Tamed: A Huntress Spin-off Novel (3 page)

“Stop!”

I pushed his hand away and pressed my thighs together to keep him from going between my legs, but that didn’t stop him from trying. He was muscular and stronger than I was, so I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep him out for too much longer. I pushed at his chest with all of the force I had, but it wasn’t enough. My resistance to him was pissing him off, making him much more aggressive.

He grabbed my wrists and pinned them to the bed over top of my head. “What, you don’t want me now? You’ve been flirting with me all night. You’re a tease, Paige, and I don’t like teases. If you throw it in my face, I’m going to take it even if you don’t want me to.”

My heart was pounding and my body grew numb from fear. My eyes welled with tears. I was going to get raped and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

“Please don’t,” I begged.

I tried to free my hands, but as I did so, he put more weight on my wrists, making me wince from the pain. As I looked into his eyes, I noticed they were different. They were cold and distant as opposed to the soft and warm eyes I saw that made him seem like a good guy. It was as if he was hiding a monster within the whole time, ready to reveal his true self when the right time came.

Chapter Two

He ran his other hand over my body, taking his time all the way down until he reached my thigh and forced my legs apart so effortlessly as he made a home between my legs. I gasped as his hand slid underneath my shorts and bathing suit bottoms while I tried to wiggle my body out of his strong hold.

“No!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, hoping someone would hear my struggle over the music.

His assault was slow and painful to endure. Every second that drifted by felt like an eternity. I just wanted it to end already. As his lips came down on mine, I opened my mouth and bit down on his bottom lip. I bit down so hard that the taste of blood filled my mouth. He gasped and grabbed hold of my hair, yanking it back, forcing me to release his lip.

“Bitch!” He backhanded me. My split lip began to sting as blood coated my mouth.

“Help!” I screamed so loud that my throat began to burn.

An unfamiliar guy came up behind Preston, turning him around and punching him with such force that he flew into the computer desk and fell on the floor. He stood over top of me, his brown hair falling into his eyes as he panted and glared at me. His orange eyes, so different than the normal eye colors I had seen, bore into mine, but I remained unintimidated, because I knew the glare wasn’t for me.

“You’re bleeding.”

He reached his hand out for me to take and so I placed my shaking hand into his as he helped me to my feet. Still dizzy and sick to my stomach, I grabbed onto his arms, feeling his muscles flex as he held me upright.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

I looked up at him once more, and as our eyes met, I felt the surge of excitement in the pit of my stomach. He was breathtaking. I immediately, though it was beyond my comprehension, felt a sense of comfort with him, and I knew that in the arms of this stranger I was safe. His presence took away the fear and panic in an instant.

I nodded. I was okay at the moment, but I knew that once he left and I was in the dark, surrounded in the quiet the night brought, what just happened would affect me even more so then, than now. I would be all alone with no comfort and no distraction to keep my mind from replaying the terrible events of tonight. And strangely, as his eyes narrowed, I had a feeling he knew I was lying to him. He must have seen the vulnerability and fear that I thought I had hidden.

Oh no! I covered my mouth as the bile made its way up. Vomit spilled out of my mouth and into my hand as I pushed past him and ran into my bathroom. The taste of margaritas and beer invaded my mouth as I threw up its remains into the bathroom sink. By the time I was finished, the heavy smoky eye that I had going was running down my cheeks, and my complexion was so much paler than my usual pale self. I rinsed my face.

“Paige.”

I looked up into the mirror, finding the guy who just saved me standing behind me with his arm out and a towel in his hand.

I turned to face him, taking the towel from his hand and wiping my face. He knew my name. I never told him my name.

“You know my name.”

He reached in the back pocket of his jeans and took out a picture of me. “Your brother made sure I knew what you looked like. He’s looking for you and he is pissed. I’m Eli, Eli Mitchell, by the way.”

I groaned. “Great; you’re friends with Taylor.”

As I sucked on my bottom lip, the taste of blood came rushing into my mouth.

His eyes immediately dropped to my lips. Something dark had crossed his eyes as they dilated. He swallowed then turned to grab the towel hanging on the wrought iron towel wall rack then came toward me.

“Is that a bad thing?”

“It is at the moment.”

When our eyes locked, they never left each other. The attraction was evident. With his body so close to mine, heat warmed my cheeks as I breathed in his scent.

“Your eyes are nice. I’ve never seen anyone with orange contacts before.”

I noticed his body tensed as he looked down for a brief moment, suddenly nervous. What for, I had no clue.

“Thanks.”

He squeezed his eyes shut as he let out a slow, shaky breath.

“Are you okay?”

He nodded. His hand settled on the back of my head as he held the towel to my lip. We stood in silence as he applied pressure to my lips, our eyes finding each other every few seconds. Looking at him was a temptation I couldn’t resist. I took a liking to him the moment I saw him.

“Paige!”

I winced as I heard him yell. Taylor was coming and I just couldn’t face him right now. I gasped and grabbed Eli by the wrist in panic. “I can’t-” I stopped mid-sentence and looked away, trying to keep myself together. I couldn’t let him see the amount of emotion that was hidden underneath. Andie and my family were the only ones who got that privilege. Well, my family not so much anymore. I was better off keeping it to myself. It was my burden. My pain.

Taylor was fast approaching with a death glare and a lot of drama I was in no state of mind to deal with.

Eli quickly turned and placed his hand on Taylor’s chest, stopping him from coming any closer. “Dude, now isn’t the time to lay into her. She almost got raped,” he whispered, but not low enough because I heard every word.

All of the color drained on Taylor’s face as he gaped at Eli. “No.”

Taylor spun around and began kicking Preston, even though he was already knocked unconscious. He didn’t care. He was absolutely furious.

“You son of a bitch!” He growled.

Eli grabbed his arm. “Dude!”

Taylor pushed him away and went back to kicking him. He was an absolute mad man.

Eli grabbed Taylor once more, this time using all of his force to drag Taylor away from Preston. “Stop. I already took care of it.”

I heard Eli gasp then whisper something to Taylor that I couldn’t make out this time. Taylor, now nervous, kept his head down and wouldn’t by any means look my way. Curious as to what was wrong, I walked to the doorway of my bathroom. What in the hell was going on with them?

“I have to go,” Taylor said as he quickly left the room.

Despite my curiosity, I didn’t go after him. I was too busy struggling to keep myself together to care what was wrong. The pain was growing, and I wanted so much to end it, but I couldn’t. Aware of the amount of emotion I was unable to hide, I kept my head down as my eyes filled with unshed tears.

“Paige,” Eli said.

I couldn’t talk. I was so consumed with sorrow that I couldn’t get a word out. My voice had left me.

He took my hand in his. “Are you okay? I don’t think you should be alone right now.”

With much hesitance, I looked up. I could see the worry in his eyes, and I knew it was because I let him see how upset and panicked I was.

I shook my head and stormed past him as tears fell from my eyes. I grabbed my flask filled with fireball and opened my bedroom window.

“Hey!”

I had an urge to turn around and go to him as he called after me, but fought against it. I was already halfway out of my bedroom window as I climbed on the roof, using the white colored ladder to get down.

“Where are you going?!” he yelled from the window.

I didn’t answer him. I just kept walking until I reached the trampoline that Taylor and I had since we were kids and laid down on it. I gazed up at the clear night sky as the moon and stars shined their light down on me. It was so beautiful.

I wiped the tears from my face and brought the flask to my lips, letting the fireball fill my mouth. It tasted of cinnamon and burned all the way down to my stomach. I loved that feeling. I tried not to think about what just happened. Instead, I focused on the sky because the scenery was the only distraction keeping me from going insane.

Try to forget, Paige. Please try to forget.

“Hey.” There was an edge to Eli’s voice as he approached me with a look of uncertainty on his face. He must have been unsure about whether or not to follow me just in case I wanted to be left alone. Little did he know that being alone was my worst enemy.

“Do you ever look up at the night sky and just feel at peace? Like you’re completely absorbed in serenity from the mesmerizing beauty of it?”

“It can be quite breathtaking at times. Is this your escape?”

He climbed on the trampoline and laid beside me. The heat from his body seeped into my pores, warming my insides. He was so close…I liked that.

I snorted at the thought of my mind ever being at peace. “Unfortunately, nothing is my escape. I don’t get that kind of luxury.”

I was surprised by my ability to open up to him. When someone tried to get too close to me and asked personal questions, I totally shut down and refused to let them in. There were certain things from my past that I couldn’t avoid telling them, and I hated having to walk down memory lane when all they would do was judge me for what I had done, anyway. It was a waste of time. Unlike everyone else, it was easy to open up to him, and before I could even think about stopping myself, the words came flowing right out of me.

“Life is what you make of it,” he said.

“When there is darkness, there is always a light at the end of the tunnel…at least, that’s what my therapist used to say. Fireball?” I held out the flask for him to take.

He held my gaze for a moment before grabbing the flask and taking a drink. “I love cinnamon.”

“Me, too, especially in my coffee.”

I closed my eyes and sighed. When was the painful feeling of dread going to leave me for good?

“You look pretty tired. I think you need sleep; not alcohol. You’re already slurring your words.”

“I can’t sleep. There’s no distraction. I just need everything to be okay.”

“Everything
will
be okay.” His voice carried so much certainty in his words; certainty that I wished I had.

“No.” I shook my head as my warm tears coated my face.

“Paige, look at me.”

I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. I was in tears in front of someone I barely knew yet felt so incredibly safe with, and I hated that I let myself look so weak and vulnerable to him.

He cupped my chin and forced me to look at him. “I’m not familiar with your past. All I know is that you were involved in some messed up shit. But I say, regardless of your choices, you are human and you are going to make mistakes. You’re hurting. I can see that. You’ve let what happened in the past and even now take hold of you, and you can’t let that happen. If you don’t let yourself break free, you will always drown in your pain.”

He made total sense, but it was easier said than done. My scars ran deep; so deep that I was afraid I would never be able to overcome the pain that I had come to know so well.

“How could you possibly understand what I’m going through?”

He stared at me, his face darkening with sorrow. He looked away and gazed up at the sky.

“I’ve been through plenty of hardships, but the one I almost didn’t recover from was losing my sister Alyssa.”

My brows knitted together as I placed my hand over his, feeling sympathy for him. “I’m sorry…Could I ask what happened?”

His eyes widened slightly, tearing his gaze away from the sky as they settled on me. He seemed tense, maybe even nervous all of a sudden. He had that same reaction a lot. I wonder why.

“Are you okay?

“Uh, yeah, she was…murdered.”

My breath hitched and my lips parted as I suffered from the shock of his news.

“That’s terrible.” I really didn’t know what to say or even how to console him, so I hoped my hand gave at least some of the comfort he needed.

He was opening himself up to me, giving me a glimpse of the part of his life that he had to fight to overcome. Even though our stories had different circumstances, it helped that he at least felt the pain I had to live with every day of my life.

“I see me in you…well, the Eli that was a total train wreck before. I saw that lost look in your eyes that I had carried myself at one point.”

Just as he spoke those words, reality came punching me in the gut as I realized that he was getting too close. He was beginning to figure me out, or worse, already did. I didn’t want to let him in. Everyone that I once was close to somehow always got hurt. I had to go.

I sat up and climbed off the trampoline.

“Are you leaving me again?” he asked.

“I have to go to bed.”
I have to get away from you. You make me feel and say things that I would rather not feel and say.

“Wait.”

He grabbed my wrist, forcing me to turn around and face him. “I have a feeling about you, Paige Jacobs.”

“I hope it’s a good feeling.”

He smiled and nodded as his eyes shined with no judgement, as if he could care less about what I did, and it felt so good to have someone actually see me; not my bad reputation.

I smiled, feeling my heart betray me once more as my stomach fluttered. “Goodnight, Eli.”

When I got back to my room, Preston was gone with just a small puddle of blood on the floor to show that he had been there. Eli must have removed him from my room. Thank God. I couldn’t handle seeing his face.