Ink & Dagger (Sins of Eden #1)

10. Chapter X

Chapter X

Emily

I nstead of the intoxicating smoky scent I’d been expecting, it was the putrid stench of cigars and alcohol.

I turned to run in the other direction, but my body locked up as rough hands gripped me tightly around my upper arms. I was shoved hard into the wall behind me and my heart raced wildly in my chest as I fought through my panic.

“You know, I’ve been waiting for you to stop this foolish bullshit and come home, but my patience with you is running thin, Darling,” his menacing voice whispered in my ear as he ground his flaccid cock against my hip through his cargo pants.

I fought to contain my gag and tried to break free of his hold on me, but he shoved me back again, knocking my head hard against the wall. Hissing out a sharp breath from the pain radiating at the back of my skull, I looked up at him with all the hate in my heart for the man I once thought I’d loved and spit in his face. My blood turned to ice as he licked my saliva from the corner of his mouth and grinned a wide toothy smile.

“Fuck you, Erik. You and I are over. I’m never going back. You need to move the Hell on,” I gritted out, once again trying to break free from his hold. He didn’t budge and he didn’t hear me. He never heard me.

“What the fuck is this, Em? Are you cheating on me?” He growled, letting go of my arms to grip the collar of the leather jacket.

“No, I’m not cheating on you. We’re not together anymore. I left, remember?” I said sternly, glaring up at him.

I knew I shouldn’t egg him on when he’d already been drinking, but I was sick of watching over my shoulder. After a year of avoiding him, I figured he’d get the memo and move on, but no matter what I did or said, he still wasn’t taking the not-so-subtle hints I threw his way.

“You fucking whore. You’re mine. Mine, dammit!” He shouted, slamming his fist through the drywall beside my head. I flinched and swallowed, trying to contain my panic. “You belong to me. I’ll kill you before I see you with someone else.”

“Newsflash, Alpha. Who I fuck is none of your concern. I don’t belong to you and I’m not a piece of property. Go back to your bitch and get the Hell out of my life!” I shouted back, as my shaking hand reached for the silver pocket knife in my back pocket and flipped it open.

“You even smell like a who-,”

I swung my knife wildly, nicking his cheek. He hissed in pain and I grinned in satisfaction as blood trickled down his jaw. Erik's closed fist hurtled toward my face faster than my brain could register and I couldn’t move in time to get away. I felt the moment my cheek bone shattered beneath his knuckles and cried out in pain as he gripped my hair, tearing it from my scalp and dragging me with him down the hall toward my tattoo room. I kicked and flailed to no avail as I tried to get out of his hold.

He threw me to the ground beside the tattoo bed and I curled in on myself, trying to make myself a smaller target, praying that he’d just disappear. Reaching up to the necklace around my neck, I clasped it tightly in my fist. If Charlie had hers on then she’d feel my pain. She’d know that I needed help, but at this late hour I had the sinking feeling that I was all alone.

Erik paced the room, back and forth, hitting his head on either side with his palms as he mumbled to himself. Angry hissing approached from down the hall and I looked up in horror from my fetal position as Ghost slithered his way toward us. Erik had always hated Ghost, forcing me to keep him at Charlie’s house most of the time while he and I lived together, but Ghost hated him more.

When I was released from the hospital after Erik’s last beating two years ago, my protector had remained curled up beside me for days promising Erik’s violent death as my magic worked to mend all of the broken bones and fractures Erik had given me.

When Ghost was within striking distance, he coiled into himself, put his head down, flattened his body then struck, attaching his long fangs deep into Erik’s flesh on the back of his calf and holding on for dear life as Erik jerked. Python’s weren’t venomous, so unfortunately it wouldn’t kill him, but a bite from Ghost would definitely cause searing pain and hopefully incapacitate him.

“Fuck!” He screamed, turning towards my Familiar.

Before Ghost could strike again, Erik brought his leg back and kicked him, the impact sending him flying across the room where he hit the wall and slid down motionless.

As Erik turned back to me, he pulled back his non-injured leg and kicked me hard in the ribs. Once. Twice. Going back for a third. Right where he’d broken a few the last time. I cried out as I shielded my stomach to avoid his assault.

This late at night no one would be around to hear me scream and those who were, would be waiting in the shadows to pick off easy prey. I needed to fight back if I was going to survive, but I couldn’t make myself move through the pain and fear.

Erik bent down and gripped a fist full of hair again, forcing my neck to crane against his hold, and lifted me halfway off the ground as he put his face in front of mine. I winced from the pain and hot tears that I refused to let loose sprung to the corners of my eyes. The nauseating scent of stale tobacco and alcohol made my stomach churn as I shut my eyes and concentrated all of my remaining energy into my magic.

“You fucking bitch, if I can’t have you no one can. I was going to take you back, you stupid whore. Make an honest woman out of you, but now I’m gonna put you six feet in the ground and no one will mourn you. No one will even fucking notice you missing,” he shouted. “You think you can walk away and -,”

Energy buzzed beneath my skin and a blinding light shot from my hands, cutting him off before sending him careening backwards into the wall opposite of Ghost. The force of his large body hitting the wall put a crack in the drywall and knocked him out cold as picture frames smashed to the floor beside him.

My body shook as I looked down at my hands wondering what the Hell kind of magic I’d just produced. I sent up a silent thanks and a prayer to the Triple Moon Goddess, begging for him to be dead. Tears streamed down my face as I clutched my side and awkwardly crawled across the floor to Ghost’s still form.

“Ghost! Ghost, please be okay. I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry,” I choked out, trying to reach for him.

My inhales became sharper as I sucked in painful breaths. Putting my hand in front of my mouth, I coughed ruthlessly from the frenzied sobs wracking my body and pulled my hand away to find blood covering my palm.

Fuck.

I winced as I searched my pockets and tugged out my phone before laying down and curling up next to Ghost. Pulling up Charlie’s contact info, I clicked her name and put my phone on speaker as I struggled to stay conscious.

“Hello?” Charlie answered sleepily.

“Char. I need you,” I cried, as I took shallow breaths, fighting the wave of nausea from the pain radiating throughout my body and whatever internal damage Erik had caused this time.

“Em? Emily, where are you?” She replied hysterically.

“Shop,” was all I could say through painful exhales as my eyelids threatened to close on me. As darkness overcame me I could just make out the last of her broken words.

“Fuck, hang on. I’ll be right there, honey.”