Page 114 of The Bonding Games: Part 2

She’s silent for a beat, and my throat clogs. “I am not so sure any longer.”

Cooper’s voice hardens in an instant, though another tear escapes him. “I won’t let you go back to him.”

“This is not your decision. I can neither hurt you from his grasp, nor hurt myself with my feelings for you.”

“You—”

“It. Hurts,” Ezla grits out, cutting Cooper off. “I want them out.”

“You want them out . . .” I echo on a shaky breath, realisation dawning on me as I take in the cuts all over her once-unblemished skin. My insides mirror the sight as if she’s slashed them with the very same glass. “You tried to cut them out of yourself?” I choke out, eyes welling with tears. “You tried to cut your feelings for us out?”

“I did.”

Alby’s sob is hardly muffled by the hand he covers his mouth with.

“Fucking hell, Ezla,” Cooper gets out brokenly. “Jesus Christ.”

“You wanted to cut me out of you?” I can’t tell if Tate is more pained or angry. “You can’t cut me out. I’m yours, and you’re mine. And look at all these cuts . . .” His voice darkens to pitch black without warning as his eyes rove over every inch of her exposed skin in her underwear, for once not in desire but fury at the thought of anything, even Ezla herself, hurting the woman he loves. “Where are those tablets?” he barks abruptly.

Tiger whips up. “Our Bonded bedroom! I’ll get them!” he rushes out unsteadily, sprinting from the room as fast as he can before anyone can process it.

“I am perfectly fine—”

“No, Love,” I interrupt her firmly. “No, you’re not. But we’re going to help you. We’re going to get you through this.”

“We are not together—”

“Yes, we are,” Tate growls.

“No, we are not. I have already explained—”

“Your explanation was a load of crap,” Cooper snaps, fired up again in an instant with a clear argument breaking out.

“Cooper,” I scold him. “Her feelings are valid—”

“I never said they weren’t—”

“Got them!” Tiger rushes back in with a glass of water and the tablets, and we all snap our mouths shut.

Ezla eyes them.

Not missing a thing, Cooper says lowly, “You’re taking one, Ezla. If not willingly, I’m not above shoving one down your damn throat.”

Grimacing, I can’t chip in there. I’m not above doing that either in order to heal the woman I love.

“You cannot make me—”

“Tiger,” Cooper says evenly as he moves a hand to grab her jaw.

Eyes huge and full of panic, Tiger hugs the water and tablets to his chest as Ezla slams her head back at once, the crack! of bone breaking splitting through the air along with Cooper’s shouted curse. Blood sprays from his nose, and he instinctively brings his hand to it before it snaps back down to squeeze Ezla to him as she rages about. It’s only a mercy that she’s too beside herself right now to think clearly enough to use proper technique as she completely loses her shit again. “GET OFF! GET THE FUCK OFF ME!”

Before she can land any other hits with her swinging arms, I snatch up her wrists in my grip, chaining them together. Tate grabs her legs again with the same thought in mind, and her furious screams only get louder, forcing me to raise my voice to be heard over them. “Ezla— Love, stop!”

“Let me go! Let me go! I hate you! I hate you all! I should have killed you all weeks ago—”

“You don’t mean that!” Alby sobs, trying to get a grip on her too in attempt to do something, anything, to help.

“Stay fucking still, Vengeance! I just want to heal you!” Cooper shouts, blood leaking into his mouth from his broken nose. That has to hurt like hell, but he only cares about helping Ezla.