The Fighter (Book 1)

Chapter 26

There was a body next to me, sniffling and letting out soft sobs. Zack. My eyes shot open, and I found a nearly empty bottle of vodka in his hands and four on the table next to the bed. The floor was littered with empty whiskey bottles.

“Dammit, Zack,” I took the bottle from him and he sobbed and yanked it back. “Baby, stay here. I’ll be right back.”

“Don’t leave me,” he sobbed even harder. “Please don’t leave me.”

“Okay, okay,” I lied down next to him, running my fingers through his thick hair. “You’re okay, baby. You’re all right. I’m here.”

“No, you’re not,” his voice broke. “You’re dead. And I’m hallucinating because I’m so drunk off my ass that I can’t think straight.”

The tent door folded back and Gen screamed before frowning, “Treble?”

“Go get Av. Make him throw up,” I nodded quickly. “I don’t want to see him sad and wasted.”

“Am I dreaming?”

“No, I’m really here. Now please hurry,” I batted my eyelashes at the demon. I forced Zack out of bed, dragging him outside as he stumbled over his own legs. Av squealed upon seeing me, and quickly said the words that would make Zack throw up. I rubbed my hand over his back as he let out what remained in his stomach. He groaned.

“What the hell, Av?!” he whined. “It took me hours to get that worked up!”

“Stand up, dumbass,” she laughed. Zack looked up at her slowly, realizing she wasn’t the one touching his back.

Zack laughed in disbelief, swallowing me in his arms and falling to his knees. He buried his face in my neck and cried tears of what I hoped were joy. “I’m dreaming, aren’t I?”

“No,” I stroked his hair and kissed his cheek. “You smell like alcohol, baby.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” he squeezed his arms around me until I thought I would explode. “Goddamn, Treble, I missed you so, so, so, so much.”

“I missed you, too, Zack,” I kissed his temple.

We were quiet. “I have to tell you something,” we said simultaneously.

“You screwed Eros,” I nodded. “Fifteen told me.”

“What’s yours?”

“I made out with Taylor,” I blushed. “Turns out, I’m polyamorous, and I love your brother, too.”

“How was he?”

“Bloody.”

Zack nodded.

“Where’s Eros? Tay gave me a list of things to tell and give him when I got back,” I chuckled.

Zack was quiet, biting his lip as tears welled in his eyes. “He’s in their tent. Wasted, like I was. He, uh,” his tears spilled. “He got Taylor a ring…the night before...”

Fresh tears formed in my eyes and I nodded before setting off to find Eros. I could hear his sobs outside his tent and bit back my own when I stepped inside and wrapped my arms around him.

He clutched the ring in his hands and sobbed into my chest. “Please kill me,” he said between sobs. “I just want to be dead.”

I shook my head quickly, “I’m gonna get him back, I promised him.”

“Why didn’t you if you saw him?”

“It was just me and Fifteen. We couldn’t get him out with just that. I’m gonna get more, and I’m gonna go get him. And you’ll give him that ring, and you two will have happily ever after, got it?” tears streamed down my face as the god nodded. “He misses your voice…And your smile…And your laugh,” I said when I could catch a breath. “He said he misses your moan and the taste of your sweat,” I laughed through the tears, “and he wanted me to give you a slap on the ass for him.”