The Fire Inside Read online

  Belatedly, she realized the scene she would be reliving of the options that lived in the murkiest part of her mind today and groaned. So many hands...

  Every part of her body was being rubbed, pinched, and prodded by the roaming hands of the imp demons. This was their reward, for bringing her to the Demon Lord. Their fingers and claws caressed every part of her, inside and out. Suddenly, she felt her mind slam into a golden haze, so fast that every nerve she had throbbed as her back arched and she panted heavily. The Demon Lord pushed the enthrallment further, making every touch feel over stimulated, every finger a prickle of pain. That wasn't even a power he should have, as a Brute Demon. She had no idea where he got it, but he certainly didn't need another weapon at his disposal.

  The Demon Lord looked to the shadows and gestured to her body, showing the person there the way she writhed and whimpered. "Well, what do you think? Isn't she just deliciously sensitive?" The Demon Lord leaned in and licked up her leg, from her ankle to the inside of her thigh. She shuddered with disgust, arousal, and pain. From the shadows stepped an all too familiar figure.

  Her eyes met his as he smiled, a grin that rivaled the Demon Lord's in cruelty and satisfaction. Jacob, with black eyes, slid his gaze down my body. "I agree. Delicious."

  I felt myself pitch forward, drowning in his eyes. Only the first breath hurt, and then, everything was quiet. I floated in the void...this was new.

  I heard Ethan's voice, the lilt of his words, though I couldn't make out what they said. "Can...me..."

  Hearing his voice was so nice, even if I couldn't sort out the words. Ethan, my best friend. Ethan, my confidant. Ethan, who I hadn't...couldn't...talk to anymore.

  It broke my heart, and tore me to shreds. There was too much I couldn't tell him and I couldn't let him see. Funny, all of the emotions I had tried to kill, that I had managed to hide, they broke free the moment I saw Daniel' face. The jig was up and my plan had failed. Now all I could do was mitigate the damage it did to them.

  Their faces flashed in my mind, before circling back around to just one.

  ...Mason...

  Chapter 3: Sparks Flying

  Mason sat against the bed frame, Olivia snuggled up against him between his legs. He had a blanket wrapped around them both, and she was pressed to his bare chest in an attempt to warm her out of a cold that seemed to reach to her bones. She had long since warmed up, but still Mason stayed, unable to move her away when he could touch her. Unwilling, too, because something was eating her alive and he hadn't been here to stop it. He shook with rage, off and on, as he considered how long she had been suffering alone.

  But she wasn't alone, was she?

  Jacob.

  Jacob knew. It only took one look at her to know she was not okay. He even told Mason that Olivia was "not his concern," and when he said that, Jacob knew she was wilting, shrinking. And he fucking kept her from anyone who would have helped her. At best, he had let her injure herself and devolve into this despair without offering her the support she needed. At worst, he had put her here by his own words and deeds. Hatred, the kind he had never experienced before, surged through his veins as his demon aura roared to life. He had hated the Demon Lord, hated Diana, hated the rapists and child molesters he put behind bars, but never had he hated someone as much as he hated Jacob right now. He felt his anger threaten to consume him, felt his glamour threaten to crumble, felt his muscles grow hot and ache to smash something.

  Olivia sighed against his chest.

  With that little noise, all the anger flew out. Olivia. His hand ran over her hair, barely touching. Her breath across his chest was the sweetest torture. So close to everything he wanted but he could have none of it. He shook his head. What the fuck happened to her? What happened to her smile and her laugh, dancing around her husband at her wedding? He had seen the strain, but hell, she had just been through a shit storm that no one should have to deal with and here she was, beautiful and dancing. He thought she was taking her world back.

  Mason had been a goner after the first night, the very first time his lips touched hers. He had been in the human world long enough to have some respect for humans. Not a lot, but some. But when he kissed her and tasted her energy, he realized the part of him that he never knew he was missing was standing in front of him. She tasted like home, a true home. But that left him scared in ways he never had been before, and he wouldn't own that truth yet. Jacob got to her first, saw how amazing she was, and didn't hesitate to grab her as soon as he could. Mason was still trying to get his head to stop spinning when Jacob swept her off her feet.

  He hated it, HATED it. Seeing her smile with him, see her fall in love with him, it almost destroyed Mason. But when he reached the bottom, he built himself back up and built the love he had for Olivia into the only love he could have with her: the kind that ensured her happiness, even at the sake of his sanity. Above all else, he wanted her to have everything she wished for. So he let them be. He savored every hug and smile he got and silently starved for more as Jacob held her. He offered up the pain as a sacrifice to the love he had for her and he protected her by never telling her that. When it got to be too much, he'd disappear into the woods and jump from boulder to boulder, punching the rock's unyielding surface until his knuckles wept blood. His brothers knew he had feelings, but only Ethan knew how deep they ran and Mason was eternally grateful he never told a soul.

  When Mason's father snatched Olivia and drug her off the demon realm, Mason thought the rage and fear would consume him. Tearing the imps and demons in the hallway apart limb by limb had been so satisfying. It felt good, finally, to vent the rage. But then he reached the end of the corridor, his hand shook as he reached for the handle. Please...please...let her be alive. When he opened that door though, and he saw her...he couldn't think about it. He couldn't visit that memory, not if he wanted to stay strong right now. Seeing Olivia like that, knowing who did it and why, failing to protect her, had shredded his soul.

  ---

  A half an hour more passed before Ethan came in and pulled a wooden chair to the bedside, looking at Olivia thoughtfully. Mason eyed Ethan. "What is it?"

  Ethan shook his head. "I don't know yet. But she's about to wake up." Mason pulled her hair out of her face and watched her eye lids flutter open. The first thing she did was look up at him and smile, her heart and soul laid bare in a genuine happiness. It was fleeting, but it was there before she remembered where she was. "Mason." He sent a prayer of thanks up to whoever allowed him that smile, and filed it away with the rest of his moments with her.

  "Hey, Doofus." Mason grinned down at her, trying to act non-nonchalant and give her some time to catch her bearings. She was still half-asleep and she'd have to answer all sorts of questions soon enough. "Hey Olivia," said Ethan, reaching out to squeeze her shoulder. Olivia smiled at him, still groggy. "I'm sorry to do it like this Olivia, but...what are the things you don't want me to know?" Olivia's face paled as she realized he had caught her off guard on purpose, making her memories flood into her thoughts unchecked. Ethan's eyes went wide before he stood up, knocking the chair behind him to the floor with the force he used to push himself upright. Olivia looked panicked. "Ethan, no! Whatever you are thinking, no, it's not what you think." Ethan still stared at her. With 2 quick strides, he was by the bed and he quickly swept her hair to the side. Mason couldn't see what he was looking at on the back of her neck, but he saw Ethan's eyes turn deadly and black. His words came out like ice. "Tell me again that it isn't what I think. " Olivia flinched and Mason placed a hand on her lower back. She jumped and Mason moved to pull his hand back, but to his surprise, Olivia grabbed it and pulled his hand to her lap, encasing his big hand in her small ones.

  Mason looked to Ethan. "What the fuck is going on?" Olivia squeezed his hand and whispered to no one in particular, "no..."

  The bedroom door swung open and Jacob strode in, taking in Olivia sitting between Mason's knees, wrapped in a blanket together. His face filled with fury. "What the he
..." Before he could take another step, Ethan lunged for his throat.

  Chapter 4: Hot and Fresh Out the Kitchen

  I saw it in slow motion. The door swinging open. Jacob's face turning red. The hate that flooded him as he took in Mason holding me. And Ethan, moving way too fast, to slam Jacob up against the wall, held aloft by his throat. The "No!!!" that forced it's way out of my mouth was already too late and I knew it really wouldn't have stopped it anyway.

  Mason wasn't moving, and seemed to be wrestling with his thoughts, trying to decide whether to stop him or not. My brain flooded with possible solutions. Only one might get everyone in this room out alive. "Wilson!!!"

  Daniel got over his shock quickly and drug Ethan off of Jacob. Jacob collapsed to the ground coughing and spasming. Ethan shook Daniel off and lunged at him again, forcing Daniel to put him in a head lock . By then, Benjamin and Erik had made it up the stairs. Benjamin moved to help Daniel restrain Ethan, and Erik immediately moved to help Jacob.

  Ethan shook with anger. "Don't fucking touch him!!!"

  Eric stopped in his tracks, and everyone turned in unison at Ethan's outburst. No one spoke as Ethan took deep breathes. Sensing that he was calming, Daniel released him from his head lock but kept a hand on his arm.

  The eldest's voice rang out, clear and authoritative. "Someone needs to tell me what's going on. Now."

  Jacob hadn't moved an inch, though his breathing was back to normal. He was a mouse in a nest of snakes and he knew it.

  Ethan stared me down. "Is it because you're still in love with him?" I felt Mason stiffen behind me, heard the low growl he was trying to contain.

  (No, it's because I don't want to drag you all down with me.)

  The second thought came without me meaning to think it. (Because I don't deserve any of you cleaning up my messes.)

  Damian looked like I struck him. He quickly composed himself, some of his anger dissipating now that he knew I wasn't trying to protect Jacob or make excuses for him. "Show them Olivia."

  Benjamin looked between us, concern growing in his eyes. "Show us what?"

  I gave an involuntary shiver. "Ethan..."

  "Olivia, it's okay. Just show them." Ethan wasn't going to let it go, but he wasn't going to leave me by myself either. He forced a small smile. "I'll help you keep everyone alive, just show them." Jacob shivered just a little at the implications of his statement.

  I could feel Mason shaking behind me, almost like he already knew, his control slipping inch by inch. I faced him and leaned forward.

  "I'll show you, Mason." I let my forehead rest on his chest and placed my free hand on his leg. Any other day he'd be blushing like a maniac, but not today. "But please...PLEASE don't lose control."

  Closing my eyes tightly, I pulled my hair to drape over my shoulder, exposing the back of my neck.

  ---

  Mason felt her head rest above his heart. The air was still, a room full of demons standing on the edge. Mason knew whatever was coming was going to make him very angry. So he tried, with all his might, to remember that Olivia asked him to remain calm. Olivia asked him. Olivia.

  When she pulled back the curtain of hair to reveal the bruises on the back of her neck, his world stood frozen for a moment. He lifted his hand and ghosted over the marks before he could process why he was doing it. Mason was verifying it. That was a hand print, a man's hand print. All of the brothers stepped forward, in slow motion, and Mason saw the moment of understanding as it dawned on each of them whose hand had made that. As they turned in unison, ready to rip his limbs from his body, they found an empty room where Ethan and Jacob should have been. Mason heard the car turn over and the tires begin to peal out, rubber burning in a desperate attempt at escape. None of his brothers could catch that car, but Mason could. Mason could bring him back. Mason could make him bleed. Mason could make him beg. The demon in his chest roared to come out and play, to make Jacob suffer for all the time that was stolen from Olivia, the time Mason could have been trying to make her happy. He could make Jacob pay for every bruise on her body with ten of his own.

  But as the car fled, Olivia wrapped her arms around him, her forehead still pressed flush with his chest. Her plea was clear. 'Don't!' He shook all the harder. What she was asking was fucked up. Manipulative. Unfair. But did she even know what she was asking of him? No. To her, he was just Mason. She didn't know how deep his love ran, how she was asking him to betray her and fail her in order to give her what she wanted. It was too much. He shoved her into Daniel' arms, and ran out the back door, roaring loud enough to make the ground shake. He ran in the opposite direction of Jacob's car. And he died inside just a little more, for her.

  ---

  For a little bit, it was almost like the brother's lived with me again. After an hour or so to calm down, Daniel and Benjamin headed to the kitchen to make dinner. Erik drew me a bath, complete with a glitter bath bomb and candles, and forced me into the bathroom. He stood watch at the door to ensure that I was pampered whether I wanted it or not. When I came out in my robe, he sat me down and brushed my hair out, before leaving me to put on clothes and head down to dinner. Damian had slipped off by himself, but he knocked on my door to let me know dinner was ready and walk me down. He held my hand the whole way, and he sat beside me through all the questions that came after, answering the things I wasn't ready to put a voice to yet by relaying what I told him without having to speak a word.

  In the end, Daniel (with his brothers chiming in) told me in no uncertain terms that we were family and hiding out while I slowly slipped away was completely unacceptable. He talked me into going to see a therapist to talk through things, one who was demon friendly and wouldn't doubt my story. Through gritted teeth, Daniel asked me what I planned to do about Jacob. I wanted to keep them out of this, but as that was no longer possible, there was no reason to keep secrets and I told him in no uncertain terms I would seek a divorce. Daniel gave me a small, thankful smile, while Erik let out a long breath I didn't know he was holding. I felt bad that Daniel would still be working with him, but I saw a quick glint of sadistic pleasure pass his eyes when he told me that working with Jacob wouldn't bother him at all. Benjamin made me a plush bunny, floppy and adorable, to cheer me up and help me sleep. He told me with a wink it was "something to cuddle." I hugged the toy to my chest and thanked him.

  Everything else could be figured out tomorrow. Daniel would call me in the morning to make plans for the therapist. Ethan agreed to stay over in a guest bedroom for the night, just in case Jacob came back or something happened. As everyone went their separate ways, I went to my own room and was forced to face the uncomfortable truth I had been trying not to think about.

  Mason hadn't returned yet.

  Before going to bed, I knocked on Ethan's door. When he answered it, I asked him for only one thing. He nodded before wishing my goodnight and watching me walk back to my room.

  "If he comes back, tell him everything I can't."

  Chapter 5: Slowly Burning

  Ethan didn't sleep that night. He rested, waiting for Mason's thoughts to come back. It was a little after 3 in the morning, when he heard them. Mason was on the roof.

  ---

  Mason swallowed half his beer in one gulp, feeling the cool liquid soothe the raw clawing in his throat. He had roared himself hoarse. The anger, the pain, had been too much to handle. He had burned a path through the forest, mowing down trees and anything else that couldn't move out of the way. He was covered in small cuts he couldn't be bothered to heal, where branches and roots had tugged his skin. He had fed on his rage and burned it out of him. Now it settled in his belly, a slow burn that no longer threatened to erupt at any moment. He saw two hands reach over the side of the roof, followed by the head and torso of his youngest brother. Ethan said nothing and lay down next to Mason, leaving the six pack to sit between them.

  Ethan opened one and took a drink. "She told me to tell you everything you wanted to know." They lay in silence for awhile, Ethan waiting
for Mason to decide what he wanted to ask.

  "How long?"

  "Since the wedding."

  Mason looked over at him. "What the fuck?!? Why the hell would a guy never lay his hands on a woman and then start that shit right after the wedding?"

  Ethan shrugged. "He's been controlling and mean spirited for awhile now. But it wasn't just right after the wedding, it was after the demon war. It was after she came back to him, but in YOUR arms."

  Mason smirked. "Well, he should have had the balls to go get her then."

  Ethan gave a small chuckle. "I don't disagree with that."

  Ethan paused and blushed for a second, debating whether to tell Mason or not. "You wouldn't think to ask this but...she's still a virgin."

  Mason was very quiet, as his mind tried to make sense of that statement. "Ethan, that's not even possible..."