Page 2 of Payback is a Witch

I despised bullies. I wasnota bully.

Fear from the monster I was becoming overshadowed anything my powers could artificially produce inside my head so I shook off the daze which was forcing its way to the surface. As much as I loved Danika, despite of all the skeletons coming out of the closet and everything she’s done, I never wanted to become like her in that sense. I was an asshole, not an evil bitch. Still, I had a reputation to uphold that would hopefully keep people away from me. I never wanted to be a monster, but approachable I certainly was not.

“I could try harder if I’m not scary enough like this.” Dust could’ve puffed out of my lips from the dryness of my tone as I cocked a hip and slapped my hand on it.

“I simply meant I didn’t expect anyone to be anywhere near the coven at this hour, Miss Byrne.” The male attempted to mold with one side of the door and mumbled almost to himself while color was draining from his face with each word. “It is the middle of the day.”

“You are here.” I told him reasonably, you’d think we were discussing the weather.

“I suppose you are correct.” With a nervous chuckle that sounded more like a wheeze he slumped on the partially opened door and I watched with rapt interest how a drop of sweat rolled down one side of his face.

“Doing what exactly?” my eyes narrowed and zoomed in like a hawk on the male for a totally different reason now.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You are here in the middle of the day when no one is around, doing what exactly that you are so jumpy?” speaking slowly and deliberately I folded my arms across my chest and waited. When he said nothing for like five seconds my shoe started tapping and broke through the tense silence.

I learned that one from Sissily. It was proven to be an unnerving tactic when someone was trying to hide something. At least with me it was the case. Almost like a hot poker to my brain with each tap every time my friend did it.

“But…but…but…” the male stuttered rearing his head up, straitening and unfolding like a constipated flamingo. Blush started spreading up, pinkening his neck within seconds from his anger at my interrogation.

See how much I cared about his outrage.

“But, but, but… What, Sir?” stabbing a French manicured finger at his rapidly reddening face I squinted at him. “It’s a simple question. Answer it!”

“If you are accusing me of some notorious reasons for being inside this building, Miss Byrne I will have no other choice but to bring this up with your grandmother.” Squaring his shoulders, the so far meek appearing male stuck his nose up so he can look down it at me. “I am a respected member of this coven and will not allow to be questioned like a common crook. Not even by you.” Yanking on his collared shirt unnecessarily, he puffed out his chest.

“That still didn’t answer my question.” I deadpanned, as the right side of my mouth twisted in annoyance. Would it be such a terrible thing if I socked him in the head, I thought to myself?

Another horn blaring, this one much closer than the one before, destroyed the built-up tension I had created hoping to make the male talk. Not that I had a feeling he was doing something wrong. But I learned the hard way that these days I couldn’t trust anyone or anything. Check first, trust latter.

Look at me all grown up.

I was ready to pet myself on the back when the male hunched down and gave me all of two seconds before he tackled me out of nowhere. All the air was pushed out of my chest with a loud grunt when my back hit the pavement hard enough I heard one of my ribs crack. The back of my skull followed with a resounding smack on the patterned marble and black roses bloomed in front of my eyes while nausea churned in my gut.

“Motherfuc…” I wheezed a second before a fist was jabbed in my side forcing me to involuntarily curl up so I could protect my organs. The asshole was doing his damn best to relocate my kidneys, I would’ve asked if he was a nephrologist if I had any breath left in me.

A few more knees and knuckles connected with parts of my body before I realized the male had no intention of stopping his assault. This was not a simple reaction to me insulting him by asking what he was doing in the building in the middle of the day as he claimed. Oh, no. As is my luck lately I stumbled on some clusterfuck I would’ve rather avoided. Unfortunately, the douche didn’t give me the option to refuse.

Sharp pain was spreading from my left shoulder all the way down to my pinky toe which was made worse when I twisted to that side in hopes to avoid another punch to my ribs. As a reward I received a fist in my left boob and saw stars spinning when my eyes rolled to the back of my head.

A scream was ripped out of me at that but it sounded more like a yell of outrage than from pain. My legs managed to wrap around his and I hooked the heels of my shoes as best I could so he couldn’t shake me off. With a sharp turn of my hips I successfully turned us around so that he was now under me and I was straddling his thighs. The owlish look he gave me when I grinned at him through crazy strands of my messed-up hair made every punch and kick I received worth it.

“You didn’t think I’ll let you have the fun the whole time, did you?” I told him when he started buckling in attempt to get away. Laughing I rammed my fist in his cheekbone widening my smile when I felt it crunch under my knuckles. “How boring, darling. I prefer to be the one on top.”

Holding him firmly on the ground I returned the favor on rearranging his organs until he stopped buckling and trying to escape. When he stopped moving so did I and I set fully on the back of my legs breathing loud enough to be heard all the way to New York. My knuckles were shredded and I could feel the blood that sprayed me in the face trickle down my chin. I tried to wipe it with my forearm then grimaced when it smudged all over the sleeve of my shirt. There was no way blood was coming off the angora sweater I was wearing. I managed to ruin yet another shirt in the cursed coven.

“Hazel?” Ace’s voice coming from the steps made mi close my eyes and beg the universe for patience. “What in the world are you doing?” the soles of his combat boots thumped a soothing rhythm as he ran toward me.

“If I told you it wasn’t my fault and he started it, would you believe me?” I asked with my eyes still closed.

“A fight not your fault?” The snort coming out of him as his shadow fell over me darkening the midday sun spoke volumes. “No.”

“I didn’t think so.” On a heavy sigh I pushed myself up and stood to face him.

“You’re bleeding.” Ace snarled all humor leaving his features as he stepped too close for my comfort and reached for my face.

“Yeah, well,” jerking away from his fingers I sidestepped to put distance between us in case he makes a grab for me. “you should’ve seen the other guy.” He looked unimpressed at my joke, his wolf flashing briefly in his irises but I had other things to worry about instead of Ace’s feelings. “You gonna help me carry him inside or you don’t want to dirty your clothes? I need to know what he was doing here that made it worth it to attack me when I caught him leaving.”

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