Theirs to Protect - Julia Sykes Page 0,14

dining room, and into the media room.

He hadn’t bothered to turn on the lights, and the dim glow from the waning, late afternoon sun outside barely illuminated the room through the aged bay window. The dark wood paneling that lined the walls only made the room that much darker, as though Marco had retreated into a remote cave to isolate himself from Ashlyn and me.

By the time I reached him, he was picking up his Xbox controller and heading for the massive black leather, L-shaped couch. I stepped directly in front of him, forcing myself into his personal space. “What the fuck, Marco?” If he thought I was going to let him zone out and play a fucking video game, he was sorely mistaken.

Shock slammed into my chest along with his hands as he shoved me away. I stumbled, my back hitting the wall. He advanced on me, his face twisted in a thunderous expression he’d never turned on me before.

“Go ahead,” he seethed. “Tell me I’m a piece of shit. Tell me I don’t deserve her.”

My teeth clenched when he reached me, but he paused for a heartbeat when he should’ve thrown a punch.

Motherfucker. Rage ignited in my veins. Marco didn’t want to hurt me. He wanted me to hurt him.

I grabbed his shirt and jerked him close to me, yanking him off-balance so I could turn our bodies. I switched our positions, slamming his back against the wall and pinning him there.

“Asshole,” I seethed. “If you want to hit me, hit me. But I’m not going to hit back. I’m not going to let you use me to punish yourself. That’s bullshit, Marco.” I wouldn’t hurt him, but I didn’t disengage. My fingers remained tightly fisted in his shirt, and I kept him trapped against the wall. If I gave him an inch of space, he’d stalk away from me and shut down. I would make him talk to me, whether he liked it or not. “What happened?”

His lips peeled back, a cornered predator baring its teeth. “I hurt Ashlyn, that’s what happened. I lost control, and I hurt her.” The manic gleam in his eyes flickered and died, and they dulled to bottomless, inky pools. Harsh furrows creased his face, twisting his features into an anguished mask.

I pushed my fists a little harder into his chest, applying pressure right over his heart. “Ashlyn is okay,” I promised. “I’ve marked her up before, and she’s loved every second of it. She was made for us. You’re the one who told me that, remember? She can take both of us. She loves both of us.”

“I made her bleed.” The words rasped from his throat, as though he was confessing his darkest sin.

“So have I,” I reminded him. “You never thought I was a monster for it. She hasn’t thought so, either. It’s been a while since we played like that. She’ll be a little sore tomorrow, but you didn’t harm her.” I kept him locked in a steady grip and spoke in a low, firm tone that demanded his honesty. “You were fucked up about something before you came home. You’re tormenting yourself because you got rough with Ashlyn, but something else happened that made you lose control. Tell me.”

His lips pressed to a thin line, and his chin lifted, locking the truth inside.

“We’re a family, Marco,” I said, emotion roughening my tone. Seeing him in pain burned like acid in my heart. “Whatever it is, we’ll handle it together. You can’t carry all the bad shit by yourself and lock us out. That’s not how this works.”

His hard mask crumbled. “I don’t want her to be scared. Never again. And you…” He trailed off, leaving the words unsaid. But I heard the whisper of his deepest fears: And you will leave. You’ll abandon me again if things get bloody.

My fingers loosened in his shirt, my muscles going slack as guilt and dread flooded my system. “I won’t leave you, Marco,” I swore. “No matter what. I won’t leave. Tell me what happened, and we’ll deal with it together.”

His entire body tensed, and his tanned cheeks paled. “I don’t want you to have to hurt anyone, Joseph. I can take care of this. I can take care of you and Ashlyn.” His eyes burned with a feverish light as he spoke the words like a vow.

“Did you have to hurt someone today?” I murmured, coaxing. I wasn’t holding him harshly anymore, but I remained firmly in his personal space,