this, I couldn’t tell which of them was the leader. I’d thought it was Riot.

As Kane’s footsteps faded, panic clawed at my throat. Would Riot turn on me now? Kill me just to keep the twisted peace he had with Crash and Kane?

“Riot,” I whispered. “What happens now?”

“Quiet,” he snapped, not looking at me. His knuckles were bloody, his breathing ragged.

I searched his face for any sign of what he might do, my mind racing. Could I make him see that I was more than a pawn in their sick game? That I could be worth fighting for? Desperation laced through me, binding my will to survive.

Whatever it takes, I’ll make him see me as worthy of keeping. I knew if he lost interest, then I was doomed. I’d be lost to the chaos of the Raven’s Vale psychos -- another grave and nothing more. And I’d do anything to keep that from happening, even fall in love with a monster.

Chapter Five

Riot

I snapped awake, darkness still permeating the room. The sheets tangled around me, and I kicked them off. My heart pounded against my ribs with every inhale, every exhale. In that liminal space between sleep and consciousness, two faces warred for dominion in my mind: Crash’s sneering countenance, Kane’s implacable stare.

Torn between friendship and… something else. Crash and Kane had been my family for more than a decade. But then there was her -- Hollis. She stirred something in me, something dormant and dangerous. Until Hollis, all I’d needed was the thrill of the hunt, the tang of blood in the air. I’d gotten off on watching the life fade from the eyes of the men and women I slaughtered. Now I wanted something more.

“Damnit,” I muttered to myself. I sat up on the edge of the bed, my muscles tense and ready for whatever may come. Didn’t matter that I was inside the mansion, a place no one would dare enter without our permission. Some behaviors could never be unlearned.

Her breathing was steady, rhythmic. Hollis. My captive. My… what? Not a victim. Never just a victim. She was a challenge, a puzzle box with a heart inside, beating just for me. Or so I told myself during those moments when the craving surged through my veins like wildfire.

I prowled over to where she lay, restrained. Her eyes fluttered open, wide and wary like a deer caught in the hunter’s sights.

“Morning, dollface,” I said, relishing the fear that danced across her features. “Sleep well?”

“Riot,” she said softly. My name on her lips was a curse and a prayer all at once. I could tell she might hate me, but she also wanted me.

“Shh.” I bent close enough for her to feel the threat of me, the heat rolling off my skin. “Don’t speak unless you’re spoken to.”

She recoiled slightly, but something in her gaze held steady. Brave little bird. I could crush her, yet she dared to meet my gaze head-on.

“Remember who keeps you alive.” I traced a line down her cheek, almost tender if not for the clawing need to dominate that thrummed through me. “Who your world belongs to.”

“You,” she said, the single word a tangle of resignation and something that didn’t belong in the cage I’d built for her.

“Good girl,” I praised with a smirk. “Don’t forget it.”

I studied her, the way she looked at me -- not just with fear, but with an unsettling curiosity. She was my enigma, wrapped in chains of my own making, yet somehow holding a key I couldn’t quite see. I wasn’t sure who I would be once I’d finished with Hollis. In my gut, I knew she was going to change me, even if I didn’t realize how just yet.

“Today’s going to be fun,” I promised. “For me, at least.”

And with that, I left her to stew in the room that was her prison -- and mine.

I returned to Hollis with a leather restraint in hand. I moved her to the bed, fastening the cuffs around her wrists again. She looked… beautiful. The mix of fear and anticipation in her eyes made me eager for what would come next. “You’re not going to like this.”

“Please, Riot… Don’t hurt me.”

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