Total pages in book: 187
Estimated words: 174623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 698(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 174623 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 873(@200wpm)___ 698(@250wpm)___ 582(@300wpm)
I open my mouth, wanting to spit in his face but find it too dry to even do that successfully.
Then he's gone. I'm jerked forward, but at some point in being pulled away, Graham releases his hold on me.
A flash of black covers him as he's thrown to the ground.
It takes a few seconds for reality to catch up enough for me to understand that Nyx is there, beating Graham. Each second that ticks by brings another series of blows to Graham's body.
Graham curses, spitting words he would never be caught using in public but often said when we were alone as he tries to fight back, but their size difference is just as great as Graham's and mine.
My ex is no competition for Nyx, and it becomes even more blatant when Graham is hit so many times that he eventually has no more strength to resist.
Nyx's movements are fluid and natural, the fists of a killer, a stark contrast to the softness of his touch on my body last night.
"Are you okay?"
I snap my head to the left, seeing Kincaid approach.
He glances down at Nyx only briefly before he locks his eyes back on me.
"Are you going to stop him?" I scream, pointing at the fight that is now one-sided because Graham seems to be unconscious.
"No," Kincaid says as he shakes his head. "He has to stop on his own."
Chapter 51
Nyx
Die.
Die.
Die.
It's the only thought in my head as I hit him over and over and over.
Blood coats my hands, and his facial features are no longer visible under the injuries. He stopped fighting several blows ago, but he isn't dead. He has to be dead for her to be safe.
"Nyx, please!"
The voice hits my ears like a whisper, but I'm aware enough to know she has to be screaming the words.
Maddox, please!
I shake my head, not needing my mother's voice in my head as I do what has to be done.
"Nyx, stop!"
Not my mother's voice.
Juliet.
I shake my head, shoving both voices away. They're not necessary right now, and I'll deal with the consequences once I know she's safe.
"Please don't," she begs, but my fists keep flying as I fight the urge to gag, feeling this animal's blood marking my skin.
My mother begged me to stop also, but I knew stopping meant she'd continue to be hurt, and that wasn't something I could live with.
"I lost two babies and twelve years of safety because of him," she says, her words somehow filtering into my head even as my fists fly. "I won't let him take you from me, too."
She isn't begging me to stop because she loves him. She isn't concerned about him. She's worried about what doing this could mean for me.
"He's going to kill him," she snaps. "Make him stop."
I look up, confused about why Kincaid is standing there, unsure of how long I've had Graham on the ground.
"He has to decide," Kincaid says, his eyes locked on me, his body frozen, indicating he'll let this play out however it goes.
I shift my eyes to Juliet. She's beautiful even after what she's been through tonight, her face tear-streaked.
I scan her body, checking for injuries. Rage renews itself inside me at the trickle of blood on her neck.
"Please stop," she begs.
Graham, regaining consciousness, begins to struggle, and when I look down at him, I realize my hands are tightly wrapped around his throat.
"Nyx, please stop," she begs again, and it's as if those words hold all the power.
My hands loosen on his throat, and his quick gasp of air tells me just how close I'd gotten to putting an end to his terror for good.
I inch back, standing over him, and as much as I'd like to give him a few quick kicks to the ribs, I know that my fight with him is done.
Hound and Shadow drag Whitmore to his feet, and I reposition my body when his swollen eyes search for Juliet.
"Clara, baby," he says, his words slurred and watery from the blood in his mouth. "Tell them you love me. We're meant to be together forever."
Hound shakes him in an attempt to get him to shut his fucking mouth, but it doesn't even slow him down.
"Tell them this isn't what it looks like," he pleads.
The sound of sirens grow louder as police units draw closer.
I turn and look at Juliet, finding her eyes locked on me.
"I love you," Whitmore insists, his begging tone shifting as she ignores him.
She gives me a weak smile, and I attempt to manage one as well, but I know it's more of a snarl.
"You did this!" Whitmore rages as Hound and Shadow drag him further away. "You ruined our family. You killed my children. You stole so many years of my life."
I turn to face the man. Shadow and Hound halt their movements as I walk closer in that direction.