Warrior

Chapter Forty

Liam

Usually when I saw a woman naked, lustful thoughts would penetrate my mind and prevent any coherent thought to be processed.

With Satey, it was different.

It had happened one night when we were at hers. I had willingly done the dishes for her when her yawning had gotten so frequent I thought she might pass out. She hugged me gratefully, weariness preventing her eyes from remaining open for more than a second. I was deep in thought from when I placed the dishes into the correct cabinets until I reached her bedroom.

It was harmless, really; innocent.

There she was, standing there in her naked glory, and I didn't want to destroy it; I didn't want to push her against the wall and kiss her to oblivion, I didn't even feel the need to touch her.

I wanted to admire her, to treat her with the careful attention her beauty deserved.

In that moment, I had almost said it; I had wanted to say it. It felt like a perfect time to tell her, but the worlds still felt heavy on my tongue.

She held a balled up shirt tightly in her palms, staring at it before opening it up to put it over her head.

I must've made a noise (I wasn't sure because I was far too mesmerized) because she jolted and turned in my direction, letting out a squeak before holding the shirt in front of her exposed body.

When Satey's precious skin was hidden from me, I strode toward her until I was flush against her. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at me, a blush flaming her cheeks.

"Satey," I mumbled, tucking a hair behind her ear. "You don't have to hide from me."

I pressed a kiss to her temple, allowing my hands to slide over her back until my fingertips rested in the dimples at the bottom of her spine. "You're beautiful."

"I'm uncomfortable," she admitted, her fists still gripping my t-shirt tight.

I sighed, kissing her head again before stepping back and turning around, placing my palms over my eyes. She giggled behind me, warning me quietly not to peek.

"You know," she said, after, as she slid her arms around my waist, warm breath hitting my back. "You're far too romantic to be dark."

I smiled, turning and twining our hands together at our sides. "And you're far too beautiful to be in a relationship with a fighter."

She hummed as she stretched up on her toes to kiss my lips softly.

"You're not a fighter," she said, "you are so many things, and all of them make you wonderful. You're Liam."

I don't know why I didn't tell her then.

I was jolted to consciousness with a splash of water. I gasped, sputtering the water out of my mouth and blinking to remove the blurriness from my eyes. When everything came into focus, I was in a dark basement; tied to a cement wall. My hands and feet were bound and no amount of tugging caused the ropes to give way.

"Liam," a deep voice tsked, and I squinted into the shadows to depict where he was. "You should know better than to struggle."

And then he stepped into the rays of light. My heart sank into my stomach and anger boiled in my veins.

"James," I seethed as I tried again to yank my hands from their restraints.

He laughed. "Is that any way to greet your father?"

As soon as he stepped in my range, I spat on him. "I may have your blood in my veins, but you are not my father."

He wiped his face without missing a beat. "You're my son," he told me, "believe me, I wouldn't be here if you weren't."

Then he was slamming his hand to my throat, pinning my head to the wall as I struggled to breathe.

"I gave your mother everything," he hissed, "and she gave you her damn inheritance."

"She never loved you," I wheezed.

His grip tightened and I couldn't breathe at all.

"But I loved her," he said, "and I'll be getting what I deserve from her."

He released my throat and I gasped for breath, stars sparkling in my vision.

"I won't," I coughed, "I won't let you."

James laughed at me and I watched though hooded eyes as he reached into his back pocket. He pulled out a switchblade knife, flicking it out and admiring it.

"Oh, I think you will," he said as he shined the blade with the hem of my shirt. "If I bring that pretty girl of yours into this, I'm sure I'll get what I want from you."

My eyes widened and my anger was suddenly paired with fear. "You leave her out of this!" I screamed, struggling against my binds again to no avail.

"That's what you get for falling in love," James shrugged with pretentious laughter.

"Fuck you!" I spit and the ropes burned into my skin, blood trickling down my wrist because of my violent struggle.

"No," he said with a grin, raising the hilt of the knife above his head. "I believe she'll be going that."

And I screamed at him until he lowered the blunt object to my forehead, sending me into darkness once more.

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wow James is a dick. NEXT UPDATE BY NEXT WEEKEND. I lub you all :)
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