Page 14 of Splintered Desire

“Calm down, Kol. We’ll make sure she’s here next time. Our little sister can’t run forever.”

I ignore Jace calling her our fucking sister again as a wicked smile splits his face at the idea of hunting her down. I can’t say I mind it either, but we shouldn’t have to chase her.

She should be begging us to be here, grateful that we allowed Mother to marry her father and pull their asses out of the fucking gutter they lived in.

“She doesn’t yet know what being a DuPont means, but she will, brother,” Isaac says, coming up to stand beside me.

He’s right. She will learn—one way or another.

The lights dim, allowing the fighters to take the ring for their dramatic reveal, and when they go back on, my eyes lock on Vixen. She stands in the center of the ring, her head held high, ready to take on the fucking world if she has to.

Fuck me, what I wouldn’t give to know who’s under that mask, what she would feel like beneath me.

I think about it more than I care to admit. It would be so easy to go down to the rooms after a fight and see for myself. Fuck the rules.

My father established that rule to protect the fighters. He’s gone now. He left The Pit to us, to me, which means Vixen is mine.

I could easily keep her identity a secret; I only need one night. I’ve never spent more than one night with anyone, and she would be no different.

Just enough to get her out of my fucking head.

It sounds easy enough, but I know it’d be anything but. Not with Jace’s obsession with her, and Isaac might be quiet, but I’ve seen the way he watches her.

No, I don’t want to share her, but even if I did, my brothers wouldn’t be so quick to walk away. Jace is already obsessed with her. There would be no fucking her to get her out of his system.

Which means instead we get to pant after her like dogs every weekend.

The only woman who’s ever dared give me blue balls, and somehow I think she would be delighted if she were to find that out.

Her head snaps toward me as if she can feel my eyes on her. When our eyes meet, it's as if she lights me on fire with her gaze. The challenge is clear; her defiance so sweet, I can almost taste it.

As much as I would love to see how far my beautiful Vixen can bend before she snaps, I have another, less interesting and appealing woman to handle, because, though she isn’t Vixen, she is my responsibility. She’s ‌part of this family, and I’ll be damned if she doesn’t start acting like it. She needs to fall in line, just like everyone else.

She had the chance to do things the easy way, but she chose not to. That’s okay, though. The hard way is always more fun.

The high of my win buzzes beneath my skin as I head out the back door. Reed waits as he always does, with a smile on his face, but I can’t seem to muster one in return.

His smile drops as he takes a good look at me, and I’m not sure what he sees on my face or how he seems to understand it, but he does.

“Do you need a ride?” he offers, walking with me out into the rainy night without hesitation.

My steps falter, surprised by his offer.

“No, I’ll be fine.” I force a smile in an attempt to reassure him. He doesn’t buy it; I can see it in his eyes, but he also doesn’t push.

“Call me if you need me,” he says, his voice stern with a demand I’ve never had directed at me as he holds out a card.

For a moment, I debate taking it, but there’s no harm in me having his number. I’m sure I’ll never use it, but I know it will make him feel better. I take the card and quickly tuck it into my pocket before the rain can destroy it. With a quick nod, I take off down the long gravel drive and back into town. Reed doesn’t follow me, but I can feel his eyes on me until I turn back onto the main road and out of sight.

By the time I reach the bus, I’m soaked through and shivering. The chill hadn’t been bad earlier, but between the rain and nightfall, it's drastically colder.

Thankfully, my sweater was dry and in my bag since I hadn’t taken the time to throw it on before I left, but even that does little to fight off the cold when I slip it on as I board the bus. My teeth chatter the whole ride home.

The bus is thankfully empty, except for one old man and the driver. I unbraid my hair and stuff my extensions in my bag to deal with later. I’d pulled off my mask on my walk to the bus after I was out of Reed’s sight. All that's left is taking out my contacts, which is easy enough after years of wearing them.

As nice as having a dry sweater is, it doesn’t stay that way for long. The bus rolls up to my stop, and I swear the rain is coming down even harder now than it was before.

Damn it. I just need to get home, take a hot shower, and wash off the feel of their eyes on me. Usually, being in the ring, I’m able to block out the rest of the world. I know there are hundreds of people watching me; I’m the entertainment. But I’ve never felt it like I did today. I’d never even noticed them before, but clearly they noticed me. The way Kolson looked at me had me on edge for the rest of the night. I could feel his eyes all but burning a trail over my skin, and he wasn’t the only one.