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Thirteen

The memory of his kiss played in my mind and made me ache so badly. So badly that I touched myself and came hard against my hand. I tried desperately to forget him, forget his touch, and forget how much I had wanted him.

Who was worse? Was it him, the monster? Or me, who could not help but desire him despite all his darkness?

I heard screaming and crashing.

Stumbling out of bed, I ran out of my room. Something was shattering. There was so much noise all at once. My heart was beating so loud, and I thought we were getting robbed. I hissed the moment I stepped on broken glasses. Avoiding the rest, I kept moving forward to the living room.

My hands flew to my mouth when I saw Veronica with a baseball bat in her hand as she smashed the glass coffee table, which shattered into pieces. I looked around the room, seeing everything broken and destroyed.

Miriam was begging her to stop while staying a bit far from her as if she was scared to approach her. I had never seen Veronica like this. She looked mad and wild, and every hit recognized her anger. I stayed at the doorway, watching everything unfold without attempting to interfere. I wish I could, but this was too much. She was swinging at everything close to her.

"I want that asshole in here!" Veronica screamed like a banshee as she swung at the chandelier, knocking off the stones and rubies.  I couldn't believe she was destroying everything. Why was she so mad?

"I told you," Miriam cried out in frustration and fear. "He's at work. We tried getting him on the phone—"

Veronica smashed the window, and I screamed at the bellowing sound. Behind me, the rest of the staff were whispering and pacing, trying to get a look at Veronica, and when Miriam saw them peeking in, she hissed at them, and they quickly scurried away.

"Ms. Veronica, this is completely insane. These are valuable things you're destroying. You cannot behave like this, or I will call security to escort you out."

Veronica screamed and charged at Miriam. That had me unfreezing. I took a step to interfere. A gust of wind brushed past me, and in seconds, Rogue was standing in between Miriam and Veronica, as he gripped her arm and held the bat with his other. There was no calm there, and I breathed slowly, trying to keep myself from having any twisted feelings.

"V, we've talked about this. You can't be destroying my properties. You don't want me to return the favor," he taunted, twisting her around until her back was to him. He easily took the bat from her hand and dropped it to the ground.

"I hate you so much, you asshole." Veronica elbowed him, and he laughed, turning her around. Rogue grabbed her face and forced her to look at him. "Did you hear me? I said, I hate you."

"A lot of people hate me, but you can't be one of them," he said sternly.

Veronica groaned and twisted in his arms. "Keep this shit up, and you won't have me by your side again," she threatened.

Rogue chuckled. "Why are you mad about what I did? Shouldn't I be mad for what you almost cost me? Have you forgotten the rules?"

What she almost cost him? Me? But why would that cost him? Last time I checked, he had accepted that I had nothing to offer him. I was still here because he thought it was necessary.

"What, help an innocent woman from your clutches? I know what it feels like, and I don't want you to trap her like you did me."

Were they even aware that I was still in the room? Common sense was telling me to get out of there as fast as I could, but I stayed glued to the spot, swallowing the annoyance and also curious about what they were saying. Was Rogue tying Veronica down?