The Wedding Debt (Underworld Kings)

He tears off his wet shirt, showing off all the abs underneath and the v-line leading into his pants, and I find it hard not to stare. He fishes his knife from his pocket and draws a heart on his chest, puncturing it right on the spot where he punctured mine, letting the blood roll.

I know what it means … and I know this is a warning only meant for me.

And it makes my heart drop into my shoes.

I know he saw us kissing, but I’m not sorry. I needed to know the truth.

Why does he even care?

Luca’s lips barely part as he sneers at me, “I fucking hate you to death.”

“Oh fuck you, Luca. Now you’ve gone too far.” Liam suddenly gets up and jumps down out of the tree house without ever touching the steps. Still, he lands without a scratch, and when he broadens his shoulders, he looks menacingly strong.

The rain begins to pour again as I watch the two having a standoff. Luca clutches his knife while Liam shows off his muscles, and it terrifies me beyond belief to know these two are about to fight.

“All this time, I’ve tried to keep you from destroying your own goddamn life, and for what?” Liam shouts. “So you can go around and bully girls into hating your guts?”

Luca approaches menacingly with a darkness in his face I’ve never seen before. “You’ve got it all wrong, Liam,” he hisses, pulling out his knife. “You betrayed me.”

“You betrayed yourself by behaving like this. And our parents,” Liam replies.

“Fuck Mom and Dad,” Luca spits. “They chose you, not me.”

“So what are you going to do? Cut me?” Liam asks. When Liam opens his arms, my eyes widen. “Go ahead.”

“No!” I yell, climbing down the stairs as fast as I can even though it’s pouring outside. I run in front of Liam and block him with my arms. “Don’t. Please stop, Luca.”

His whole face contorts like he can’t stand the sight of me, and it hurts. “You choose him? Over me?”

I shake my head, droplets running over my cheeks as I stare at Luca with disbelief, pleading with my eyes to make him stop. “Can’t we talk this out?”

His lips twitch as droplets pitter-patter down his chin. “No. Every word from your mouth is poison.”

He might as well jam that knife into my heart.

“Get out of my way,” he says through gritted teeth.

“No,” I reply in a moment of pure, insane courage. “He’s your brother, Luca.”

“I don’t care,” he growls, and he suddenly marches straight at me with the knife firmly clutched in his hand.

In a single move, Liam pushes me aside, swooping me out of harm’s way, and I fall onto the grass. The harsh landing knocks the air out of my lungs, but when I turn around and see Luca attacking Liam, I still manage to release a squeal.

“Stop, Luca!” Liam yells, trying to fend off Luca, who keeps swiping the knife around like it’s a damn sword. “We’re brothers!”

“You’re not my fucking brother anymore!” Luca yells back, shoving Liam so hard that he has a hard time fighting him off.

Liam might have the physical upper hand, but Luca’s knife puts them on the same level of strength, and I don’t know who’s going to win. I don’t want to choose. I don’t want them to fight.

It’s all my fucking fault.

If I hadn’t come here, none of this would’ve happened.

Tears well up in my eyes, but I push them back and crawl up from the ground. Without thinking, I tear Liam away from Luca’s grasp, tugging him with me.

“Let me go,” Liam growls at me.

“No. You’re coming with me,” I reply. “Now.”

“Where are you going, Liam?” Luca jests. “Scared I might give you a little cut?”

“This isn’t over yet!” Liam barks back.

“C’mon then, fight me, coward,” Luca yells back.

Liam tries to shake me off, but I refuse to let him ditch me. Not this fucking time. I stand right in front of him and slap him in the face. “Stop. Now. He could kill you.”

“I don’t fucking care,” Liam says in a fit of rage.

I grab his chin. “But I do.”

I look into his eyes, and then it slowly begins to dawn on him.

We’re supposed to get married. Our parents expect us to.

But right now … I want nothing more than to run away.

Together.

So I grab his hand and coil my fingers through his and run toward my father’s car.

“Jump in,” I tell him, and he gets into the passenger’s seat while I hop behind the wheel.

“Where are we going?” Liam asks as he straps himself in.

“JILL!” Luca’s voice echoes through the streets. “DON’T YOU FUCKING RUN AWAY FROM ME!”

He’s right there in my rearview mirror. Fuck.

I don’t even answer before I hit the gas and swerve onto the street.

I don’t know where I’m going. All I know is that we need to get out of here. Now.