The Initiation (Darkness Within Duet 1)

Lowering her hand, she sat back in the seat. Going against Draven meant certain death.

He didn’t take threats lightly, and as she locked her fingers together, to stop the temptation to hurt him, she knew it would be so easy to fight him, to have him hit her, to feel the brush of pain.

She’d watched him fight plenty of times. He fought just for the fun of it, or at least, it always looked that way.

“You shouldn’t bring up someone’s dead mom. It’s rude.”

He laughed. “I imagine she’s nothing more than a ghost in your house, right?”

She wasn’t allowed to talk about her mother, or have a single picture right now. Not responding to him, she expected him to take her home, but he didn’t.

He parked at Stonewall’s well-known make-out parking lot. She had no intention of making out with him.

“Don’t worry, Harper. I only like my women begging, and one day soon,” he said, leaning in close. His breath fanned across her face. “You’re going to beg.”

“You think I want to be a member of your gangbang, dream on.”

“Don’t worry. We’ve got plenty of willing women to take dick.”

Her cheeks were on fire, but she didn’t back down.

“I know. The cheerleading squad are willing to make your every waking juvenile dream come true.”

He laughed as he stepped out of the car.

She tried the door, only to find it locked.

He locked his door, slamming it closed. Draven took his time walking around the vehicle until he got to her side.

“Let me out,” she said.

She had no desire to be trapped in his car. In the past week, she’d already spent too much time near him, and all she wanted to do was to go home. Even though her place with her dad wasn’t home. Far from it.

It was just a pit stop. A place she had to be. It wasn’t a home. A home was welcoming. The place she lived at wasn’t that. It was a prison.

“Do you promise to be good?” he asked.

She folded her arms and stared out the window ahead of her, ignoring him at hers.

“Fine, have it your way.” He turned on his heel, about to walk away.

“Hey! Don’t leave me, asshole.”

“Asshole, you’re calling me an asshole?” he asked. “Ask me nicely.”

She shook her head, and again he went to leave.

“Wait!”

He stopped but didn’t turn back to look at her. Gritting her teeth, she wanted to tell him to go and fuck himself, to leave her alone.

Instead…

“Please, let me out.”

“Say pretty please.”

“Are you for real right now?”

“Totally real. As real as a heart attack.”

“Pretty please, let me out.”

He walked back to the car, and she watched as he put his key inside, opening the door. He held his hand out for her to take.

Would it be so wrong to hit him and run?

Draven wasn’t full of empty threats. He’d hurt her just for the fun of it.

Climbing out of the car, she pulled her hand out of his the moment she could. Shoving them into the pocket of her jacket, she stared at him.

“Now what?”

“You’re not very trusting, are you?”

“Not with you.”

“Not with anyone would be my guess.” He laughed.

“You’ve made it your life’s mission to annoy me this week. Forgive me for not giving a fuck about what you think right now.”

“Look at you, being all tough.” He suddenly took her hand and marched her through the woods.

She didn’t have a clue where they were going. Rain fell down all around them, making visibility almost impossible.

“Draven, stop!”

He kept on going.

“I mean it. Stop.”

He still didn’t listen. She didn’t know how long they walked before he finally stopped, spinning her around.

“Go on, tough girl, have your best shot.”

“What the hell is all this about?” she asked. Anger flooded her as he slapped his hands against his chest.

“Come on, Harper, you know you want to. You want someone else to feel the pain that you’re going through. To know what it is that makes you get up in the morning and not slit your own fucking wrists.”

“Stop it. You have no right to go there. No right at all.” She shoved her hands against his chest.

Draven didn’t budge. He didn’t give her a chance as he put his hands on her shoulders and shoved her back, hard.

She fell into the wet dirt with a gasp. The pain rushed from her ass, spreading through her body from the impact. Her pants were dirty and soaked from the water.

“You better learn to stand up for yourself, Harper. You want people to leave you alone, you better keep that good girl image at the door.”

Tears filled her eyes. This was the last thing she wanted to do today. Getting to her feet, she faced him, summoning the memory of his smirk as dirt fell from her locker, the food tray he’d purposely shoved out of her hands.