Page 82 of Obsession (Dark Revenge)
I could not see much as Finn held me down, but he adjusted his clothing before pulling me to my feet and pressing my body against his.
“Stop!” he shouted at Jared, who continued to pummel Michael, causing his face to be grotesquely disfigured. If there had been any hope of salvaging his appearance before, it was surely lost now. Jared turned his head, his eyes cold as ice. In a swift motion, he disengaged from Michael, only to shift his focus to Noah, who was groaning on the floor with the knife still embedded in his shoulder. Jared removed the knife, prompting Noah to scream in agony, but Jared quickly silenced him by covering his mouth and pressing the knife to his throat. It appeared that Jared was the only one armed, but it was, after all, his house.
“You think we’re playing a game?” Jared snarled, and it dawned on me that Finn didn’t require weapons. He possessed the strength to snap my neck. “Fine, let’s play.”
Jared pressed the knife even harder against Noah’s throat, forcing him to tilt his head back to avoid being cut. I glanced at Finn and could discern the uncertainty in his eyes.
“You come to my damn house and think you can lay a finger on what belongs to ME?” he bellowed at Finn, his voice reverberating in the room. “No, we don’t play like that in this house. Do you know what happened to the last guys who thought they could touch her? They’re not breathing anymore.”
Jared let his words hang in the air, and I sensed Finn growing even more unsure, shifting uneasily. Jared remained resolute, but his eyes betrayed a desire for further bloodshed.
“Kill him, and the deal is off,” Finn reminded Jared.
“I don’t need to kill him.”
Jared’s words left both of us bewildered, as I had assumed that was his intention.
“I can just take a few pieces,” Jared said, then slid the knife to Noah’s ear.
A bone-chilling scream filled the room. I had to avert my gaze as the sight of an ear being severed nearly made me sick, and I didn’t want to move too much with Finn still gripping me.
“What the hell?” Finn yelled. “Do you realize what you’ve just done?”
“Payment,” Jared snarled, tossing the ear aside. Noah bent forward, clutching his bleeding ear while continuing to scream, but Jared wasn’t finished. He yanked him back by the hair, tilting his head to expose his throat, and pressed the bloody knife against it once more. “You lay hands on what belongs to me without my consent, and I can claim whatever the hell I want. If I want an ear, I take an ear. If I want a finger, I take a finger. Or if I want to turn you all into dickless men, I fucking CAN!”
The commotion had begun to attract attention, and I could hear people approaching, but Jared held his ground. He kept the knife firmly against Noah while challenging Finn behind me. Michael still lay unconscious on the ground, and the tension was obvious as we waited in suspense.
“You will pay for this,” Finn snarled before shoving me forward.
I stumbled, my legs barely able to support me. Jared effortlessly caught me and draped his jacket over my shoulders just as Henrick, Vince, and his guards rushed in, taking in the scene. I noticed a small figure behind them trying to peer through—Astrid.
“What the fuck has happened?” Henrick demanded as he surveyed his nephews’ predicament.
“Just a misunderstanding I needed to correct,” Jared replied, turning his icy gaze to Vince. “They needed a little reminder of who’s in control.”
To my astonishment, Vince didn’t appear angry. Instead, he smiled. What kind of world was this?
Chapter 32
-Jared-
The aftermath was anything but aesthetically pleasing, and the ensuing conversation between Henrick and Vince was tense, to say the least. However, as I held Alison close to me, I calmly elucidated the situation. My explanation left Henrick in somber reflection, as he fixed his nephews with a disappointed gaze. Even he recognized that intruding into my domain and attempting to harm what was under my protection was an invitation for trouble. They had no right to enter this room, let alone lay a finger on Alison. While she might not be the woman I was set to marry, the contractual ties still bound her to me, and this blatant display of disobedience demanded correction.
Henrick disapproval of me had been longstanding, particularly after I had killed his son, yet as he ordered Finn to tend to Michael and personally assisted Noah to his feet, I detected a fleeting glimmer of respect in his eyes. He remained uncertain about whether I was fit to be part of the pack, but I hadevidently proven something tonight. Even as he contemplated how to penalize me for harming his own kin, he also grasped the necessity for me to demonstrate my worth.
Vince escorted them away and instructed some housemaids to restore order in my room. I did not bother to bid them farewell. My sole concern was the trembling woman in my arms. I tried to assess Alison’s condition more closely, but she pressed herself to me. Instead, I guided her into the bathroom and closed the door behind us, allowing the maids to start their work in the room. I hoped that a change of scenery might offer Alison some solace, but even as we entered the bathroom, she continued to tremble and stay close to me.
“Tell me how far they went,” I demanded.
She shook her head against me, but I needed to know the extent of the violation.
“Alison, tell me!” I growled softly.
She mumbled something against me, prompting me to roughly pull her away from me, gripping her arms. Finally, I could examine her properly. Her cheek was reddened and slightly swollen, but I noticed something white clinging to her collar. When I looked at my own shirt, I saw traces of the vile substance that had tainted her skin.
“Fucking assholes. I should have done more,” I snarled.
“It was only Michael,” she whispered.
