Fractured Darkness Read online

  Scrubbing a hand through my hair, I wince when I catch my fingers in a few knots...I should really get it cut.

  “Mica, I’m really not interested in becoming friends,” I state bluntly because there is no other way to say it without inviting questions.

  It’s a fucking lie, but I can’t take it back no matter how much I want to. Mica gasps, and a few tears escape, trickling down her cheeks. Fuck, I probably could have handled that better, but I can’t do this with her. I can never just be friends with her.

  She turns away, but not before I catch a glimpse of the tears streaming even faster down her face. I fight the urge to pull her into my arms and apologize to her. I can't do it though, so I let her leave. Mica runs from me, darting back to Caleb's room, and I hear the door slam shut.

  When I go to close my bedroom door, I catch sight of Caleb at the top of the stairs, watching silently, his face blank. Something dark flashes in his eyes, and I know he saw everything that just happened. His lips twist and fear floods my veins with ice. The fear isn't for me and my own safety, but for Mica. Unlike Mica, I know exactly who my brother is, and what he's capable of. As much as she is convinced of his love for her, I know it's a farce, and toying with her heart and mind is no more than a passing amusement for him. I drop my eyes, shutting the door with a click before turning to rest my head against the wood.

  Mica's sobs pass through the wall, which separates our rooms, loud and gut-wrenching then tapering off and becoming softer. I hear Caleb and Mica murmuring quietly before Mica's moans of pleasure start to filter through the wall.

  I groan, wishing for the hundredth time it was me fucking her, filling her, and making her scream for me. My cock stirs again in my pants, as fantasies of being with Mica consume my thoughts. Goddamnit, I wish I hadn't turned her away like I did, but Caleb scares me enough I can't bring myself to be selfish and risk unleashing his violent streak. I’ve no doubt Mica would suffer alongside me if I acted on my feelings. Caleb doesn’t see reason when he’s riled, and the one thing he hates is losing control of a situation. Mica is here, and she belongs to Caleb, not me. The look on his face makes my stomach curdle with dread, and I wonder if I'm really saving her from him by staying away. I’m not sure she realizes what kind of a man my brother is, and there is no safe way to warn her.

  The sounds of them fucking stop with a roar from my brother as he fills the woman I crave, but then their bedroom door slams with a crash, shaking the house, and I hear Mica start to cry once more. Worry creeps through my skin as I wonder what just happened between them, knowing I can’t go to her and make this better.

  What the fuck have I done?

  6

  Mica

  Used. I feel so damn used right now, and it hurts. Caleb fucked me this morning and left me lying there in our bed, legs spread with his cum spilling out of me. I curl up into myself and cover my mouth with my hand in an attempt to stifle a sob, but it's fruitless. He was so powerful and sexy as he took me...it was breathtaking. But when he pulled out before he had barely finished coming, he practically ran from me, making me feel cheap like a whore who is there for his pleasure. A fuck and run.

  What's happening to him? It never used to be like this between us. He’s always been attentive, caring, and made me feel good about myself. But now? I’m not even sure who he is at times, and it feels like we’re strangers rather than a couple. I'm alone in a house with two men who both seem to want to act like I’m not even there. I can’t leave though...I have nowhere else to go. Aunt Sarah saw to that when she told me to get out and never come back.

  I don't know how long I lie there, but I know Caleb isn't going to be back any time soon. Sighing, I drag myself to the shower and stand underneath the hot cascade of water, letting it coat my skin in a warmth I can’t feel any deeper than my skin, I let my mind wander. Caleb is drifting away from me, getting more and more distant, and Jace seems to hate me, acting off when we’re alone together as if he doesn't even want to be in the same room as me.

  I keep going around in circles, and I don't know what to do. Leaning my head against the shower tiles, I close my eyes to the world around me, allowing the sound of the water raining around me to fill my ears, calming my racing heart and aching soul. I mentally reassure myself it's just a phase, and Caleb is probably just getting used to me being here all the time with him and needs a little space. I can give him that should he want it, even if it means I sleep on the sofa for a while instead of in his bed.

  When the water starts to run cold, I get out of the shower and grab a towel, purposefully bypassing the bathroom counter, which holds all of our toiletries. I can't. I mustn't give in to the dark thoughts that drift on the edges of my mind, threatening to drag me into them. No.

  Deciding to make my way downstairs to get some coffee, I get dressed. Coffee will clear my thoughts. I don’t pay attention to where I’m going as I head down the hallway, so when I walk into a wall, it completely throws me off balance and I topple. When the wall grabs me, I realize it wasn’t a wall at all...it’s Jace, and he’s currently looking at me like I’m the last person he wants to have his hands on. I pull away and avert my eyes, avoiding his gaze.

  "Thanks," I say, keeping my tone clipped and distant.

  Damn, I wasn’t supposed to let him know how much he upset me earlier. He already hates me, so why should I let him know he gets to me?

  7

  Caleb

  Mica Kiernan, my pretty little girlfriend, and the one my brother wants. From the very first time I brought her home for a quick fuck, I saw his attraction to her. It was so easy to lure in this broken, shattered beauty and make her mine.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind me living here?” Mica asks, lying next to me in bed with her hair in just-fucked disarray.

  Leaning over, I kiss her deeply, controlling her with my lips and tongue until she’s squirming. I enjoy the effect I have on Mica, using her has so many benefits. I can’t deny regular sex is fucking delightful to have, but more importantly I revel in how it drives Jace crazy with envy.

  Raking my eyes over the sexy body I get to touch, fuck and hurt, I can't help but smirk at how easy it was to ensnare her. The stupid girl has given me everything, not realizing I'd give her nothing in return. Too, fucking, easy.

  I answer with a grin, “What do you think?”

  Mica beams at my response and a part of me wants to destroy the look on her face. Another part wants to take a fucking picture of her looking totally fucking ravaged and happy, and send it to Jace.

  Jace is all that matters to me, he’s my brother and a part of me. We are bound together by our blood, and nothing will come between us...not even Mica. I may have let her in my bed and in my home, but the words I give her every day are empty. It gives me so much fucking amusement to watch clueless little Mica lap them up with hearts in her eyes.

  I’ve also seen the lust and pain in Jace’s eyes although he tries so desperately to hide it from me. Mica doesn’t realize it’s there, but I know. He wants her, but I found her. She gave me her fragile fucking heart which I didn’t ask for or want, and I now twist it in my hands. Fools who believe in love are caged by rules that can never restrain me.

  I will continue to make her scream louder, come harder, and let them both know just who owns that sweet cunt of hers. All the while marking her skin with my fingers and teeth.

  Mica is mine to play with, and he better keep his hands to himself if he knows what’s good for him. Jace is aware of what I’m capable of, but is too afraid to do anything about it. If he ever manages to summon up the fucking guts to touch her, I'll ruin her first, and then I’ll kill her.

  I'll make her life a living nightmare if she ever dares to act on how Jace feels for her. She belongs to me, and only me. Little Mica’s with the big bad wolf, and she has no idea, yet.

  After fucking her raw I had to get out of the room. I couldn't stand looking at her right then. Besides, if he goes to comfort her, he'll see my cum leaking out of her just
fucked pussy and know whose cock’s been there. That thought gives me a small sense of satisfaction, and I grin thinking about the expression that would mar his face. I want his contempt for her.

  When I come back later, Mica is making dinner, and there is no sign of her earlier tears apart from her slightly red eyes. She doesn’t seem nervous or any different than usual, meaning it's unlikely Jace went to her after I left. Good. I do notice she's walking slightly off, and I smile to myself at the fact she can still feel where I was between her thighs earlier.

  Little Mica loves when it hurts, and I can make it hurt so fucking good for her she begs for more every time. I brush my hand up the inside of her leg and across the fabric of her panties, relishing in her sharp intake of breath and slight wince as my fingers run over the disfigured skin.

  If there’s one thing that fucking irritates me about Mica, it’s the fact she cuts on a regular basis. It’s not that I care about her being in pain, but the only person who should be allowed to hurt her is me. In the beginning, I tried to stop her because I wanted her mind, body and pain to be controlled by me alone. However, my failure led me to discover a way to use it to my advantage. Mica needs the pain to ground herself, and I’m more than happy to give it to her in any manner she craves.

  Sitting down, I pull her into my lap, pushing aside her panties and digging my fingers in. She hisses, but I don’t miss the soft moan hiding underneath, and there’s no mistaking the wetness that coats my fingers almost instantly.

  "Do you want me, baby?" I whisper, and the warmth of my breath in her ear makes her shiver as she nods. Smirking, I free my rock hard cock from my pants and push into her wet heat.

  8

  Jace

  When I smell dinner cooking, I walk into the kitchen and come to a staggered halt. Right there, in plain sight for me to see is Caleb and Mica. Mica is bent over the kitchen table and he’s fucking her so hard I wouldn’t be surprised if her tits were imprinted into the wood by the time they’re done. The sound of sex fills the kitchen and my ears. I’m frozen where I stand...unable to look anywhere other than at them and incapable of walking away. Her sensual moans make my cock stir, but the sight of my brother pounding into her turns my heart to ash.

  Mica looks stunning. Her eyes are closed, and with her dress pushed up to her waist, I can see those hot legs and sweet ass of hers on full display. I'm fighting the urge to grab my cock at the sight of her creamy flesh. I swallow, noticing the silver and red lines marring the insides of her otherwise smooth legs. At that moment, Caleb turns his head, his eyes snap to mine, and his face twists in a horrible grin. His movements get rougher as he drives into her with even more ferocity, and Mica squeals when he digs his fingers into the marks on her legs. I can hear how wet she is from my position on the threshold of the room, and I turn away, finally discovering the ability to move.

  I can feel Caleb's eyes on my back as I leave the room, and I can hear Mica's moans increasing in tempo until her cries fill the house as she reaches orgasm, swiftly followed by my brother's roar. Darting up the stairs, I power down the hallway to my room, and slam the door shut. I look down at my cock, which is tenting painfully in my jeans and close my eyes, inhaling deeply.

  Heat floods my veins, thinking of her pain-filled cries of pleasure, which still fill my mind. I can't...I fucking can't...but damn it, I need to. I throw myself down onto my bed and pull out my cock. Pre-cum glistens at the tip, and when I take it in my hand, I clench my teeth at how good it feels. Images play on a reel behind my closed eyes, and I feel sick to my stomach, but I can't stop.

  Mica, she's so fucking beautiful, and more than forbidden. The pace of my hand increases, and my breath quickens until I'm grunting out my release. Streams of cum coat my hand and stomach, and shame causes a small tear to escape from the corner of my eye.

  She’ll never be mine. Caleb knows how much I want her, and he did that to spite me, to warn me, and to show me she belongs only to him. Mica hates me, so I better just get used to living in constant agony with my asshole, fucked up brother, and the woman I crave so hard my soul aches.

  The marks on her legs flash through my mind, and I frown as a measure of understanding washes over me. She needs the pain, and Caleb is more than willing to give it to her. How long until it becomes too much? Caleb isn't the kind to stop until it's too late. Fear wraps itself around me in an ice cold embrace.

  9

  Mica

  Dinner is tense, even more so than usual. The only one who seems unbothered by it is Caleb who digs in with enthusiasm. I'm not hungry, and Jace is picking at his food and won't look at either of us. It's unsettling; the air around us is full and heavy, and feeling like I need to escape, I stand and give Caleb a quick kiss.

  “I’m not hungry right now, see you upstairs?” I say to him.

  He nods but doesn’t look up. Feeling somewhat shunned, I make my way towards the door. A prickling sensation tells me I’m being watched, but I don’t turn back.

  When I make it to the bedroom, I close the door and press my back against it before slowly sliding down to the floor. Within seconds, I’m gasping, my chest is tight, and I can’t seem to get any air into my lungs. Tears are streaming down my face, and my stomach is clenching with sobs I refuse to let loose.

  I don't understand why this is happening. I wrap my arms tightly around myself, trying not to fall apart as I attempt to slow my heart rate and take deep breaths, but it fucking hurts. My vision is blurring, whether from the tears or lack of oxygen, I can't even tell right now. My head is swimming, and I can't fucking breathe.

  After a few moments, the sharp pains in my chest have started to ease and my breaths escape in ragged pants. Forcing my weak limbs to respond, I make my way agonizingly slowly toward the master bathroom with one arm wrapped around my aching chest, and I use the other to hold onto the wall, keeping myself upright.

  Once inside, I push the door closed, press my face to the wood, and slam my fist against it. In the quiet privacy of the bathroom I let myself break down. Where the fuck is this coming from, and why now after all this time? It's been months, nearly a year since I last had a panic attack. I thought these had passed long ago. Apparently, I was wrong.

  Pulling myself together, I look around the small bathroom. It’s so organized; if you saw it, you’d be surprised to learn it’s in regular use, but that’s Caleb’s doing. I laugh softly, feeling a little better after my mini meltdown.

  My sweet and somewhat erratic Caleb is so damn organized it almost drives me crazy. He can be so disconnected at times it's alarming, but he always comes back to me. He gives me what I need to keep my balance, loving me in spite of the demons that crawl through my veins and mind, constantly trying to break out. Sometimes I can't hold them back, and that's when I open the drawer. At first, Caleb wanted to stop me, but when he realized it wouldn't help, he took control of the pain and of my heart. That's when I fell, and I’ve never stopped falling.

  It’s less frequent these days; the last wounds are healing, but the urges never leave me. They linger just on the edges of my consciousness, threatening to drag me under. I dig my nails into my thighs, relishing in the euphoric burst of pain it sends through my nerves. By pulling me out of the dark recesses of my mind, Caleb brought me back to the light, life and reality. Then he saved me once again when my last remaining family member turned her back on me.

  Caleb is everything to me, and it pains me he’s been so distant lately. A part of me wonders if it has something to do with Jace. Perhaps Caleb needs to spend more time with his brother, and in doing so maybe Jace will stop hating me so much. My heart lightens, but then twists at the prospect of being alone. I’ll suggest it to him later. I need him to be more like himself again because the Caleb I fell for is the one who keeps me afloat. I can’t be in this house without him, and I can’t go back to my Aunt Sarah where I’m nothing but a reminder of my dead parents, and an unwanted burden. I don’t want to be that for anyone else ever again.

  10
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  Jace

  Concerned, I watch Mica leave the room. After the door closes, I turn back to the plate of food I don't really want to eat, and as I do, I catch the dark look on Caleb's face. Fuck! I need to reign myself in before I really screw things up for us all. We finish eating in total silence; his fury is hovering over the table like a storm cloud ready to burst.

  As I get up to leave, Caleb’s voice halts me in my tracks, “She’s mine, stay the fuck away from her.”

  I look at him, forcing myself to remain calm and say, “I know, and I’ve no intention of going near her. She loves you, and besides, she doesn’t even like me. So why are you so fucking concerned?”

  He smiles, and it isn’t a pleasant one. “I’m not worried about her. I know she loves me, and I can give her what she wants the most. I’m more concerned about you being a fucking idiot and touching what isn’t yours.”

  I avert my eyes. I can practically sense the smug grin on his damn face at my concession of defeat. "I won't."

  He strides past me, pausing as he does to look me dead in the face. “If you ever so much as lay a finger on her, I will make her pay for your mistake.”

  I don’t move until I hear his footsteps on the stairs, heading up to her, to Mica. I drop back into the chair I just vacated, put my head in my hands and groan. This isn't good. I need to sort my damn head out. I need some air.

  Grabbing my jacket and stuffing my wallet and keys in the pocket, I make my way toward the front door, intending to take a long walk. As I open it, the now familiar sounds of the two of them fucking echo through the otherwise silent house. My fists clench, and I grind my teeth together in annoyance as jealousy tugs at my heart. Scratch taking a long walk, ‘I need a damn drink,’ I think to myself as I slam the door shut on my way out.