Page 32 of Blood of the Sirens
“Who the fuck areyou?” he snarled at me, stomping to get in my face. Or tried to.
He was small, but confident.
I grinned ferally, stepping up to loom over him all the better. Jesse sucked in a panicked breath and clung to me hard, her nails digging into the skin of my forearm.
“Please step away. You’re frightening her,” I warned, my voice a low rumble. If anything, that angered him more.
“You must be new around here,” the small male continued. “That’s forgivable, so I’ll let you in on a few pro tips. My father is a major donor to this institution, so what I say goes. And that bitch right there?” He pointed rudely at Jesse, who flinched. “That bitch ismine.”
I assumed ‘bitch’ was not a nice word. Jesse’s breaths came too quickly, her eyes wide and her lips pinched. She refused to let go of me, as if I were the only thing standing between this aggressive male and her.
And maybe I was.
NINE
Jesse
Oh my god.Archie was here, in the girls’ locker room. Again. The memory of the last time had bile bubbling up my throat and nausea welling in my guts. The only reason he hadn’t been able to follow through last time was the group of other interns who’d come into the locker room at the last moment.
They wouldn’t say shit of course, but I knew he couldn’t have an audience. He couldn’t damage that precious reputation of his.
I tried to breathe through the panic.
This time was different. This time, Merrick was here, and his body language assured me he wouldn’t be cowed into silence as he stood strong and sturdy in front of me, easily a foot taller than Archie. He wouldn’t leave me alone, and he couldn’t be threatened into keeping quiet since he didn’t have any affiliation with the aquarium or the university. Nonetheless, I dugmy nails into his skin, creating crescent shaped marks. His tangible presence was the only thing helping me hold it together.
Merrick ignored Archie’s question of who he was. Instead, he twisted his head back to me, almost as if he were ignoring Archie altogether.
“Has he hurt you?” came the dark, rumbling question. I’d never heard his voice like that before—thatfearless. It sent a delightful tingle down my spine and resonated in my core.
“H-he’s tried. Several times,” I choked out, my voice unable to get above a whisper. Merrick didn’t pry off my fingers or move me at all. He just let me hang onto him. His palm found my hip and squeezed, reassuring me and letting me know he wasn’t going anywhere. Oh fuck, that shouldn’t turn me on, but it did.
Merrick turned back to face Archie, shoulders bunching with tension. “Leave,” he grunted.
Archie laughed. “What, are you her brother or something? A cousin twice removed?”
“I am not,” Merrick snarled.
“No way you actuallywanther. Look at her!” Archie laughed and winked as if sharing a great joke with Merrick.
His barb hurt, because it was true. Guys who looked like Merrick never went for girls like me. They just didn’t. Which meant guys like Archie acted like they were doing us a huge favor by hitting on us, then calling us names when we weren’t interested.
Merrick didn’t answer.
Archie just stared at Merrick, his smirk fading as his words failed to garner any type of reaction. The tension was thick enough to choke on.
Archie took another step forward, reaching for me.
Merrick exploded, his fist reaching out and clocking Archie in theface. Blood and a tooth flew from his mouth, and Archie fell right the fuck over on the floor, momentarily stunned.
“Oh my god,” I breathed, my hands covering my mouth. Terror and euphoria warred within me. It had finally happened. A man had stood up for me. Merrick had stood up for me. I was frozen, unable to move.
And Archie had lost anothertooth. This was too good!
“I’m calling the p-police,” Archie mumbled, blood leaking through his fingers as he tried to staunch the flow. I glanced at Merrick, who was gazing at his fist in wonder. Archie’s blood covered his fist. “This time you’re both going to jail!”
My girly parts went all tingly. Oh Jesus. What was wrong with me?
“We need to go. Now,” I gasped out.
