Leilani.
Everyone went crazy, especially the paparazzi who began taking pictures like maniacs, and by the time I slowly pulled away from Jarek, he picked up my stuff, grabbed my arm and fled the hall so fast you would think the devil was hot on his tails.
My heart raced as we rushed out, and while we did, I never bothered once to look back at the triplets, I didn’t care to see the effects of my actions on them. I only knew that I felt about four pairs of eyes drilling holes into my back like lasers.
The drive to my house was extremely quiet, interrupted only by the occasional vibrating of my phone between my laps as messages poured into the device— which happened a lot by the way.
Jay’s eyes would occasionally dart to the phone then to my face before he’d finally turn to look at the road every now and then.
And then suddenly he drawled; "Why?"
His straightforward question was more than enough for me to immediately know what he was asking. I dropped my head in shame. "Why did you kiss me back there?"
Still silence. I couldn’t speak. I didn’t want to.
"Were you making a point to your mates?" He asked, making my heart race. "You know, you felt bad when I kissed you earlier tonight. You asked me not to use you in that manner... but you did the same; worse even because you were the one who actually used me."
The corners of my eyes felt like it was on fire. My eyes stung so bad and my tongue felt like it had been glued to the roof of my mouth. I wanted to open my mouth and explain everything to him... wanted to pull him close and apologize for what I did earlier; But something about the coldness in his voice held me back. It made me ball my hands together and gnash my teeth, my head lowered as I tried to force my tears back down.
I failed.
He continued anyway. "So now, are you going to ignore me, Leilani? Are you not going to say a word to me or try to explain to me what’s going on? See Sweetcakes, I’m not even mad at you... I just want to understand what happens in your head sometimes. I want to know what that was for."
"They cornered me in the bathroom stall." I blurted out suddenly, hating myself for how shaky my voice sounded. And feeling self conscious due to the way he suddenly stopped to stare at me, almost veering off the road and crashing into a nearby shop in the process.
"They WHAT?!" He shrieked, and then pausing to let out a long string of the dirtiest profanities I’ve heard in my entire life, he snapped; "Who cornered you in the restroom?"
"My mates. Kael, Caelum and Zevran. They threatened to hurt me because apparently Chalice told them I had bullied her earlier tonight... And when I mentioned that they should reject me, they refused..." Now, my voice broke. The tears I’d been trying to hold back slipped free from my eyes, dropping on my laps.
My hands shook violently. And at the sight, Jay immediately swerved his car out of the road and parked by the side.
My eyes widened when he immediately got out, rounded the vehicle and then came to pry open the door at my side. He then leaned over.
And Goddess, his eyes looked murderous.
His wild rich scent filled my senses.
His voice felt like it was being scraped through a thin sheet of ice.
He growled; "Tell me everything."
And like a completely obedient lamb, I did. I told him everything, not missing even the tiniest details.
My voice trembled when I added; "I always thought they were clueless about it. That they never knew about what it does to me. But their words today confirmed otherwise. It made me realize that they know. That they’ve always known. And they’ve been doing it all this while with the intention of punishing me. Isn’t that cruel?"
Something dark and dangerous crossed Jarek’s eyes before he quickly clamped it down. He brushed his lips against my forehead affectionately, shook off his suit and then draped it over my shoulder. He voiced; "I’m so sorry."
"It’s not your fault." I countered.
"I know," he muttered quietly, "...but I feel like I’m powerless to help you right now. I want to but I don’t know what to do for you... and it makes me feel weak. Like a coward. And I am sorry."
Maybe it was grief, or maybe it was the overwhelming urge to repay the triplets in their own coin but I found myself leaning forward, my eyes sparkling with an emotion even I do not recognize as I looked up at Jay and purred;
"You can help me."
He froze. His eyes thinned and upon gauging my face, he stiffly shook his head.
"I don’t know what you mean."
"I am their mate, as they are mine" I whispered softly, hating myself for having to spell it out like this.
Jarek’s hand around the back of my seat turned chalk white due to how hard he was gripping at it. He said; "Yes, you are."
"And if I sleep with someone else but them, they’ll also feel it like I do."
He ground his teeth together. His gaze lowered. "Yes."
"So sleep with me, Jay." I spat, causing his eyes to widen in shock. "I promise not to get too attached to you. I promise not to make a fuss over it or make things weird between us. I just want them to have a taste of their medicine. To feel it as hard as I’ve always felt it over the years... and I want them to reject me."
The silence that settled between us was deafening. His eyes darted between my eyes and lips, and after a moment’s hesitation, he pulled away, shook his head and whispered; "No, Leilani."

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