“She’s still healing.”
He growled at me, and I frowned, dusting off my hands from the tiny pebbles that stuck to them. Slowly, I stood. I wondered if I looked like that with Knox, with his mouth against my flesh as he brought me that sweet inner peace.
Sweat beaded on my brow, my clothes clung to my body, and I peered down, realizing I was dressed in a sheer nightie that didn’t cover the top of my thighs fully. Dimitri’s eyes slid down my body hungrily with the alpha glow banked within their sapphire depths. I stepped back, watching as his mouth released her shoulder, and he pushed her away from him.
“Fuck,” I snapped, turning and running in the property’s direct line, but the moment I moved to enter it, it slammed me backward. “The fuck, I’m a witch!” The sound of feet pounded on the road, and I kicked up onto my feet, rushing toward Knox’s house, barely hitting the gate when it opened, and I slid through it, slamming it closed behind me.
“Mine,” Dimitri hissed.
“Nope! Not today, puppy,” I chuckled. I leaned over to catch my breath as I watched him pacing right outside the gate.
“Is there a problem, peasant?” Greer asked, standing beside me as he watched Dimitri pacing in front of the large wrought-iron gates. Greer had come out of nowhere, causing me to jolt back into a fighting position.
“Jesus, Greer the Vampire! You need to announce your presence to the ladies first. I could have died from a heart attack.”
“Pity that you didn’t suffer one, peasant.”
“You do know I’m royalty back home, right? That I’m not actually a peasant?” I asked, watching as Lore and the others strolled up the driveway, looking through the fence to where Dimitri paced, agitated that he couldn’t reach me.
“You’re not home, and neither am I, Aria. Here, you’re just another peasant, just as I am.”
“Thanks, man, love you too.” I tapped my heart before flipping him deuces.
“Someone taunt an alpha and not enjoying the chase?” Lore asked.
“You fucking whore!” Luna screamed, coming toward the gate.
“Oh, damn. I should have made popcorn,” Greer chuckled.
“She shouldn’t be out of bed yet.” I turned at someone’s voice, watching Brander walking through the gravel without a shirt on. The man was built to be worshipped.
“Yeah, I know. The thing is, Luna is currently trying to murder me, so I didn’t actually have time to ask her to stay in bed and be a good patient.”
“Why would she murder you?”
“I didn’t say she could, I said she’s trying.”
“But why would she be trying to murder you, Aria?”
“She thinks I slept with Dimitri, but I didn’t. Turns out he’s the father of her boys. I went into her bedroom because she was throwing shit!” I glared pointedly at her. “She threw a lamp at me the moment I opened the door, called me nasty names that really hurt, and then tried to rip my face off. All because I unknowingly kissed her baby daddy,” I said, folding my arms over my chest.
“Because you’re a whore,” Luna screamed.
“Name-calling, it’s unkind, asshole. You can’t take them back either, so be nice!” I demanded.
“I will rip your throat out, slut.”
“Really mature, Luna! I have fucked one man and one man alone in my entire life. I don’t even meet the criteria for being a whore or a slut, you little bitch. I still love you, but I really don’t like you right now! Sorry about the names, jerk face!”
The sound of clothing ripping drew my attention to Dimitri as he removed his shirt. My gaze slid over the rippling muscles of his abdomen, and my brow lifted. He moved his hands to his jeans, flicking the button before pushing them down. He was packing some serious swagger in his jeans. My gaze lingered on his cock before rising back to his eyes. He watched me, waiting. He was a mass of solid muscles, covered in sinful tattoos that looked pleasantly placed. Swallowing, I frowned in frustration.
“What are you doing? Put your clothes back on this minute, bad puppy!” I stomped my foot and stared up at the moon while pointing my finger at him, or in his general direction. “What the hell is he doing?”
“He’s waiting for you to approve of the size of his dick,” Lore chuckled.
I dug through the pocket of my nightgown and picked out my lucky dollar bill, moving to throw it through the gate. Dimitri watched it fall to the ground before lunging. “Bad puppy, bad, sit, or something!” I yanked my hand back and turned to the men behind me.
Lore covered his mouth before he bent over laughing. Brander’s shoulders shook silently as Greer shook his head. And then Lore lost it, howling with laughter as I glared at him.
“I think he wanted you to exit the protection of the yard so he could fuck you with it, peasant. Not throw dollars at him like a stripper. You could have at least offered him a twenty; he’s worth at least that much.”
“Oh, Greer, you got a naughty side, and that was my lucky dollar bill!”
“Why the fuck is the alpha naked outside my gate?” Knox demanded, half-naked as he walked toward us. I turned slowly at the timbre of his voice, letting my eyes slip over his chest to the gray sweatpants he wore and back up to his angry gaze. “Explain, Aria. Now!”
“My sister is trying to kill me.”
“Not my fucking problem, snap her fucking neck.”
“Seriously, she’s my sister!” I glared at him as he watched me cross my arms over my chest, digging my heels in.
“Why the fuck is there a naked alpha outside my gate, Aria?”
“I guess they’re like peacocks or something?” I shrugged, scrunching up my face. Knox glared at me, and I swallowed. “I was on babysitting duty for Luna. It’s been hell for the last week. Something crashed in her room, and I went to check it out. She was in a rage and informed me that I’m a whore. I unknowingly kissed her baby daddy, who happened to be Dimitri. I ran from her because I didn’t want to hurt her, then he showed up to protect me. He subdued her with his bite, but I may have watched it too long because he got over her and chased me. I tried to run home, but the House of Magic bounced me to the curb, just like you did. I came here, and Greer let me in. Dimitri started stripping, I tossed a dollar at him, and now we’re here.”
“Get out,” he said, and I frowned, nodding.
“Yeah, sure,” I exhaled, turning to look at Dimitri and Luna, both who wanted me in entirely different ways. I puffed out air and started forward, watching as Dimitri smiled, inching his way directly in front of the gate I had to escape through.
I closed my eyes and started to open the gate as Dimitri’s claws extended, but a hand landed over mine, holding it shut.
“Ask for sanctuary,” Greer snapped.
“Greer,” Knox warned.
“Sanctuary?” I peered back at Knox and watched him shaking his head.
“Sanctuary isn’t something I grant to witches anymore.”
“It was worth a shot, Greer.” I smiled tightly to Greer, slipping through the gates before I slammed my knee into Dimitri’s groin. I reached over him to grab Luna by her hair, shoving her down with him before I ran like the hounds of hell were on my heels. I broke through the barrier of our property, turning to find Knox walking directly behind me, glaring. “You’re a dick, you know that, right? They could have kicked my ass together.”