Taming Two Warriors (Kindred Tales)

But some things just can’t be forgiven.

“I’m going,” she said, her paralysis breaking abruptly. She pointed a shaking finger at Jason. “I don’t want to hear your apology—I just want you to leave me alone and never come near me again.” She turned to Amanda. “I know you don’t know it, but what Jason did to me was way worse than teasing me about my weight like you and the rest of the popular girls did. You shouldn’t have brought me out here to meet him—especially not at night.”

She started to go but Amanda grabbed her arm.

“Oh, and what exactly did he do to you, Melli-the-belly?” she cooed. The nice, “I’m-so-sorry” look had been wiped off her face and there was a mean kind of enjoyment in her eyes.

“Never mind,” Melli said sharply, trying to pull away. “I just want to go back to my dorm now.”

“But not until I get to spend some time with you, Melli-baby.”

To Melli’s horror, Jason Sykes was suddenly right in front of her. How had he gotten there so fast? He seemed even bigger than he had in high school and his grin held the same mean enjoyment that Amanda’s did. But it was also tinged with something else—lust.

Melli remembered that look on his face during the attack. The vicious, grinning enjoyment she saw on his All-American features as he hurt her so badly she cried and begged and screamed and bled.

“Shut up, you little slut!” he’d said, slapping her as he continued his assault. “Shut up or I’ll give you something to cry about!”

“L-leave me alone,” she said, raising her chin, trying to be brave and shut out the past. “I told you, I’m not interested in your apology.”

“Who said I wanted to apologize?” Jason Sykes asked, his grin widening. “Maybe I just want to see if your pussy is still as tight as it was back in high school.”

“What?” Melli took a step back, only to find herself yanked forward again by Amanda, who still had her arm linked through Melli’s.

“Now, Melli-the-belly,” she said, laughing a little. “Is this any way for you to behave when you see an old friend from high school? Why don’t the two of you kiss and make up?”

“Leave me alone!” Melli yanked at her arm, trying to get away. “You don’t know what he did to me!”

“Oh, yes I do.” Amanda’s eyes flashed. “Who do you think put him up to it?”

“What?” The admission caught Melli completely off guard. She stared at Amanda. “But…why?” she asked, feeling bewildered. “Why would you…would you do that to me?”

Amanda grinned at Melli meanly.

“Maybe just because you got on my nerves. You were always such a goody-two-shoes—such an innocent little virgin—or we were all pretty sure you were. After all, nobody wants to fuck a fat girl.” She jabbed Melli in the ribs with one bony elbow. “So I bet Jason fifty bucks that he couldn’t find out if you were a virgin or not.”

“And I took the challenge because I always did like tight pussy,” Jason sneered down at Melli. “Even if it is attached to a fat chick.” He laughed—a coarse, awful sound she remembered from the attack. “All I had to do was bring the bloody sheets with me to prove it and Amanda here had to pay up.”

“Yes, I did,” Amanda sniffed. “That particular bet cost me a sweater I really wanted at Macy’s because I didn’t have enough money go buy it before it was taken off sale.”

Melli’s head was spinning and she felt like she might throw up. She remembered now how Jason had stripped the sheets off the bed when he was finished with her. She’d assumed at the time that he wanted to hide the evidence of what he had done. But now it seemed clear he had only wanted the sheets to win a bet.

“Fifty dollars?” she heard herself saying as she looked between them. “That was all I was worth? You paid him fifty dollars to rape me?”

“Rape? What are you talking about?” Jason Sykes demanded, glaring down at her. “You consented, Melli-baby—remember? Not only that, you loved every minute of it! Bet you’ve never had it so good since, huh?” He grinned and did a little bump and grind with his hips that nearly made Melli puke.

“Get away from me,” she said to both of them. “Leave me alone—I don’t ever want to see either one of you again!”

“I don’t think so.” Jason was suddenly looming over her, much closer than he had been before. “I think we’re gonna have a little high school reunion, Melli-baby. Right here and now. Of course, you’re not a virgin anymore but I bet I can still make you scream.”

Melli wanted to scream right now—wanted to open her mouth and shriek at the top of her lungs. But fear seemed to have stolen her voice. All she could do was whisper, “No…no, please!” as Jason Sykes took her by the shoulders and pushed her to the cold ground.