Chapter six
Malachi's POV
Sweets. That's what her lips tasted like. Like delicious temptation. A forbidden fruit. I wanted to relive that scene over and over. But It wasn't really long before she pulled away,ashamed at what we'd done.
I knew she liked it.
I knew she craved for more even though she pretended not to.
The kiss was all I thought about as I drove her to the hospital to see that crackhead brother of mine.
The thought of the way her warm lips felt on mine,and the way my hands held her neck gently like she didn't want to let go swirled in my mind like a pool.
I turned to look at her. She was silent,poised,while reapplying her lipstick as I'd smudged the former one.
But I couldn't remember what fruit it tasted like. Her lips. Strawberry or blueberry? Fuck! How could I forget?
Even when we reached the hospital,I still couldn't place it. All I remembered was that she tasted sweet.
She gently led the way to the elevator that'd take us to the top floor where the VIP room was. She didn't talk to me,and I didn't talk either. It was just a moment of dead and suffocating silence.
For a while,I had the urge to pin her and kiss her again,but I didn't want her to think I was a freak or a pervert.
Immediately we reached the top floor,she walked out without looking back. I gently followed behind her.
When we reached the door,I couldn't hold it in anymore. Immediately she closed the door behind us,I pinned her against the wall and smudged her lipstick again.
She tried to push me away, probably scared that Travis would wake up and see. But I didn't care.
My tongue lingered on her warm lips for a while, savouring the taste of her.
She bit my lower lip as punishment for my crimes. I hissed in pain as I pulled away. But I had gotten what I wanted. Her lips did taste like sweetness I'd never been allowed.
"Pervert!" I heard her mumble and it made me chuckle.
My gaze shifted to Travis. He looked almost lifeless. Something in me wished he'd never wake up. Travis hated hospitals. He hated the stale air and the stench of chemicals and blood.
And it gave me comfort seeing him there.
Alicia only stared at him coldly. It was hard to tell what she was thinking. I gently walked over to her side,my figure towering over her.
She didn't move or speak,she just looked at his totally still body.
After about 20 minutes,she stood up and left the room. I threw a cold glance at Travis before following her.
"Why did you come here, Alicia?" I asked.
She stopped in her tracks,and so did I. Slowly, She closed in the space between us and whispered to me.
"I don't know what game you're playing,but I'm telling you now that it won't work. Don't you dare try to touch me again."
My eyes widened, a bit surprised by her sudden shift. Just moments ago,she was giving in to my advances. But now…
What a strange woman.
"Don't follow me."
She said as she turned around and walked away from me. What a strange woman.
I straightened my jacket before leaving the hospital. I thought of Travis' still body back there. The truth was,Travis wasn't even safe in that VIP room with special nurses, security and doctors.
Another member of the Blackwood family was probably planning his demise already. The Blackwood family was always this messy. Everyone was struggling for a piece of the family inheritance.
Once grandpa died,war was certain. And Travis might not live to see it. Mario would gladly slit Travis' throat if it meant another zero to his bank account.
I imagined him dying. Would Alicia be happy or sad? She'd be made a widow at such a young age. I couldn't let that happen. I had to protect Travis now, even if I didn't want to.
I'd protect him, not for his sake—but for hers. Because when the war came, I wanted Alicia all to myself.
Immediately I got into the car,I texted Alex to attach our best spies to Mario. He'd been low-key these days. Careful, and taking precautions so he wouldn't get caught.
But Mario didn't know what's coming for him. He'd robbed me of a person three years ago,and he wasn't going to get away with it.
My hold on the steering tightened as I drove through the city. Memories from three years ago swirled in my head. Memories I had tried so hard to forget,but they still haunted me like shadows.
Instead of driving home,I drove to the city graveyard. Where she stays now. I bought flowers from a shop nearby before going in.
The place was dead silent with graves scattered around. Some had been swallowed up by vines while some still looked fresh. It seemed like the place had been abandoned.
As I reached the large oak tree,I fell to my knees. In front of me were two graves. One headstone is bigger than the other.
I gently laid down the flowers and looked at the larger headstone. My eyes searched for a face,but it was covered up by dust now.
My thumb gently wiped the dust away until her face appeared again. Emily.
Her smile was faint in the photograph, the kind of smile that mocked me now. Mocked me for failing her, for letting her die during labor while I stood powerless.
Beside her grave was the smaller one.The child I couldn't save.
My throat tightened, a familiar rage crawling under my skin. The Blackwoods had buried more than blood in this soil. They'd buried me too.
I closed my eyes, but it wasn't Emily's face I saw. It was Alicia's. Her burgundy hair, the defiance in her eyes, the taste of her lips when she bit me. Sweet. Addictive. Dangerous.
Mario thought he'd won three years ago. He thought the fire had ended me.
But I'm still alive. And this time, I'll burn him first.