Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Assholes.
Letting out a sigh, I pull the blankets back and go to slip into bed with Maddox when I get a good look at him and realize that he’s covered from head to toe in black and blue bruises. It’s a fucking crime scene in here. Cuts mar his perfect skin, he’s swollen all over, and his brow has been slit.
“What the fuck?” I screech, absolutely horrified as I take him in, checking that he’s still alive, and that the designated killer of the group didn’t accidentally take Maddox away from me.
Maddox groans at my loud screech, peeling open an eye only to smirk back at me in that stupid, loveable way. “Morning, Savage,” he grumbles, reaching for me as though I’m about to ignore the cuts and bruises and climb into bed with him.
The audacity of this man.
“You have got to be kidding me.”
His sleepy smile falters, and he looks at me in a new light, realizing exactly what it is that I’m seeing. “Uh-oh.”
The anger burns through me. “Yeah, uh-oh.”
“Just give me a second to—”
“Oh, hell no,” I grumble, reaching down and taking the fucker by the ear.
“LYRA!”
I yank him out of bed, pulling him to his feet, and he scrambles to keep up with my hasty movements. “Get up.”
“Woah, woah, woah,” he rushes out. “I’m up. I’m up. No need to tear my ear off my face.”
“Apparently there is.”
I don’t dare let go as I turn on my heel and stalk out of his room, dragging him along with me. “I swear, there’s a perfectly good explanation for all of this.”
I don’t hear him as I storm down the hall and bring my foot up, slamming open the door of the spare room where Hunter is sleeping. I drag Maddox right around the side of Hunter’s bed until I find the glass of water perched on the bedside table, and without hesitation, I wrap my fingers around the cool glass and toss the water right at Hunter’s bruised face.
His eyes spring open, and he immediately reaches for a gun on the bedside table before realizing it’s only us, not someone here to take him out. Though I wouldn’t put it past me right now. I’m one hell of a threat to his survival.
“What—”
“What did you do?” I demand, finally releasing Maddox’s ear just so I can get in Hunter’s face.
He blinks as though needing a second to catch on. “What are you talking about?”
I point at Maddox’s face. “That.”
Hunter shifts his gaze to his best friend and arches a brow, assessing the mess he left him in. “Not bad. Could have been worse.”
“Yeah,” Maddox says. “Same goes. Ribs look rough though.”
Hunter glances down at his chest to take in the damage, and I just gape at them, ready to drag both their asses through hot coals. “You two assholes need to clue me in to whatever the fuck is going on right now,” I demand, fixing Hunter with a lethal glare. “Why does Maddox look like he’s been through war, and why the fuck would you mess up his pretty face? Now every time I look at him, I’m going to picture you beating the shit out of him.”
“Calm your shit, Savage,” Hunter says while readjusting himself in bed to get comfortable. “He volunteered.”
“What . . . what is that supposed to mean?” I question, turning my stare on Maddox. “You volunteered to have your best friend beat the shit out of you? What the hell is wrong with you?”
“You’re getting confused,” Maddox says. “Though to be fair, Hunter is doing a terrible job of explaining all of this.”
Hunter just grins as though that was his exact intention, and I tune him out, focusing only on Maddox. “Start talking. Now.”
He grins. “Damn, Savage. This fiery attitude is getting me all worked up.”
I reach for his ear again, and he yanks his head back in fear, knowing without a doubt that I will take the whole damn ear as a souvenir.
“Okay, okay. No need to perform an amputation today,” Maddox says. “Hunter had a big job come in last night, and I offered to go along.”
I stare at him dumbfounded. “You just . . . offered to go? What the fuck is wrong with you?” I say, putting my hands to my temples and pacing through the room. “You could have been hurt.”
Maddox just grins, and I roll my eyes, knowing exactly what’s about to come out of his mouth, and I cut in before he gets a chance to drive me any more insane than he already has. “I mean hurt worse.”
His features soften, and he reaches for my waist, pulling me in. “You worried about me, Savage?”
I scoff and shove him away. “Might I remind you that you blew up my apartment?” I say. “If Hunter’s poor decisions didn’t end up leaving you black and blue, then I’m sure I would have done it eventually.”