Page 16 of Into the Night

He grunts as I knock the air out of his lungs, but his smug smile makes my blood boil. His breath smells of alcohol, and his stubble is far from designer. If we weren’t in the middle of nowhere, I’d think he was stumbling home from a bar.

“Watch it.” I warn through gritted teeth, praying he doesn’t provoke me again, or there will be blood spilled here, right now.

He’s not scared, even though he should be. Amused maybe, but where most men would be astounded by my display of strength, he looks mostly unfazed.

“Griffin, ignore him.” Kali warns. “He’s not worth it.”

She’s trying hard to sound unbothered, but when her fingers find the end of her braid, I know she’s worried about this escalating. Beating a man to death in front of her might seem noble to the thing inside me, but that’s not normally an ideal first date story.

I need to calm down.

As I loosen my hold on him, Jed grips my arm, and I feel the sting as his dirty nails press into my skin.

“You’re clearly not from around here, Griffin. If you were, you’d know better than to lay your hands on me. Especially over this freak.”

With a deafening roar, I push him through the front door, tossing him off the porch and into the mud.

Infuriatingly, he hits the ground and rolls, almost gracefully, back to his feet, completely unhurt.

He’s laughing. Mocking me.

Red mist descends, and I’m about to launch myself off the steps and pound his face until that smug smirk is gone, but Kali wraps her small hand around my arm and tugs.

Looking down at her, I’m not surprised to see her shaking her head.

“Please, Griffin. Don’t.” She turns her gaze toward Jed, who’s brushing off his stained T-shirt and leering at her. I can see the lust in his eyes despite the vicious words he spews. “Jed here knows if he pisses me off, Evan will pay him another visit. With great pleasure. Ben, too.” She turns to me and rests her palm against my cheek, immediately quieting the storm inside me. “He just likes to press people’s buttons.”

I force myself to back down, breathing slowly, even though every cell in my body is screaming to defend Kali and end this guy.

Jed scoffs as he takes in the scene in front of him, narrowing his bloodshot eyes and turning up his nose. “I’m going anyway. I was just passing by and wanted to see if the rumours really were true. That you’d tucked tail and ran away.”

He wasn’t passing through. It’s not the weather to just be passing by anywhere, and I can see he’s furious that she’s not alone.

“Well, don’t. Don’t ever fucking call by here again.” I snarl, and Kali glares at me, rightly so.

I’ve no right to speak on her behalf, but I can almost feel the darkness radiating from the guy. Kali isn’t safe being anywhere near him. He hates her yet desires her at the same time.

With a sleazy wink, he waves over his shoulder before disappearing into the night.

Looking weary, Kali steps inside and gestures for me to follow, shutting out the negative energy Jed carried with him. She closes the door and moves to the tiny kitchen, fussing and tidying up, rather than looking at me.

Her threat to Jed plays over in my mind, and the one thing she said that seemed to influence him.

I move closer, an ugly feeling rising inside me the longer she refuses to turn and face me.

She knows I’m watching her. Why is she ignoring me? What is she hiding?

“Who’s Evan?” My tone is sharper than I meant.

Kali visibly bristles in annoyance.

“Is he your boyfriend?” I practically spit the words out, jealousy catching in my throat, which is ludicrous since we only just met.

The idea of another man anywhere near her, lusting after her, makes me furious. The rage inside me builds, and my hands tremble as the violent urges that had been quiet since Kali found me in the woods start to resurface.

She whirls around to face me, and I gasp. Her eyes are glowing in a way I’ve only seen once before—in the mirror.

This can’t be happening.

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