Page 76 of A Bloom in Winter

Mahrci smiled as she lowered her lids. “That so.”

“Yes, that’s so.” He smoothed his tie. “You can get off your sacrificial mount. You’re the only one who’s impressed by it. And while you’re at it, you need to leave this property immediately. You’re trespassing.”

In the silence that followed, the chuckle that came out of her was no sound she had ever made before. “You know something, I feel really sorry for you.”

As he cocked an eyebrow, Remis clearly thought she was delusional.

“Theglymeraare not so kind to those who are less than.” Mahrci took a step closer to him. “How was your drive up here. Pity you can’t dematerialize like the rest of us—”

With a growl of rage, Remis launched himself at her, grabbing her by the front of the throat with both hands and slamming her against the wall. His expression was so furious, there was a blankness to it, as if he weren’t even seeing her, and his whole body was shaking as he squeezed her windpipe closed.

Mahrci gasped for air and clawed at his—

The bedroom door burst open, and Hemmy took control of the situation, picking up Remis by the armpits and pulling him off of her. As the male started to flail and holler, it didn’t make any difference.

Hemmy just walked out with his unstable load.

Mahrci sagged and caught her breath. Then she stumbled out into the hall. She was still grabbing at oxygen and tripping as she followed the pair to the staircase. Halfway up to the first floor, her vision cleared, and that was when Remis threw his head back and glared at her.

“You fucking cunt!”

Hemmy stopped short. “What did you say.”

Remis twisted around, shoving and pushing, and still getting nowhere. “She’s a cunt, and she fucked you to get back at me—”

One moment, the male was being held far enough off the steps so that he was kicking the handrail and the wainscoting. The next, he was being banged back and forth between the walls in the stairwell like a rag doll.

Banga, banga, banga—

And then Hemmy threw the male up the staircase, like he was heaving a bag of potatoes. The force of Remis’s impact on the closed door busted the latch open and the male spilled out into the hall beyond.

All those Idaho bakers rolling across the floor.

After which, Hemmy strolled up the remaining stairs. As if he hadn’t just tossed a fully grown male into a door—and broken the latter with him.

Meanwhile, Apex stepped into view and looked down at Remis, who was pinwheeling on his back like he had no idea what had happened to him.

“You know,” the male remarked dryly, “this actually went better than I thought it was going to.”

“Because I didn’t bust the door off the hinges?” Hemmy offered.

“Well, there’s that.” Apex shrugged. “And he’s still breathing.”

Yeah, the fucker who had laid his hands on Mahrci was still breathing, Mayhem thought. But he was seriously considering shutting that down. Seemed only fair considering the male had gone for her throat.

He was never going to get over what he’d seen as he busted into that bedroom.

On that note, he glanced down the stairs. The female who had been unforgettable even before he’d kissed her was staring up at him, echoes of shock and fear paling her face, her eyes wide. After he noted all of that, the only thing he could see was the bruised, red band around her neck. It was like a second collar at the loose opening of the fleece she’d worn for their trip to the supermarket.

Are you okay?he mouthed.

He wasn’t sure she’d understand him. But when she nodded and smoothed her hair back? Guess so.

Meanwhile, the ex was getting his shit together, rolling over and planting a pair of squeaky palms on the varnished floor so he could push his chest up. Without thinking about what he was doing, Mayhem drew his boot back and aimed for that ass—

Apex yanked him out of range. “Nope, you’re done. The message has been received and we don’t need this.”

“He called her a cunt. After he started to strangle her.”

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