Fractured Promises (Reapers Reign, #2) Read online

  “Brother, she’s gone! She told me this new chick is the one for me. She had to go to make room for her!” Turning, I face him, the guy who knows me better than even my twin. “What do I do? Dude, this, here, is all I know.” Dusk is filling the cemetery. The night is creeping in, and the dark will soon be among us. Pity I live in it, and the only light that illuminated my way has left.

  “Brother, this here was coming. We all saw it! Knew it! You just chose to bury it.” He says as he places his hand on my shoulder. He’s right; I know he is. But does that mean I want to hear it? Well, no I fucken don’t, so I do what I do best, I drink till I’m numb and not feeling a damn thing. The whole bottle of Jack Daniels gone, bar a few sips. I had a half packet of Marlboros. God, I’m going to regret this at training tomorrow.

  “She thinks she has won? Well, I'll fucking show her!” I yell out, pulling myself to my feet. Stumbling, I reach out to Jamie, his hands coming out to steady me. “You fucking hear me, Angel? I won’t love anyone else. I won’t let in the light. And this here...” ripping my shirt open, I point to the still hot handprint that sits over my heart. “...this will stay cold and dark, lonely and fucking broken, completely fractured.” Stomping my foot down, I slam my fist into my chest. “I’m not letting go. I like it here in the land of make-believe and ghosts. I’m not fucking crazy even though I sound it!” As I fall backward, she appears in my line of vision as Jamie steps out towards her. I feel myself falling back, caught off guard by the way he goes to her, leaving me to fall. I feel the sharpest pain slam into my head as it hits the cold headstone before bouncing back up and coming to rest on the ground. I feel the tell-tale warm liquid seeping out around me and falling down my neck to my spine. The last thing I see is Angel’s wings wrapping around Jamie before my eyes flutter shut and all around me is pitch black. Angel and her halo are gone. Jamie and his ugly mug no longer there either. Instead, there is the sweet oasis of the dark wrapping me like a blanket, keeping her Ghost there with me, so in love.

  Jamie

  Her sharp intake of breath has me turning out of her wings to see what her pain laced eyes are watching. “FUCK!” I yell out as I walk over to the drunken fool who is now in a bleeding, unconscious heap on the cemetery ground. “Great! Dude, this shit is getting old.” Sarah-Jane kneels down beside me, wrapping herself into him. I see the pool of blood forming around his head.

  “This is getting bad, Jamie,” she says to me with such sadness in her voice.

  Placing my hand over her hand that sits on his chest, I say, “he’s still breathing. He’s still here, and I’ll keep it that way, babe. I’ll take him to Nan.” I watch her whispering into his ear as I kneel down by his head before pushing my hands under his shoulders and around his chest. I link my fingers together and pull his ass back over to my truck. Sarah-Jane walks behind me, her tell-tale feathers falling behind us, leaving a trail to my truck. I lay his, still out to it, body down on the pavement and pull the door open. Bending down, I hoist him up into the bench seat of the truck. Heading around to the driver’s side, I pull him further in until just his feet are hanging out. I come back around to his side. The concern on Sarah-Jane’s face is sickening. How can this douche do this to her? It’s never letting up. It just gets worse. “I got him, babe. You need to stop coming to him.” It cuts me deep to say these words to her, knowing just how much he means to her and her to him.

  “I can’t not come through, Jamie.” I look at her. Shit! Can angels cry? I swear I can see the sleek silver drop of a tear roll down her cheek. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath before opening my eyes once again, “I’ll try Jamie, but I can’t just leave him. He’s hurting badly.” Shutting the door, all I can do is look at her and nod.

  Walking around to my side of the truck I look at my best friend and the blood that has pooled on the seat. He is a mess without her and now he also has Blue in his head, He’s haunted by the dead and confused by the living, fun times are sure to follow. Turning the key in the ignition the engines turns over, a low rumble carries out over us as I pull the truck off the curb and take the narrow drive way out to the main road. Taking the 89 I head out over Brooklyn Bridge and down the small winding streets that take us to the hardware and coffee shop that I know so well. Knox hasn’t moved or made a noise since he knocked his ass out, shaking my head I look down at him and the shell he has become. Shit he was bad when he got out of jail but of late I’ve watched him slip back down into the demon filled abyss his soul loves. What was going to save him this time?

  Pulling up out the back of the shop, I hoist Knox and his ass up over my shoulder and up the stairs, inside and into his room. Flicking him down on his bed, I stomp out and head to the kitchen to find Nan. She’s going to be mad!

  Chapter Two

  Knox

  There is a sharp light beaming down into my eyes. I try to rouse from God knows what slumber. “The light, stop with the light,” I snap out as I swat the hand that seems to be shining such a hideously bright thing into my damn eyes. What the hell? I hear the sweet voice of my Nan. Oh no, it has a crisp clip of anger to it, I know spells that she’s pissed, and I feel I am the cause of it yet again.

  “Ragazzo stave ancora. Sarai la mia morte. Slave Mary se non lo faccio io stesso.”

  My Nan’s words cut and I know, for her to say them, it’s bad. “Boy lay still. You will be the death of me. Hail Mary if I don’t do it myself.” I lay still and do as I’m told. It doesn't matter how hard I am or how many women I use, when it comes to my Nan all respect is given and a berated boy I will be!

  Smiling up at her warming face with worry lines that seem to run too deep for her delicate features, I say, “Nan, you really wouldn’t hurt me?” Humor laces my voice.

  “Hurt you? Oh boy, don’t you push me,” she spits out as she picked up her bowl and towel, along with the medicine kit. Looking sideways at Jamie, I see he has a grin on his face, like a damn Cheshire cat, and Kash is laughing as Pa picks up the bloodied items from the floor.

  Lost and confused, I push myself up onto my elbows. I regret it as soon as the sharp as shit stabbing pain licks at the back of my head. “What happened and why the fuck do I have a headache that would rival the screams of teenagers at a damn Justin Bieber concert?” Shit! That was so the wrong thing to say; I realize as I see my Nan stop still. Dead fucking still in her tracks!

  Not turning, she breathes in deep before letting this statement fall upon my ears that are finding it hard to hear past the throb at the back of my skull. “Tu insegui un fantasma cercare il comfort nel morto bere in uno stato che cerca di ballare con il diavolo che ti permette di odiare. Ogni tanto ti raccogliamo tutti abeti per farlo di Nuovo. Non piu bambino il non farlo piu.” Well, this is not good, I think as she walks away, shoulders square, Pa following behind her with sad eyes. “You chose a ghost. Seek comfort in the dead. Drink yourself into a state, trying to dance with the devil, who allows you to hate. Time after time, we pick you up, all for you to repeat it. No more child, I’ll not do this, anymore.”

  Shutting my eyes and turning into myself, I allow her words to stab into me and remind me just how fucking messed up I am. Jamie, I feel him before he’s even there. “She’s just hurting. You were bleeding bad, Knox. I had no one else to call,” he says, completely unfazed as he places his hand on my shoulder. I shrug it off.

  “Don’t sweat it, brother,” I say, bitter and hurt. I hate that I do this to her.

  Kash pipes in over the throbbing in my ears. “You better clean yourself up, Knox. I’m over the shit you’re pulling. The drinking. The anger. The women and then the late nights at the cemetery. You weren’t the only one who lost someone! We lost you!” I hear his angry footsteps leave my room. I let out the breath I have been holding in and turn to Jamie.

  “Just go,” I say before I pull myself down into the covers and try to block out this shit and the fucking eyes that started this train wreck of pain all over again.

  Nan stitches up the cut made by Angel’s headsto
ne and Jimmy comes with the gym’s Doctor to check me over; another light flashing in my eyes, more questions and another fucken ear bashing from Jimmy on as to why I need to quit with the self-destruction. Looking into his wise eyes, I think, well your fucken daughter and a Ghost are fucken with my mind, so even I feel. Doc gives orders to keep it clean and dry. No training or actual sparring till it's healed, but I can do solo workouts. He wants to see me in a week. After they leave, I pull myself back down and think about what Angel had said as last night starts coming back to me.

  She says I’m to save Blue that we are meant to be. Meant to what? Is she supposed to save me too? Heal me? Fix the broken shit I’ve become? Yeah right, Angel. That isn’t going to happen. When I watch Blue. She pulls at something deep and dead inside me. She walks on air, dancing on the wings of her flaming red hair; She’s – the Celtic goddess of Dublin and I’m Knox, the Assassin Ambrose. This is not a match that will ever work as much as maybe my cock wants it to. It can't.

  I’m no good for her. I’m not what she needs. As much as I can’t get her out of my mind – I watch her like a stalker, picturing what I could do to her – I just can’t, I can’t touch her. I will bring nothing but darkness into her beautiful, moss-green eyes.

  I can’t live a lie, getting too close to her is a shit fight I’m not ready to enter. I need to sweat this woman out of my body. Here though, I can’t. She’s everywhere, smelling of vanilla and coconut.

  Pulling out my phone, I dial a sweet little thing that can, for a few flitting moments, take her from my mind. I groan, for God’s sake, now I’m torn between ghost and human. I do know what woman I’m fucking from my soul tonight though, it’s the hot little thing called Blue-James.

  Pulling up to the usual dingy hotel room that I use every time I need to get my dick wet and fuck the haunting from the dead and living from my body. I see the sweet thing known as Sasha. She is something else alright. She can handle what I give her, the demon that lives deep down in me she helps feeds his thirst. She is twirling her hair and blowing out a bubble gum bubble from her mouth as I pull up my bike and start removing my leathers. My dick already knows that it's in for a hell of a ride, just by the way he stands to attention the minute my eyes roll over her body. Tight red leather skirt split up the side, with a white, skin-tight tank top showing off her taut belly as her belly ring sparkles in the sun’s rays. Her long, bottle-blonde hair is flowing down around her body like a fucking halo that reminds me of my Angel and something inside me snaps and gives me more anger. I want to ride the fake blonde out of her and bring back the brown that she once had. I’d just about thrown the little bitch through the hotel room window the first time I walked in and saw her with a golden fucking halo. But she is one of the only girls that can take what I have to give and not need or fucking want anything back in return. She answers when I text; she jumps when I say jump, and she sucks cock like no other has done before her. So, for that simple fact, I keep her and fuck her ass hard.

  Walking up to her, I grab her hard around her neck and pull her into the room, throwing her on to the bed as a giggle leaps from her mouth. She watches as I strip off my clothing.

  “Hello to you too, Knox,” she says as I eye her.

  “You’re still dressed? Why?” I question as I grab her ankles and pull her down the bed. She’s laughing; she's fucking laughing like it’s a game she loves to play. She is something else. A soul so hurt that pain to her is love. Seeing the fire of lust in her eyes, my dick twitches. It knows the ride it’s about to go on inside her. It’s a journey to the edge and back again, one not of love or passion but one of pain and vengeance. I can't have sex or make love anymore. Fucking raw and hard that’s all my body can do. I see the pain I’m causing her in her eyes and her bottom lip trembles as I sink my nails into her thighs, pulling her further down into me, so I can hover over that quivering body that lives for the punishment of my cock.

  As my blood pounds through my veins, I watch her heartbeat in a blown-out vein on her neck, blown out from all the junk that she fills her body with.

  If I wasn’t so fucked myself, maybe I could save her. But, my balls are bulging, hungry for her as I lower myself down, pulling her hands above her head where I tie them with the tape I keep in the back pocket of my jeans, so she can’t touch me. A small whimper leaves her lips. I divert my gaze down to her eyes, her pouting mouth. “What?” I snap, already knowing the answer that will follow.

  “Why?” she asks, her voice laced with sweet arousal.

  “You know why!” I hiss out, my eyes never leaving hers as I tape her hands tighter together.

  “Just once, Knox. Just once, I would love to touch you, feel you.” The pleading in her voice has me setting fire to my thoughts.

  “Not a chance. That brings too much pain.” Bending down, I pull her lip into my mouth and bite down until I feel the pop of flesh and taste her sweet metallic blood.

  A hiss escapes her, “I’m dead inside, and you’re the only thing I use to punish the feelings and thoughts. It's the way it has to be.” Running my hand through her hair, I look deep into her eyes. “I’m not the ‘safe’ you crave. I’m the fire in hell.”

  Placing my hand on her ass, I unzip the back of her skin-tight red leather skirt. She knows me well and my love for leather. I try to wash out the love for lace and keep that to just my Angel. Closing my eyes, I rip her skirt and panties down, tearing the soft fabric as I go. The ripping sounds out around us and over her rapid breathing. Watching her chest rise and fall, I slowly bring my gaze down over her hips and the slight line of hair leading down to the entrance of her pussy. Not wanting to muck around, I flip her over onto her stomach. I pull her hands up over her head. There is something about seeing them tied; it makes me hotter. Scooping my hand and arm under her, I pull her back up onto her knees. She sticks out her sweet ass and arches her back. She knows just how I like it.

  She is leaning down onto the bed with her hips and ass raised up. I grab a fist full of her hair, pulling her back deep and hard onto my cock. Her tight pussy slides down over my length as her wet fold sucks me into her like it is a match made in hell. As I thrust into her, she bucks against me, pushing me to punish her. Tightening my grip on her hair, I wrap it around my wrist and forearm tighter before snapping her neck back tightly. I bite down, hard, on her shoulder as I slide out of her and go about teasing my cock along her ass, circling the tip around and around as she pants and begs me to slam it into her ass. Licking my lips, I look down and watch as she clenches her sweet pussy, begging me to enter her.

  Running my fingers down into her opening, I swirl them around inside her. The hot, fleshy feeling and need overcome my senses and self-control. I scoop my fingers in and around, gathering her sweet arousal on my fingers before popping them out and slowly moving up and over her ass. I lube up her hole, knowing that it is what she wants. My body quivers out in need to fuck her ass and fuck it hard. Satisfied that she is wet enough there, I place both my hands over her ass cheeks so that I can spread her wide open. Her neck cranes out to watch me as I push into her. Laughing, I look down at her, “tell the devil I said hey,” I hiss out before her eyes slam shut and my cock finds its home deep inside her ass. All of me is inside her; the tight feeling is insane. It sets me on fire as I pull out and watch as she flinches and grimaces as the pain sets fire to her own soul.

  Letting go of her ass, I grab another tight fist full of hair. A small hiss escapes her lips as the searing pain laces out over her scalp. I pull her back, deeper and harder into my hard body. I can feel her clench around me as I slide my free hand down into her pussy, plunging not one but four fingers into her. She rides my fingers in time with me riding her ass. She’s ready, ready for more, ready for the ride that will send her soul straight to the devil. Leaning down, I slowly pull my cock out of her. Biting down onto her bare sweat laced shoulder, I murmur against her, “ready?”

  She doesn’t need to speak. The small nod and her pulsating pussy gives me the answer I�
�m looking for. Snaking my arm around her taut torso, I flick her over as my fingers pop out of her. Licking her lips seductively, she looks up at me. Her hands are sprawled out over her head, bound and taped the way I like them. Bringing my fingers to her mouth, I push them in as she opens up for me. She licks them clean, licking her essence off me, taking me to a new level of heat entirely. I know exactly what is on her mind as I look over to the table where she has the items laid out for me.

  Jack Daniels, a packet of Marlboros, Zippo and more tape. Pulling my fingers free from her, I circle my cock around her opening, teasing her as I reach over and grab the smokes. Pulling one free with my teeth, I flick the zippo and watch as the flame sucks inside as I breathe it in, deep into my lungs. I relish in the feeling it gives me. I blow out the smoke in a soft cloud around her before I pick up the bottle and take a long pull on it. Instantly I relax as the warm sting of the liquid dances around my body.

  Bringing my mouth down to her, I spit some of the Jack Daniels into her open mouth and take a drag of the smoke before blowing it into her open mouth. She sucks and swallows at the same time, and her eyes glaze over. I bring my lips down to her mouth, and a smile breaks out over her face as an evil laugh leaves mine. Biting down on her plump lips, I get harder with the popping sound it makes, and the small trickle of blood that enters my mouth, teasing the tip of my tongue as I suck deeper, craving more. On cue, my cock twitches and I slam into her hard and fast. Her hips buck up, and her tongue hits my lip. She knows I don’t do kissing. My hand instantly reaches out, slamming around her neck as my finger curl and tighten. I feel the air popping out from her windpipe as a smile plays on her lips, fueling my desire further. I squeeze that little bit harder and the flush in her cheeks changes, the color of her lips turning to a sweet shade of purple. Her body starts to fight against me. Loving the heat and panic, I thrust into her harder as her eyes glaze over. I loosen slightly because let’s face it; I don’t want her dead. I look down at her as she welcomes the small relief of air.