Venom And Vice

22

A green flash of surging temper lit Casek’s eyes. “I don’t know what the f**k it is you think I’m doing here—” “Following orders,” I shot back before he could continue. “That’s what I think. It was obvious from the minute Lochlan assigned the task that you resented having to work with me. You’re doing the bare minimum to keep your ass out of trouble—looking out for yourself, but that’s it.” “What exactly is it you want from me?” he roared. “Honesty!” The word echoed off the gym walls and drowned out the sound of my racing heart. His mouth clamped shut. Silence stretched out time like honey dripping from a hive. I sighed, my eyes lifting to the ceiling for guidance. “Look,” I said more softly. “This shouldn’t be so hard. You and me … we’re like gasoline and an open flame. I really appreciate what you did earlier today, but maybe it’s best if Lochlan finds someone else to work with me.” Casek infiltrated my personal space, a roaring inferno of pissed-off energy looming over me. “I told you once, and I won’t say it again. Don’t you f*****g go near any of my brothers.” “You said you didn’t want me to feed from them. That’s not the same as training,” I argued. “The hell it isn’t.” I stomped my foot, so frustrated I was seconds from devolving into a childish tantrum. “You are freaking impossible.” Why limit who I could work with if he was just going to avoid me and make things difficult? Was this some kind of twisted game to him? Casek’s hand clamped around my neck, his fingers at the back and thumb lifting my chin to bring my gaze to his. “I’m not impossible. I’ve lost my f*****g mind, and it’s your goddamn fault.” He stared so intently into my eyes that I swore he could see down to the very depths of my soul. While we waged a silent battle, his lips mouthed silent words, and heat seared the back of my neck. I yanked away from him when the feeling tinged on painful, unsure what had happened. Panic engulfed me. Had my magic responded to him? Was it trying to infiltrate his memories again? Why had it hurt so much? I placed my hand over the heated skin and peered at him warily. “What was that?” He only lifted his chin defiantly, making me reconsider my assumptions. Why the f**k did he look so smug? I rushed to the gym mirror and lifted my hair but was unable to see the back of my neck. “What the hell did you do?” “I solved a problem. Looking out for myself, remember?” I grabbed my phone and took a photo of the back of my neck. When I saw what he’d done, words escaped me. My lips parted with wordless huffs of breath. “You … you…” I brought my incredulous stare back to him. “You f*****g marked me?” What looked like a letter in a foreign alphabet was now scrolled in black on the back of my neck. I was speechless. Bewildered and mystified. What could have possibly possessed him to do such a thing? “Essentially,” he said casually. “Now there’s no confusion.” Was he serious? I was nothing but a blurry swarm of confusion. “No confusion about what?” I gaped. “About who you’re working with.” “Take it off, now.” “No,” he said dryly. “Does it even come off?” My eyes almost popped straight out of the socket as the question surfaced. Casek’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “It can, but only by me, and that’s not happening. Now that we have that settled, I have to go.” He turned for the door. “You are not seriously going to leave right now.” He kept walking. “Are you at least going to tell me what the hell you put on my neck?” He pulled open the door, tossing me one last look over his shoulder before walking away. Silence descended upon the room yet again. I looked back down at my phone and the image of the mark I now wore. What did it mean? Why the hell would he do such a thing? Why wouldn’t he tell me what it was or where he was going? At a complete loss, I dialed Rebecca’s number and was sent to voicemail. What the hell was going on with everyone around me? Becca always answered my calls. She was freaky about staying in touch, but for several days now, she was acting like a different person. Was she in on whatever secret was behind Casek’s phone calls? That was it. I was done sitting in the shadows playing good little Ashley, the helpless, hapless female. For five months, I’d been kept in the dark and left home the second things got dangerous. I was sick of it. Sick of being treated like a child. I wanted answers, and I wanted them now. Glowering at the gym door, I bolted for the hallway and up the stairs. Before I understood the full impact of what I was doing, I was slipping into the car Becca and I shared and pulling into evening traffic. Normally, I didn’t carry the keys with me, but I still had them with me after going out earlier in the day. Off in the distance, I could just barely make out Casek’s BMW stopped at a light. I had watched enough movies to know how to remain unseen as I followed him—it wasn’t exactly rocket science. The hardest part was whipping the car into an alley to avoid driving right past him when he parked and exited his car. I had s**t luck with alleys in my past, so I made it a habit to avoid them if I could.