Lover (Betrothed 3)

My eyes moved to Maddox as I approached the center of the room. Without all the apparatus working, it was actually really quiet down here in the basement. No sounds from the outside world to puncture the concrete walls. We were underground and far away from civilization.

Within seconds, I felt the hostility rip me from the inside out. The vein in my forehead enlarged as more adrenaline was released into my system. My heart started to pound so sporadically, I thought I might have a heart attack. There was so much pain inside my chest, so much unspent rage that I didn’t know what to do with it. Looking at those blue eyes made my hand shake and my shoulders go rigid.

All I could see was red.

This man did unspeakable things to my wife…the woman I loved…the mother of my child.

I wanted to kill him with my bare hands, rip out his eyeballs, and shove them up his ass. The longer I stared at him, the less I could resist the urge. Damien and I were outnumbered and we needed to use logic to talk ourselves out of this mess, but all I wanted to do was rip out Maddox’s throat and step on it.

I continued to move toward him, lost in the blood lust that had taken control of my body.

Maddox smiled like this was exactly what he wanted. His blue eyes were charismatic, and his boyish smile made him look innocent. He was a psychopath, using my hatred as fuel for his amusement. “You clean up good, Hades.”

My feet moved quicker, and I launched myself at his face. My hand balled into a fist, and I punched him so hard he flew backward and landed on the concrete with a skid. My knuckles ached as I smashed into bone. I could feel his blood drip on my hands because the impact had been so profound. I never knew my body could unleash such vigorous force. I thought I’d lost my innate strength, but my body seemed to put itself together just for this moment.

Maddox stayed on the ground for a moment as his body absorbed the shock of the hit. Blood dripped from his cheek and his nose, down his chin onto his neck. He wiped his nose with the back of his forearm and admired the red liquid that leaked from his body. He released a light chuckle even though that must’ve hurt all the way down to his core.

I lunged at him again, but his men grabbed me and pulled me away. I fought against the restraint because I cared about his death more than my own life. It was a biological compulsion, a desperate need to snuff out his life like a flickering candle.

Maddox got to his feet slowly, rejecting the help from his men. He straightened and wiped away another river of blood. “Let him go.” His shirt was stained from his wounds, but he continued to smile like this was all a joke. “He’s not gonna be able to focus until he gets this out of his system. Let him do what he wants.” He waved to his men. “Come on, he deserves it.”

After a few seconds of hesitation, his men released me. They slowly backed away and took their time, like they expected Maddox to change his mind.

He should change his mind.

Maddox raised his arms at his sides and beckoned me forward with his fingers. “Take your shot.”

This seemed like a trick, a setup to get me where he wanted me. It seemed too good to be true, but then again, Maddox was unpredictable. It was one of his strengths. There was no way to anticipate any meeting with him because you never knew what to expect.

Damien came to my side and gently placed his hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but don’t fall for it.”

I shoved his hand off my shoulder. “Too late.” I lunged at Maddox again and let my fists beat him like a punching bag. I slugged him in the stomach, slammed his face down into my knee, and then punched him in the face so hard, one tooth came loose. His defeated body continued to hit the floor, and I was the one who had to pull him to his feet so I could finish the job. Every hit was an outlet for my agony, a kind of therapy my entire body needed. But I knew the one thing I needed above all was his death.

But I knew he wouldn’t give that to me.

Maddox got to his feet again and stepped back with his hands raised. “All right, enough.” He grabbed the bottom of his shirt and wiped it across his face to get rid of all the blood. He’d taken a serious beating but shrugged it off like nothing happened. He was just as coherent as ever. “We’re even.”