Page 30 of The Pretty Savage

Dante stepped back, his eyes wide, bouncing between me and the motherfucker that simply stood in front of me, holding a hand to the cheek I attacked. My chest rose and fell with deep breaths, my eyes locked on the skewed mask that was almost hanging off of his face.

"Fuck. You," I said calmly, letting it wash over me, but I knew I had to spend this extra energy somewhere, and he was as good as the next person.

His movements were slow, methodical, as he removed the mask, throwing it at Dante who managed to catch it at the last moment, moving away from us.

Dark brown eyes landed on me, the anger I was feeling evident in the dark abyss staring back at me. But it wasn't the eyes that made my heart skip a beat. It was the face I couldn't forget even if I wanted to.

"You," I spat out accusingly, remembering the moment when he first looked at me. Did he already know who I was and where I was heading to?

The stranger from the train whose gaze made my blood sing stood in front of me, making me angrier and angrier by the minute. The tingles dissipated from my body, replaced by a deep loathing for the self-absorbed asshole that was glaring at me.

He looked the same as before, dressed in black, just like on the train. I didn't miss the fact that we wore similar outfits, both of us glaring at each other while neither one of us moved.

"You don't want to do this, Bambi," he grunted, his hands fisted at his sides, while the promise of pain rushed through his eyes. "You really, really don't want to do this."

Bambi? "My name isn't fucking Bambi, you ass. It's?—"

"I know what your name is, Bambi." He smirked, tilting his head to the side. "Had I known who you were on the train, I wouldn't have looked twice. My people simply don't mix with your kind." Each word felt like an arrow through the very center of my being, and I fucking hated that he knew which buttons to push to throw me off-balance.

It was a secret I carried hidden somewhere behind my ribs, in the darkest parts of my heart. The knowledge that no one wanted me kept me awake for so long, that when The Schatten finally came to take me, I embraced it open-heartedly because I stupidly thought they would be the family I so desperately wanted.

It was the weakness I hated most—the fact that I yearned for someone to love me, to want me, to need me in their life. It was the weakness I locked behind iron gates, pretending I wasn't just another orphan looking for her place in the world.

And he destroyed those gates within mere seconds.

I rarely cared about the opinions of other people, but something about him, something about the way he said all of that, had awakened the parts of me I thought were gone. The little girl that cried for her mom when they took her away in that police car still wanted to belong somewhere, and it fucking sucked.

But I wasn't going to let him disarm me like that. I wasn't gonna show him how much those words had shaken me to the very core.

So instead of lunging at him like I wanted to, I straightened, leaving myself open to an attack. He already knew too much, and I wasn't going to jeopardize my mission just to prove to some pompous ass that I was worthy of their time. He didn't matter.

Nothing about this night mattered except for my new friend Yolanda and her survival.

"What's the matter, Bambi?" He smirked. "What happened to that courage you had five minutes ago."

"It's still here." I grinned once again. "I just don't want to waste my energy on men like you. I have better things to do."

"Do you now?" he murmured, taking a step closer to me. "And what are those things, if you don't mind me asking?"

Wouldn't he like to know? "None of your damn business, darling." I dragged my eyes over his body, feigning disinterest and swallowing down the desire that swirled in the pit of my gut, because the man definitely did look like a wet dream. Too bad he was an asshole of epic proportions.

The black dots started becoming bigger, appearing right next to his pretty fucking face, and I knew I had to move. I had to do something, otherwise I'd end up on the floor, defenseless against these people.

"Are you gonna keep staring at me the whole night or am I going to fight? You're wasting my time, pretty boy."

"Pretty boy?" His eyes flashed and a small smile appeared on his face. "I'm flattered you think I'm pretty. I wish I could say the same for you."

"Oh, it wasn't a compliment," I deadpanned, enjoying the sight of that smile wavering. "Where I come from, pretty boys are only good for one thing."

"And what is that?" he gritted out.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" I smiled widely, hoping, praying he would just get the fuck out of the ring, but just like everything else tonight, his actions shook the foundations I was standing on.

He appeared in front of me within seconds, his long fingers wrapping around my throat, squeezing ever so softly, only enough to warn me. "Bambi, Bambi, Bambi," he murmured, dragging his nose over my cheek. "The moon always knows what the sun hides," he whispered. "Remember that, Bambi."

"Why the fuck are you calling me Bambi?" I dared to ask, ignoring the well-laced threat he directed at me.

He moved back slightly, keeping his hand around my throat, his eyes blazing with something I couldn't decipher. "Because just like the cartoon Bambi, you're an orphan that no one ever wanted."

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