Page 62 of Tainted Essence
“Nope, not today. This is for me and your mother.” I stare at him in utter disbelief. “You’re a dirty little traitor and left me alone with her and her wrath last night, so I’m punishing you. Cereal’s in the cupboard, help yourself.” I stand here utterly stunned as I watch him plate the food, then carry them out back where Mom sits at the table with her laptop in front of her.
“Oh, it’s on!” I growl into the empty kitchen as I take a sip of my liquid gold.
“What’s on?” I nearly jump out of my skin at the sound of Taylan’s voice. I spin around and glare at him but it drops off my face the moment I take in the sight of him shirtless and sporting the cutest bed hair I have ever seen. “Stop looking at me like that!” he chastises but it lacks heat. I place my cup on the counter and close the space between us, laying my hands flat against his bare chest. His eyes darken in warning but he doesn’t push me away. “Slayer,” he warns.
I bat my lashes up at him as I slowly snake my arms around his neck. His hands drop to my hips, pulling me flush against him. “No good morning kiss?” I taunt. He growls low in his chest, then bends down and captures my lips in a kiss that robs me of air and has my toes curling. I brush my tongue against his and moan, then lift up onto my tiptoes, trying to deepen it but the sound of a smashing glass has us jumping apart and turning toward the back door. Dad stands there with his fists clenched at his sides and eyes spitting hate at Tay.
“One hour, be ready to leave.” A whoosh of air escapes Taylan as he nods.
“I’ll be there,” Tay answers.
“Be where?” I ask, both of them keep glaring at each other as Taylan answers me.
“I have to do something with your dad, I’ll be back after.” Something is off, I can hear it in his voice.
“Will you?” Dad taunts.
Taylan throws his arm over my shoulders, pulls me into his side and places a kiss to the top of my head before answering. “Oh, definitely.” Dad looks like he wants to murder Tay, something is brewing between them and I hate not knowing what it is. If they think for a fucking second I’m staying behind in an hour’s time, they are dead fucking wrong!
After Taylan kissed me goodbye and followed my dad out of the house, I waited ten minutes before I hijacked my mom’s car and brought up the tracker on my dad’s car. I frown at the sight. He’s at the gym? I start the engine but before I can pull out of the garage, the passenger door opens followed by both the back doors. Mom, Aunt Kiara, Aunt Ally and Aunt Koby all slip inside. I stare at each of them with wide eyes.
“What are you doing?” I ask them, each of them wear disapproving looks but it's Aunt Kiara who answers.
“Bishop pissed Royal off this morning, so my son called me to give us the heads up that those six idiots plan to beat the shit out of your boyfriend.” I gape at my aunt.
“Koby and Clare are parked out front in Rook’s car, they’ll follow us,” Aunt Carlina says.
“Come on! We don’t have all day, I need to beat my husband's ass, then get back to work,” Aunt Ally shouts. I shake my head so I can focus as I put the car in drive. I am so fucking angry at my dad and uncles that I’m white knuckling the steering wheel.
“Is it wrong that I’m excited to fight Bishop?” Aunt Kiara asks, sounding giddy.
Aunt Carlina snorts. “All my brothers are pussies when it comes to their wives, ten bucks says they all turn white as a ghost the moment they see your faces.”
“Twenty says Vincent blames the others for making him join in,” Mom says, getting in on the action.
“I got fifty on Knight dropping to his knees in front of Koby so she won’t hold out on him,” Aunt Kiara says, waving a fifty dollar bill in the air.
“Fuck no, I got a hundred on Gage shitting himself at the sight of Anya and Destiny catching him out lying,” Aunt Carlina shouts above the others.
“I got five hundred on all of them pissing their pants when they realize I will never speak to any of them again for doing this,” I say. The car falls silent at my declaration, the mood shifts from joking to tense. I can’t believe my dad and uncles would do something like this and Taylan isn’t exempt either, he should have told me! All at once my aunts and mom begin shouting about how much each of them are betting on me making my dad cry and how long it will take for Taylan to grovel his way back into my good graces. I roll my eyes and ignore them, even when mom calls Aunt Koby through the Bluetooth system in her car and my other two aunts get in on the bets.
They are children, all of them!
I’ve barely put the car in park outside the gym before I’m jumping out and rushing inside, those assholes even closed the gym for the day so they wouldn’t be interrupted. I take the staff entrance and run past the offices, my mom and aunts hot on my heels. The instant we break into the gym area my heart drops. Taylan stands in the middle of the ring panting, bleeding and covered in sweat. My uncles and dad all surround him, each of them are shirtless and none of them are wearing gloves, except for Taylan. They wanted to make sure that they hurt him. My breath lodges in my throat when Uncle King and Uncle Knight move in tandem toward Taylan, he turns sideways to keep them both in his sights but it’s no use, it’s two on one and all of my family are skilled fighters.
The instant my uncles descend on him landing punishing blow after blow, I snap. I race forward toward the ring and at the last second I jump and slide under the bottom rope, the momentum propelling me forward until I am in the middle. I leap to my feet and shove Taylan from behind, my eyes widen when I see Uncle King’s fist coming at me, the other guys begin yelling but it’s too late. I brace myself for impact but at the last second I'm tackled to the mat and land with a grunt.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Taylan yells right in my face. I blink up at him in surprise.
“Me?” I yell. “What the fuck were you thinking agreeing to this bullshit?” I scream. Taylan is shoved off me, then my dad is pulling me to my feet. I shove him away from me, scowl at him, then turn to the rest of them, pinning each of them with a scathing look. “You all fucking disappoint me.” I look to Taylan next who looks pissed off at seeing me here. “You don’t need to prove anything to any of them, my opinion is the only one that should fucking matter.” Taylan at least has the decency to look sheepish and drops his gaze to the floor.
“What are you doing here?” Gage barks. I slowly turn to face him and scoff.
“You’re fired as my stand-in trainer and I’m moving out.”
Taylan
I stand here feeling like a real piece of shit as she climbs out of the ring and stalks out of here, ignoring her aunts and mom as she brushes past them. The second she disappears out the door her aunts and mom all focus their eyes on me.