Hurting You Read online J.L. Beck, Cassandra Hallman (Blackthorn Elite #3)

Categories Genre: Contemporary, Dark, New Adult, Romance Tags Authors: , Series: Blackthorn Elite Series by J.L. Beck
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Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 67362 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 269(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
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Why is he so mad?

I want to push him, beg him to tell me why, but I’m afraid that if I stick my neck out on the chopping block, he’ll cut it off.

“Get in the car, Stella, because if I have to put you in it, it isn’t going to be a good experience for you.” Impatience drips from his lips, and against my better judgment, I climb into the car. I mean, where the hell would I go anyway? How would I pay for Grams to stay in the hospital? It’s a lose, lose situation for me. I was damned from the very beginning.

The entire drive home Cam white knuckles the steering wheel, his impeccable jaw is clenched so tight, I can practically see his control slipping. I huddle against the door of the car, anger, and fear pumping through my veins at an accelerated rate. It feels like I’m on the edge of a cliff, hanging on by the tips of my fingers.

We drive in silence until we pull up to the house. When I see Easton’s car in the driveway, I start to get really worried. If Cam is this mad, how mad is Easton going to be? A knot forms in my stomach, and my throat closes up, making it hard to swallow.

“Just tell me why you’re so mad,” I whisper, but Cam just gets out of the car without a word. I take a deep breath before getting out of the car myself and follow him inside. I’m scared of what’s to come, it’s like looking into dark waters and knowing a shark is lurking beneath the surface, but you just don’t know where.

Neither of them has ever physically hurt me, but I’m starting to wonder how much longer this can all go on before they do. As soon as we make it through the front door, Easton appears in the doorway of the living room.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he yells, his voice booming through the hallway, causing me to jump.

“I was just getting a coffee. I don’t understand why you guys are so mad. Cam said I could go as long as I was back at eight. It’s only seven-thirty.”

“I said you could go see Grams!” Cam yells from beside me, his body twitching, probably because he wants to kill me.

“And I did, but then Katie asked me to meet up for coffee, and I didn’t think it would be a big deal,” I stand up for myself. “I texted you—”

“Did you tell her anything?” Easton cuts me off, his gaze narrowing.

“What? No… I would never. It was just coffee…”

“I told you letting her go was a mistake.” Easton shoves a hand through his hair, frustration bubbling out of him. Something inside of me snaps, and I take a step back and shake my head at both of them.

“Letting me go?” I question, finally losing it. I’ve had enough, I can’t let them treat me like this any longer. “I’m not a thing or a prisoner, and I’m not with either of you. I’m not dating you guys. I’m just here, living in this stupid house with two psychotic men, who I witnessed kill someone. I’m tired of being treated like shit. I’m tired of being talked down to,” I yell, “I’m a human, and I’m allowed to visit my grandma and have coffee with a friend if I want to.”

Easton blinks. I watch as shock slowly appears in his eyes before it morphs into pure blind rage. Dread curls in my gut, and I know that I’ve made a mistake. No doubt about it, I’m going to regret saying what I did by the end of the night.

He closes the distance between us with superhuman speed. I barely have time to gasp in shock as he grabs me and hauls me over his shoulder. His touch is bruising as he walks to the bedroom and tosses me onto the bed. I bounce against the mattress once before scrambling backward toward the headboard.

“If you’re going to hurt me, just do it already. I’m tired of being trapped here. Tired of feeling like I’m going insane.” Tears sting my eyes, but I blink them away. I will not give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

“You think you’re trapped?” Easton tilts his head to the side, and I can tell the moment the switch inside his head flips. The Easton I know is gone; this is a side of him that I’ve never seen before.

18

Cameron

Fire burns in her gray eyes, and I swear my cock grows as hard as steel. There is something about her, something that I don’t understand. It’s like she wants us to hurt her. She tempts us, provoking the beasts inside of us. She knows how dangerous we are, how evil we are, and yet she pushes us until we’re at our limits.



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