Apollo releases the chokehold, and Levi sucks in air as he takes a few steps back. His chest is bleeding, but I only managed to add another scar instead of a kill.
Goddammit.
“I need to kill him,” I say, making a fist. “He defiled you. You have to let me kill him, Aspen. He hurt you. No one fucking hurts you and stays alive.”
“No,” she says, droplets of rain running down her gorgeous body … tainted by him.
Tainted by us.
“You think he’s the only one?” she yells.
I swallow away the lump in my throat and look at the others.
“You’re all fighting because of me!”
We stare at each other, neither of us moving a muscle as she stands before us. A pang of guilt floods my veins.
“And I’m done being destroyed by it,” she mutters, slowly lowering the gun. “Please stop fighting. For one day. Just one day … if we could just have one day without hate.”
She shivers as tears fill her eyes.
Goddammit. I failed. I failed her so fucking hard.
I immediately run off to where Levi fucked her because he left his hoodie, and I pick it up and bring it back to her.
“Here. Put this on.”
“What?” she mutters, confused, but then she looks down at her nipples and blushes heavily. “Oh.”
I tuck it over her head so she’ll no longer be naked. “You’re cold.”
“Thanks,” she says, smiling briefly.
I look up at Levi, but something metallic and warm makes me wipe my nose. Blood. Guess he’s not the only one who got hurt.
Apollo spits out some blood on the sand. “Bleeding gums. That’s a first. You trained well.” He grins at Levi.
Blood for blood. “You hurt her. We hurt you,” I say.
“I didn’t hurt her,” Levi rasps.
“You hunted her!” I yell.
“Because I had no other fucking choice!” he yells back.
“Who forced you? Hmm?” I retort. “Was it me, swooping in to steal her right under your nose?”
Levi’s fist balls. “I swear to God, I’ll fuck you u—”
“Enough!” Aspen holds up her hands, immediately quelling the fight before it starts all over. “God, I hate you all so much right now.”
“Told you,” Apollo says, laughing.
“It’s not fucking funny,” I say.
He shrugs. “She’ll get over it.”
She punches Apollo in the shoulder so hard he actually flinches. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him flinch. “You’re no better than the two of them, egging them on.”
