Page 7 of The Fallen Ones

Another sad smile. “I’m sorry you have.”

“It’s fine. I don’t even care about that.” I brushed it all off, telling myself none of the women I’d been with could ever hold a candle to her. It wasn’t a lie either. Lily was something else entirely.

“Caleb Watts,” one of the guys behind the counter called out. I released Lily’s hand and went to the counter and grabbed our pizza and breadsticks before going back to her as she rose from the seat she’d been in.

We walked to the door through the crowded hangout and were nearly there when a guy came inside, covered in tats and dressed in black.

His dark eyes roved over me for a moment before he snapped them to Lily.

Damien Fletcher. Lily’s ex-stepbrother.

Needless to say, the pair didn’t get along well.

More people poured in so we were cornered with him.

Damien Fletcher was a madman. He had a reputation and none of it was good. In the years I’d known him, I’d never once had a good experience with him. Dark, brooding, and slightly unhinged perfectly described him.

To make matters worse than him just being Lily’s ex-stepbrother, he and Jace hated one another and were constantly exchanging blows at parties.

“Well, if it isn’t the little devil herself,” Damien said, smirking at Lily. “Baby sister.”

“My name is Lily,” she shot back, her eyebrows pinched in irritation. “You know that, Damien. Stop calling me your sister.”

“Potato, po-tah-to,” he said, that smirk still on his face.

“We were leaving.” I put my free hand on the small of Lily’s back and made to push her through the throng of people, but Damien stepped in front of us, halting our exit.

“Were you?” Damien raised a dark brow at us, a wicked glint in his eyes. “Maybe you were, but the devil was going to stay, right, Lily?”

“I’m leaving,” she said, her voice wobbling.

“I heard you and Jace split,” Damien continued, ignoring her statement. He reached out and twirled a lock of her dark hair around his finger. She shook against my hand. Rage rushed through me as he leaned in, his voice softer. “If you want to piss him off, stay with me. I’ll show you how to fuck, baby sister.”

I lost it.

I dropped the box of food onto the floor and let my fist fly. Damien was quick and dodged my swing, laughing as he did so.

“Easy there,” he said with a bark of laughter. “I was only offering to give her a hand. I’m sure she needs one. Rumor has it, she doesn’t fuck and Jace is balls deep in some co-ed right now. I was only offering to help.”

“Fuck you, Damien,” I snapped at him. “You don’t talk to her like that.”

“Whatever, Watts. She’s into it. Right, little devil?”

Lily glared at him, her hands still shaking. Instead of answering, she bent and picked up the box of pizza and breadsticks before pushing past him.

“Caleb, let’s go,” she said, her voice still holding that nervous wobble to it.

I shoved against Damien’s chest hard. The guy was tall like me and was a wall of muscle. He gave me a wink before I pushed past him, wanting nothing more than to plant my fist in his pretty face.

Once back to my old Buick, we got in and sat in silence for a moment.

“I’m sorry that happened,” I said.

“It’s OK,” she muttered, her bottom lip trembling. “He’s always been a jerk.”

I nodded. “That’s true, but it doesn’t make what he said right.”

She let out a sigh and looked out the window to the filled parking lot. “He’s not wrong though. I’m a prude. I don’t put out. I don’t even know why I thought trying a relationship was a good idea. I just…there was something about Jace that I-I loved.” Her voice grew softer until she went silent and wiped at her eyes.

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