“Lorcan,” he said in greeting. He stood right in front of me as his hand intertwined with my hair, tilting my head back so that I had to look him in the eye. At least it was better than looking at his gross dick. His bear was trying to fucking play with me, and goddamn it, I was not in the mood for this shit today.
“Zeke,” I inhaled as I tried to use my magic to infuse my words and intent. My eyes widened, realizing that my compulsion ability was fucking restrained by this asshole siren dude. Ah, fuck.
“I am so glad I found you alone,” he cooed. His voice was rough in an attempt to be sexy as he leaned over me. “I need to get you out of here, you have no idea what Dean and those assholes are capable of.”
“What are you talking about?” I asked quietly, shifting slightly to adjust myself so that I had a better angle for when I hit him in the balls.
“They killed Principal Washington last night. I watched it on video,” he bit out in a harsh voice. His gaze didn’t seem to match his words, and I could feel how fucking thrilled he was that it led him to this opportunity.
“I see,” I swallowed nervously. “That is a problem—”
“Which is why I am taking you out of here,” he growled, crouching down and tugging on my binds. My breathing increased as he let out a snarl of frustration. Did he not see the glowing magic part? Like, dude, you may be a shifter, but if I can’t break out of these babies you sure as fuck aren’t.
“Why the hell did he tie you up?” he snarled in an accusatory voice. “I need to get you out of here. What the fuck does he want with you?
“Zeke,” I supplied softly, not answering his question. “We should just leave it—”
“No,” he said sharply, looking up at me. “Is this because you don’t want me?”
“What?” Fuck. I just needed to keep distracting him. The siren bastard would be back, right?
“Is this because you don’t fucking want me?” His temper exploded as his hand gripped my thigh, making me practically fucking see red at the pain he administered. You know, I already hated this motherfucker, but I was getting damn near the end of my patience level with his shit.
“Zeke...” I warned, my anger mounting.
“It’s because of Dean, isn’t it?” he demanded, grabbing my neck and making me gasp uncomfortably. Fuck.
“No,” I insisted and shook my head. “I promise it isn’t about him.”
The mention of Dean sparked an idea. I reached out through our mating and guardian bond, hoping it would work. Or if it didn’t, maybe that Mr. Siren Asshole would at least feel or hear my panic through whatever magical hold he still had on me. Goddamn it. I clearly had let my guard down way too much.
“Someone fucking help me out in here, Zeke snuck in. Please,” I shouted through the bond.
Nothing. No response. Authentic panic overwhelmed me.
Zeke’s gaze softened into adoration. His grip loosened as he crouched down to address me eye-to-eye. “Of course it isn’t. I know you’ve always loved me like I’ve loved you, Lorcan. He just kept stopping us from being together.”
“Exactly,” I whispered, trying to placate him until I could come up with a better plan. But I stopped breathing as his hand skimmed up my thigh and landed near the edge of my lace thong. Oh no.
Absolutely. Fucking. Not.
“You know,” I drew out cautiously, “we should get out of here, this isn't a good place for…” I shoved my knee into his nose and then used my foot to push against his chest, which sent me crashing into the hallway. I let out a scream of ‘help,’ hoping someone would hear me.
“You fucking bitch,” he snarled as he tugged me back into the office. The chair underneath me broke, but the goddamn arms were still stuck to me because of the bondage. I began struggling, only to remember that my power was dampened because of this bullshit, and Zeke was a goddamn bear shifter.
“Zeke!” I screamed as he stopped, pulling me up against his chest. “Put me down, right the fuck now.”
I let out a groan as he dropped me against the desk. I tried to flip, but Zeke held me there, panic surging through me as my siren began to push even harder against the bonds. This was not going to fucking happen. It just wasn’t going to.
I’d been through this time and time again. Absolutely fucking not.
I closed my eyes and let my magic build as the bonds from Mr. Asshole began to shimmer under the pressure. I could feel Zeke’s fingers on my body as a snarl broke from my lips, but I think I officially lost it when I felt his lips against Dean’s mating mark.
An eardrum-piercing scream erupted from my throat as the pressure finally broke through the bonds like a goddamn nuclear explosion. Pieces of the chair clattered to the floor and I instantly flipped, my magic surfing through me. Tears of relief slipped down my face as I stalked forward, Zeke stumbling back and looking authentically horrified.
I inhaled sharply and used my magic to hit him square in the chest, sending him soaring back against the radiator near the window. Blood poured everywhere from where his head snapped back, and I grabbed his ankle, tugging him flat as the crimson pooled around us. I offered him a sick smile, feeling every ounce of fury I’d been restraining collapse over me.
“Zeke,” I hummed softly, “you fucked up, buddy.”
“Lorcan,” he whimpered, his eyes filling with tears, “I only meant—”
Something really dark crawled out from my subconscious, and I was talking before I even considered the right or wrong of this situation. There was only revenge for what he had tried to do.
“Rip off your cock,” I demanded. His face paled, and fear began to tremble through him. My manipulation and compulsion powers pulsated as I stepped back and narrowed my eyes from where I stood over him like a goddamn goddess of pain and suffering.
“Do it,” I growled. I watched him fully unzip his half-undone pants. He’d been that close. Motherfucker. I wish he had two fucking dicks so he could do it twice.
“Please!” he screamed, but my emotions had completely blanked out. I wanted to see him suffer. I wanted to see him lose his dick before I ripped out his spine.
I’d never felt so little empathy in my life.
“Now,” I demanded in a low, threatening voice. I watched his eyes as he literally yanked off his dick with his shifter strength. I couldn’t help but smile at the howl of pain that broke from his lips. Blood sprayed everywhere, and the bastard almost passed out from the pain.
I knelt down and whispered into his ear, “I have always thought you were a fucking creep. This is a loss to no one.” Then I dug my hand into his chest, the skin splitting under my fingers as he let out a strangled scream. I gripped his spine and looked up at the door as I pulled hard, his spine arching in my hand as I kept eye contact with Mr. Asshole.
Zeke’s body went limp and relief flooded through me.
Immediately, I stumbled and fell to the ground on my knees. I crawled towards the desk as my breathing went harsh, commotion surrounding me as Zeke’s blood soaked into my skirt and designer shoes. I kept my gaze down, focusing on the blood rather than the overwhelming PTSD that was slamming into me like a fucking hurricane.
He couldn’t hurt me. He was dead. He couldn’t hurt me anymore.