BLOODHOUNDS #2: THE TAKER

Chapter 29 - PAIN

Kayden Grant

I exited the execution room and bumped into Asher, who looked at me from head to toe. He raised his eyebrows and put his hand out so I could hand him the knife.

"It's not a good sign when you're bathing in blood daily, Grant."

"I'm just doing my job." I walked past him and gave him my knife. He opened his mouth to say something but ended up closing it. I walked to the main building and went to the basement, straight to my computer room.

I turned off the computer to see the CCTV in her penthouse in New York. Tatiana was looking outside the balcony. I leaned back in my chair.

It's been a week.

She looked fine.

Tiffany told me that she's been making her statement and gathering all the documents for her medical school admission. She also mentioned that Tatiana has been eating and sleeping well.

I turned off the CCTV footage and ran my bloody hands through my hair.

I guess it's just me.

I've been struggling a lot. I couldn't sleep, eat, or work properly for the past week. I thought sending her away would improve everything, but it worsened everything.

I loathed myself even more.

I walked out of my computer room and bumped into Clyde. He looked down at my hands and neck, "You look like you just got back from World War Two."

"Shouldn't you be happy that Tatiana is no longer here?"

"I'm happy," I answered, and he chuckled.

"I'm going to give you a mirror for your birthday so you can see how miserable you are." He patted my shoulder and walked away. My feet took me to the bathroom, and I saw myself in the mirror.

"You're a fucking mess, Grant," I whispered.

Tatiana Knight

I sat below the shower, letting the water drown me.

Kayden has been flooding my thoughts, and I hate myself for even thinking about him. It's been over a week, and I've constantly been crying. I don't even know what's wrong with me when this is what I want.

My heart hurt so much that I clawed my nails to my chest until it left so many scratches and bruises. It hurt so much that I couldn't even do anything with it.

I was mad, sad, and felt unfair.

His dark side scared me, but somehow, it was better to have him around me than not have him around.

I just realized that when I got to New York.

Tears filled my eyes, and the air in my lungs was slowly suffocating me because I could feel my heart aching. I was in pain, and I didn't even know why I was in pain. My fingers slowly felt numb, and my nails were digging into my chest, hoping I could take my heart out and throw it at him.

I cried.

Something is wrong with me.

I got up from the floor and walked towards the mirror to see my reflection. My chest was filled with brushes, scratches, and red. I was having a hard time breathing. I put my hands on the vanity table, trying to calm myself down.

I turned on the cold water and took a shower.

I got out of the bathroom like nothing happened.

My phone rang, and it was Blake. I pressed the green button, "Hello."

"I'm going up to the penthouse. Open the door for me." He ended the call, and I opened the door right when the lift door opened. He brought three paper bags with him and stopped right before me.

"Did you cry?"

"No. My eyes caught some soap." I said, and he continued to walk inside.

"I bought some steak and burgers." He announced as he put everything on the dining table, taking everything out.

"Thank you."

"For someone who should be happy for freedom, you look fucking miserable. I don't know what that bastard did to you, but you shouldn't waste your time crying for him." He passed me a burger.

"What exactly happened with you both?" Blake ignored my question by taking a big bite of his burger. I put down the burger and let out a long sigh.

"This is what he does best." I glanced at Blake, who looked at his burger blankly. "Leaving the people that care for him. He tends to shut them down. That's what he did to me twelve to thirteen years ago." Blake put the burger down, and his eyes landed on me.

"He got a restraining order for himself."

"He cares about you, or else he wouldn't have done it." I shook my head, not agreeing with his statement.

"Have you been hurting yourself?" His eyes landed on my upper chest, where there was a bruise.

"No."

"Can you explain to me about your fingers?" I looked down to see my fingers were turning purple.

"I was just... washing the shower floor." Silence filled the room. The only sound that I heard was our breathing.

"We should get married." His statement almost snapped my head. "We should get married next week. How's that?"

"Blake, are you crazy?"

"Why? You agreed to marry Kayden in two months to get rid of your title, but when I offered you the same thing, you rejected me." I put my hands on my head, completely frustrated and stressed.

"You're willing to get married without love for your future. Getting married to me and getting married to Kayden are the same thing. You'll get the same ending." He added, and for the second time, silence filled the room.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, Blake. I just..." Tears filled my eyes, and I started to cry in front of him, "I'm not okay. Ever since I stepped foot in New York, I was miserable."

"Tatiana, you got a big attachment to him because he was the first person who helped you in a country you've never been to. It's a survival instinct for you to lean on somebody, and he was the one who helped you, so I think you'll get over whatever you're feeling right now soon." That's when I pulled down my shirt slightly, showing what I did to my chest.

"Shit." He whispered.

"I never felt such pain, Lockwood. Not even after my parents' rejected my thoughts about being a doctor."