For the Bond (Romantic Suspense) (Beyond Blood, #3) (2 page)

Curling his fingers, my best friend watched me closely. He had no more words. That was good. We'd tried talking, it had led us here. Jacob circled to the left, balanced. Calm. Nothing stirred but the blue in his eyes. More than seeing his intensity, I
felt
it.

Here's the thing. Jacob may know me and my habits like no one else alive. But it went both ways. And standing there, shielded in my tense knot, I knew exactly what he was doing. Jacob the planner, he was expecting me to make the first move.

In my mind's eye, I counted down. I saw each number. I wanted to wait him out, I needed to gauge how long it'd take for him to grow impatient.

Jacob's mouth eased into a side-ways smirk. He stopped moving, taking me in with new appreciation.
That's right,
I thought to myself.
I can be just as relaxed as you. Now what? Guess you'll have to adapt.
Crouching, my legs shoved me forward. I was going to grab him by the middle, throw him to the mat.

Slippery as ice, the other man spun away. His fist jammed into my ribs, stealing my air. But if he thought that was enough to take me down, he was wrong. Wrenching my fingers into the front of his shirt, I pulled him towards me, threw us both to the ground. His small grunt of surprise was encouraging. If I stayed ahead of him, I could beat Jacob. I could fucking win.

Under me, he flexed so he could shove me off. Hooking my leg, I tangled his knees, pulled my forearm under his chin. Choking him out was the key. I was ready to hear him slamming his palm into the mat in defeat.

Tape covered skin jammed upwards, his fingers catching my arm before it could close on his neck. The wedge stopped me from stealing his air. We tumbled, his legs rolling us. I didn't see what he did, I just felt my insides spin when he flipped me. Jacob reversed our bodies, crushed me under him. His eyes flashed, the single image I caught of his expression—shit, he looked pissed.

On my back, I worked to dislodge him. His elbow rammed my guts, my empty stomach threatening to spew bile. This wasn't a fight with rules. We were already breaking down the single one we had. Our anger came from a foundation of fractured desires.

He wanted Marina gone to cement our safety.

I wanted her by my side to fulfill my life.

“Fuck,” I hissed, wrenching my foot under me for leverage. Nothing moved him. Jacob was an avalanche, smothering me without care or thought. If I didn't do something, I was going to blackout.

The edge of my vision went crunchy—like bugs were chewing at the colors. Through grey and purple flashes, my oxygen depleting, I saw her; Marina. Her sparkling smile, her distractingly thick voice. The memory of the gun range floated to the surface. How she'd held up her fingers, watching me through the diamond shape and beaming in joyous delight. Marina... she'd gotten into my world so firmly.

With her flushed cheeks in my mind's eye, I swelled with a rush of strength. One chance. That was all she had. It was all I needed.

Jacob's grip suddenly went slack. I didn't know why, but it was time to gamble. He cried out, not ready for the back of my skull to ratchet into his nose. The noise was gruesome, wet and gristly. He let go, stumbling off and rolling away. I copied him, twisting to the other side of the mat.

Sitting up on my knees, I breathed the fresh air in until it burned. My lungs hated me, but seeing Jacob's face... I believe
he
hated me more. This day was full of new experiences.

Holding his nose, he glared at me with disbelief—fury that turned his blue eyes into scalding poison. My urge to apologize bubbled up. He spoke first, looking at the blood on his hand when he pulled it away. “You're a real piece of work,” he murmured. Crimson stained his tight smile. “Does it look broken?”

Inching forward, I warned him with my eyes, dared him to attack again. If he tried, I'd be ready. “Just looks like a bloody nose from here.”

“Take a closer look,” he said softly. Fuck, his grin was monstrous.

“You're not tricking me again, dick-head.”

He chuckled darkly at my comment. “Guess not.”

The pounding in my skull wasn't slowing down. Were we done? Had I won, was Jacob going to hold to his promise? I maintained my stance—a half-crouch—and waited for him to do something. Anything.

Sighing loudly, Jacob leaned against the wall. His hand was held up, fingers spread. It was as if he'd never seen his own blood before. I knew that wasn't true. “Look at us,” he whispered. “What the hell are we doing?”

“Fighting for Marina's soul.” The statement slipped out of my mouth. It felt right, though.

Something familiar glistened in his stare. It took me back to a tiny playground in a forgotten chunk of Upstate New York. “This really means that much to you.”

The energy in his tendons had vanished. Taking the cue, I let my body relax. “
She
means that much to me. Don't tell me you can't understand that.”

His wet hand became a fist. Red stained his shirt, the mat, and his frown. “I understand, Kite. I never said she meant nothing to me.”

Hesitating, I folded my legs and sat heavily. I was itching all over, burnt and drained. It was like I hadn't slept for days. Or perhaps, something in me was finally waking up. “For once, shake off your paranoia. Imagine a future where she lives. Where we get our freedom...
and
Marina Fidel.”

The edges of his lips twitched. “I'm a practical man. It's hard to picture that.”

I leaned closer. If he was going to attack, now was the time. I was within reach, and I was going to push my triumph like a knife into an open wound. He'd jump on me, or he'd give up. I wouldn't let him put on another fucking mask of false complacency. “I won. You said you'd give her a chance to prove she can be trusted.”

Still as a statue, Jacob considered me for a long while. The only motion was the occasional drop of blood from his nose. Shame over being the one who had injured him was settling in. I had to stay strong... I had to stand my ground.

Jacob had been the most important person in the world to me. Until now, no one had dared to share that space.

“Yes. You won.” Groaning, he pinched the bridge of his nose and looked upwards. “I'll give her a chance. I promised you that much.” My heart thrummed, a smile so gigantic it was embarrassing. I was lucky he wasn't watching anymore. “You know,” he said, his voice wistful. “Part of me really does want to trust her. What an experience that would be.”

Jacob wanted to trust her? My brain was working overtime. I thought about our fight, the angle he'd had me at—his experience with grappling. How he'd let go and stopped choking me out. Shaking my head, I studied him with suspicion. “You didn't
let
me win... did you?”

His smile was too tight. Peeking at me, he kept squeezing his nose to stem the flow. “Now who's paranoid? Grab a towel from my bag.”

Warily, I yanked out a rag and soaked it in the small water fountain. If I'd won fairly or not shouldn't have mattered. Jacob taking the fall intentionally made no difference.

Except it does,
I thought silently, handing him the wet cloth. Watching him clean his face, how quickly he returned to cool, composed Jacob, I stayed hooked on what this meant.

If he had let me win...

Then Jacob really did cling to the same hope that I did; Marina's continued existence. If the both of us were on the same page, the outcome had a greater percentage of becoming true.

Marina was still an anchor dragging us down in the river. Perhaps, together, Jacob and I could pull all three of us to the other side.

Freedom...

It waited for us.

We just had to keep ourselves afloat a little longer.

Jacob

––––––––

M
y face ached—and for a good reason. I was still amazed that Kite had gone as far as he had. I had to admire him.

In my bathroom mirror, I pressed the ice to my nose and chuckled. It didn't look that bad, it just
felt
awful. Constant thudding from the cartilage to my brain. The blood had stopped an hour ago. I could still taste the copper on my tongue.

Leaning close to the mirror, I stared into my eyes—searched for whatever was making me behave like a mad man. It was pointless. I
knew
the reason. Burying it in more logic or fine-tuned plotting wouldn't help.

It all came back to her.

Dammit,
I cursed myself. Lifting the ice away, I gingerly touched the side of my face. Tender, enough that I winced. Kite had a hard head, literally. I should have made him tap-out sooner. I'd had the upper hand.
So why had I lost?
My eyes held the answer that time. Out of disgust, I wrenched away, unable to face myself.

Marina is twisting me up inside.

The revelation was like a second collision. Scrubbing at my hair, making my scalp tingle, I threw the ice in the trash. This situation was going off the rails. Kite wanted to fight for her. I'd been roped into agreeing.

I was lying to myself, though, if I thought I wasn't relieved. Kite had gotten his way—he'd forced my hand, freed me from having to make the choice. If Marina could prove she was trustworthy... maybe there was a way out of spilling her blood.

It was hard to picture. Hard to hope. Kite was a rare friend, deeper than kin. We walked the Earth as corrupted souls, men who had been destined to suffer from the start. Nothing had gone right for us. Even our escape—the moment we'd made our bond—had been a curse.

Once you killed, the river welcomed you.

God, I was tired of swimming.

Leaving the bathroom, I poured myself a glass of water. It was clean and crisp and perfect. It cut down my throat, cleared my head. Facing the window over the city, I hooked my thumb in my belt and just watched.

The busy streets were so far away. I felt like I was separate from everything. I always had been, in my own way. The day I'd rented this apartment, I'd stood right here and smiled at the ground below. I'd thought, at the time, “This is the beginning. This is what we've been struggling for.”

Money was so strange. When you didn't have it, it was all you wanted. It seemed like the one cure for all your ailments.

But money couldn't fix the hole she'd made in me.

Shifting, I sipped my drink—let my attention fall on my couch. The place I'd claimed Marina last night. Her red dress shedding like snake-skin, her body coiling and strangling me until I was dizzy.

I didn't remember moving, but I had. Standing by the furniture, I reached out, ran my fingertips over the cushion. Marina had begged for me here. She'd melted in my grip until she was nothing but some unquenchable creature.

Her words burned into my brain. She'd pleaded with me to let her come. I'd tortured her because she tortured
me,
even when I slept.

I want to hear your pretty voice so I can remember these words forever
. That had been what I'd claimed. I'd meant it. If she was going to be erased, and the most I could own was that moment, I'd take it and crush it to my heart.
I'm possessed,
I thought cynically. Reaching down, I adjusted my firming cock. I wanted to sink my teeth into her again. More than before.

Now that I'd gotten through her walls, seen what was beneath, my craving was worse. Bending close to the smooth leather, I inhaled. It still smelled like her—that spicy, oddly autumn mix. I wasn't much of a praying man, but as I shook myself, tried to force the scent of her from my nose, I hoped with all my strength that Marina would do what we needed.

I wanted her to prove herself.

No... beyond that.

I
needed
her to.

It crossed my mind that she, herself, might not have faith in
us
. She'd told me flatly that she didn't trust me. I didn't consider this to be an issue, not anymore. Our plan would go forward regardless of how she felt. And... if it worked, we'd have eternity to earn her trust.

This woman was a time bomb. Marina could explode and end us, or she'd be diffused.

Only she held the code to all of our futures.

Floorboards creaked; footsteps that announced the man behind me. “How is your nose?” Kite asked, belaying his guilt.

Facing him, I saw the stained clothing bundled in his arms. He'd been using my bedroom to change out of the gym clothes. “Considering how hard you hit me, it's fine.” I tapped my cheek. “Swollen, that's about it.”

He grimaced. “Fuck. I'm really sorry, man.”

Waving his apology away, I slid around him and into my kitchen. He followed close behind, shoulders scrunched up by his ears. “Just forget about it. Things got heated, we've moved on.” Pouring myself a drink of water, I sipped it, leaned back on the counter. “All that matters is that we cleared the air.”

His smile was hesitant. “Yeah. If you promise not to revenge-hit me at some random point when I least suspect it, then we're good.”

Chuckling, I offered him a glass—he motioned it away. “We're going to need to come up with a way to test her. You realize that, right?”

“The trust thing. Sure.” Shuffling side to side, Kite put the clothes on the counter. “Thing is, I don't... want to put her through anything just yet. This morning did a number on her. She was kind of sad when I left. Like she didn't want me to go.” Frowning, he glanced up at me. “We should wait a bit, that's all I'm saying.”

Running my finger around the rim of my glass, I clicked my tongue. Marina doing poorly was something I didn't want to dwell on. “We've been keeping her cooped up, haven't we?”

“We took her dancing last night,” Kite snorted.

“Right. But that was... different.” Both of us smiled, recalling the events. I shook myself. “Anyway, how about this? Let's take her out and do something fun today.”

His eyebrows pressed together. “Like what?”

Setting my glass down, I cupped my chin thoughtfully. “I think I have the perfect idea.” It was the right combination of practical and exciting. Something Kite and I hadn't done in awhile. It'd let us all shake our muscles out. Considering how much better we felt after our spar, Marina could benefit from a similar situation. Plus, for Kite and me, a bit of teamwork building couldn't hurt.