When I left the hospital, Zeus did everything I asked except write me a five-million-dollar check. The note he went with it explained that he wanted to make sure I was taken care of for the rest of my life. Little did he know that I used the money to book a first-class ticket to Monterey, CA, buy a two-million-dollar house on the beach, and never look back. I've lived here for nearly six months now. Waking up to the sounds of the waves crashing along the shoreline, followed by seagulls squawking, was peaceful. When I'd sit on my porch, all I could smell was the saltwater of the oceans, with the wind combining its fingers through my long red hair. The thought of the events that happened that day slowly faded away. Tanya and Eric were still in New York. Tanya couldn't leave until Cameron graduated from High School because of his football scholarship, and Eric was waiting for his apartment to be sold before he left. I was on my own again. I'd been going out every day, buying usel
I decided to accept Deacon's offer and come to the college. It wasn't a far walk from my beach house, making it convenient. Walking through the endless halls and classrooms, I finally came to a smaller building in the back. It was dark and quiet in this area of the college. I walked down the steps leading to two old brown double doors. I knocked before opening one of the handles, but they were locked. "Well, not here after all," I muttered to myself. I turned to walk back up the steps when I heard the bolt in luck. "Ivy! You came!" I heard Deacon's voice behind me. I rolled my eyes in annoyance; why did I come if I knew this would bother me so badly? I faked my best smile. "Yeah, I decided to see if you were a Professor or just trying to fuck me; I guess you won," I turned to leave when I felt a form rough hand seize my left wrist. "Wait, that's it? Come inside," he said. I didn't have a choice but to follow when he pulled me inside after him. It was small and dark, but
"Take off your clothes," Deacon ordered. I nervously laughed, "What?" "Take off your clothes," he repeated. "Why would I do that? Why can't you paint me dressed?" I defended. "Are you afraid?" he asked. "No, I'm not afraid to be seen naked," I scoffed. "Then what frightens you?" he questioned. I pressed my tongue to my cheek in annoyance. Can I not want to get naked in front of a man I barely know? It had been months since anyone had seen me naked. Perhaps I was a little anxious; why wouldn't I be? I don't know this man. I looked back at him and froze; I could have sworn I momentarily saw Zeus in Deacon's face. A pang of hurt hit me, and I didn't know how to feel. "I don't know," I confessed, "I don't know what's stopping me." With that confession, I dropped my purse to the ground and sat on the lounge chair. I fought the tears that were battling their way along my tear ducts. "I never meant to hurt you," he solemnly said, "I know how you feel. Unless someone bl
"That's all I could do," Deacon dropped his head in shame. There were balls of paper covering his feet and other attempts he had made while trying to sketch me. You can tell that he hadn't drawn in some time: the shaky lines and oblong faces to the langolier-like fingers. I looked back over at him to see his head still hanging low. "Hey, maybe I can come by after hours, and you can use me to practice until you get it right," I offered, "I'm sure it's like riding a bike, right?" "Don't you have to work?" he asked. "No, I don't work," I stated, "I could if I wanted to, but I don't." His confusion shined, "H-How-" "Buy me a drink, and I'll tell you all about it," I interrupted. "You don't need me to buy you a drink, remember?" he joked. "Shut up," I nudged him, "Come on, I'll buy you one." I strolled out of the classroom, and Deacon followed. Once we reached the bar, we met the bartender, who recognized me and brought out a shot glass with my bottle of Bushmills.
"Wanna come in?" I drunkenly offered. Deacon studied me in confusion, "Are you sure?" "Nothing I haven't done before," I answered. I seized his shirt within my grasp and pulled him through my front door after me, placing my lips firmly on his. He pushed me back my shoulder, breaking our kiss. "Wait, I don't think you know what you're doing," he hesitated. "Just shut up and fuck me!" I grunted while pulling him into me with such force that we fell back onto my couch. He tried resisting but soon gave in to me. I felt his rough, frigid body relax between my splayed legs. I wrapped my legs around him, pressing his hard-on against my sex, rubbing up against him with intent. "Wait," he pulled back, looking down at me lustfully, "Are you sure?" "Yes," I rasped, "Please, help me feel something again." Am I drunk, or did I just see an emotional look flash across his expression? "Where's your room?" he asked. "Down the hallway behind you to the right," I answered.
I blinked the fog from my eyes as a bright ray of light blinded me. I turned away with a wince and wiped my vision clear. The room began spinning, but not in a sickening way; I think I was still drunk. While glancing around the room, I realized I was completely naked. "Wait, what happened?" I asked myself while rubbing my head, "How drunk did I get last night?" I felt a deep soreness when trying to get off my bed."Ugh!" I heaved and froze in place, "Oh, no, who did I fuck last night?" I grabbed my red silk robe from the closet and entered my kitchen. Why did everything have to be so bright? I fumbled for my sunglasses before attempting to make myself coffee. "You're up-" "Oh! Fuck!" I hollered. I saw Deacon holding a carrier of coffee in one hand and a bag in the other. What was he doing here? "Oh, no," I whispered under my breath. Not him. "I thought you could use some coffee and a bagel," he continued while walking over to me. "That's real sweet," I forced. I
I walked through the familiar double doors of Deacon's classroom and found him dressed nicely instead of in his regular paint-stained pants and tank top. "What?" I hesitated. "Let go," he held his hand for me to take. "Where are we going?" I asked. "To dinner," he clarified. "Why would I want to go to dinner? I thought this was a work thing. You help me work through my fears, and I help you work through yours," I reminded. "Yeah," he concurred while closing the gap between us. His left arm held my waist, pressing me up against his rock-hard physique. I always wondered how an art professor had such a well-fit body. He leaned down to my right ear. "That was before you begged me to fuck you the other night. Now I can't get your perfect body out of my mind," he confessed. I tried wiggling from his grasp, but there was no use. He bit down on my neck. "Ugh," I moaned "Now, let me take you on a date," he added. "Fine!" I whimpered, "You don't have to be so mean."
"Zeus?!" I trembled. "Are you unhappy to see me?" Zeus asked. Why did he have to look so sexy? His loose shirt and baggy trousers. Wait, he looks just like... "Hi, little brother," Zeus greeted. My eyes widened in horror. I slowly turned to look over my shoulder. Deacon. He locked the door behind him with a victorious grin. "Hey, didn't think you'd come so soon," he replied. "W-what? Brother?" I teared up. A disgusting knot hit me in my gut. Now I know why Deacon looked so familiar. He's Zeus's younger brother, "What the fuck?" "I wanted to bring you your car," Zeus added while walking towards me. I backed away as tears began streaming down my face, "No. It's not true." They both looked at me in confusion and began walking towards me. I turned and ran to my room, trying to lock the door behind me, but it was useless. Deacon burst through the door before I had it closed. "No! No! It's not true!" I cried while running towards the sliding door. Before I could reach
Everything went numb; Dimirti was kind enough to care for Rowan so I could see my son. Aodhan had no color in his lips, no pink in his cheeks like he used to; he was lying there lifeless. They often speak about the pain in your heart that you feel when you lose a loved one. They don't tell you how a hole begins to form more significant and more prominent in your heart in place of that pain, causing you to push everything and everyone away. It doesn't hurt because when you allow yourself to, it becomes so overwhelming that you just might kill or die yourself. That's what I did. I pushed down my feelings and wiped my tears because the other two weren't options. Dimitri handled the hotel arrangements for the three of us, ensuring we had the best suite on the highest floor available. No matter how much cocaine I did or how much alcohol I drank, I felt nothing. Days, months, and soon, a year went by, and I was still empty and numb. Dimitri suggested I send Rowan to boarding school wit
"Mom! It's Aodhan!" Rowan cried. I looked over and fell to my knees; tears began falling in pools from my eyes; Aodhan had been shot, too. My son, lying there lifeless. "Ahh!" I screamed. Panic settled in; blood was pouring from my baby, and I couldn't plug the hole. What can I do? I tried applying pressure with my hands, unable to stop sobbing. "Go! Pilot! Go!" Dimitri hollered while latching the stairs/door closed. The Pilot took off, knocking everyone over, but continued to press on Aodhan's wounds, his warm blood slick on my fingers as I tried applying pressure to his chest. I saw Dimitri protect Rowan from falling over, scooping him up. "Dimitri! Help me!" I begged. A look of shock overtook Dimitri briefly before he rushed, overmoved my hands, and began applying pressure to the wound, "Pilot! Closest hospital!" "What happened to Reign!? Oh my god, Ariel was shot, too!" I whined. "I don't fucking know, someone was shooting, but I couldn't see who it was. They
Standing perplexed, I aimed for Zeus, but he dodged and missed both bullets. "Are you crazy?!" Zeus hollered. "No, I'm twisted!" I corrected myself. "Just like how you made me!" I shot once more, Zeus running and diving behind the desk. "Ivy, stop!-" "Don't!" I hissed, pointing the gun at Reign. I'm tired of both of you Castles telling me what to do!" Before I knew what was happening, I felt heaviness tackle me to the floor, accidentally firing another shot. "Get off of me!" I screamed. I fought beneath him, but I was no match. Zeus took the gun and backed away from me. "Fuck! Ivy! You shot Reign!" Dimitri hollered. Panic briefly flooded over me but was replaced with a barrel now pointed at me. "What do you want?!" I shouted. "You! I want you! But that's never enough! Everything I do is never enough for you!" Zeus complained. "Your son is dying-" "I can have more!" Zeus winced. Dimitri tackled Zeus to the ground, and the two began exchanging blows. I
"Okay, knock it off, you two," I groaned, "Leave Zeus." "No," Zeus declined. "Then you're going to watch me fuck her-" "Mom!" Rowan came running in alongside Aodhan with a big smile. I blinked in confusion. One of his front teeth was missing, but he wasn't crying or sad about it. The dried blood on his teeth indicated it happened a while ago. "I fell off my bike and lost my tooth!" Rowan excitedly jumped up and down. "Are you okay?" I worried. "Yeah! Aodhan said if I were a big boy and didn't cry, the tooth fairy would come and give me money for my tooth!" he said, shining. Aodhan knew the tooth fairy wasn't real. I glanced at him, and he gave me a 'Mom shut up' look. "Of course!" I fibbed. "Come on. I'll get you cleaned up, and we'll put that tooth under the pillow as soon as we're done," Ariel said, lifting Rowan in her arms and taking him to the bathroom. "Do you enjoy making my sex life miserable?" I snapped. "Miserable?" he retorted, "How is it misera
How could such a man be so naive? I never gave him an answer. Instead, I left the room and went back to my own. I knew it bothered him, me not answering. From the looks of it the following morning, it drove him crazy. Zeus made me a luxurious breakfast, eagerly awaiting an answer, which I still refuse to give. "Why not, Ivy?" Zeus pressed. I bit into the juicy strawberry. The hint of sweetness followed by the rush of jaw-clenching sour made everything much more enjoyable. "I like you son more than I like you," I admitted, "And Dimitri." "What if I told you they aren't who you thought they were," Zeus reasoned. Narrow-eyed, I annoyedly glared at him, "What do you mean?" "What if I told you they knew I was alive all along, and we made a bet," Zeus added. "What type of bet?" I pressed. "Now that takes the fun out of the bet," he taunted. "Fuck you," I scoffed while hastily rushing back to my room. Zeus always knew how to lift me and get under my skin. "Asshole,"
Everything was such a blur. I don't remember what happened. Zeus was pinning me down, then nothing. I blinked; it was dark, and only the roaring fire lit up the dark far corners of the room. This was Zeus's room. My throat was dry. I could barely breathe. I tried rolling over when something caught on my wrist. "What the fuck?" I yanked again, this time hearing metal clanking. Both my wrists and ankles were shackled to the four-poster bed frame. "You're awake," Zeus commented. Looking at him furiously, I could prop myself on my elbows and say, "Let me go, now!" "No," he denied. "Now-" "No one is here, so there's no point to scream," he interrupted. "Why the Hell did you shackle me to your bed frame!" I shouted, "I would have fucked you if that's what you wanted, but instead, you knock me out. I began coughing uncontrollably, and Zeus rushed to my aid, raising the water glass to my mouth to quench my thirst. "You knew you would be punished," he reminded. "How do y
"Do you like frustrating me? Making me angry? Toying with my emotions?" Zeus growled upon approaching me. "Yes," I teased, "You look like a hurt little puppy." "What about these past five years? Does that not matter? Have the nights we spent together meant nothing?" Zeus questioned. "I do love that the boys have father figures in their lives, but I already spoke to them about it, and they want to move back as well," I sighed, "As for the nights, a woman needs sex too." "Their children!" Zeus's anger grew, his eyes turning dark. "If you're doing this to get back at me, I'm sorry. I've been apologizing to you for the past five years. Can you not see that?" While sauntering over to Zeus, my eyes locked onto his. The fury beckoning behind them made me want to do conniving things. I took his glass of whiskey and downed its contents. "I do see it, and I don't care if it hurts you," I lied. Zeus gripped my wrist; this time, it was painful, not in a fun way. "Ah!" I winced.
My bar was engulfed in roaring flames. Tears streamed down my cheek as Veronica tried to deviate when the fire department arrived and finally extinguished the fire. I stood there, listening to people speak about property insurance and the time it would take to rebuild everything that had burned. "Ivy!" Zeus hollered, running up to me. "What are you doing here?!" I panicked, "Aodhan-" "Ariel called your phone, and she told me what happened. She's watching him," he reassured. His eyes widened in shock, and he looked at the catastrophe the fire left behind in its wake. Zeus was about to speak when he pulled aside the man trying to talk to me about the building. My blank expression spoke volumes. Hours passed in a blur, and Zeus returned home with me. "So it seems, perhaps three years, the bar can be rebuilt. They have to tear everything down and start from scratch," Zeus explained. "So, I lost everything?" I whispered. "No, Ivy," Zeus looked at me, trying his
"What?!" Zeus snapped. "You heard me. If I let you be a part of my boys' lives, then there would be no need for a DNA test, right?" I repeated. The rage building behind his eyes gave me the satisfaction I needed in this situation. "Why is it such a big deal about knowing who their father is?" he diverted. "Why do you care if I allow you to be in their lives without issue?" I debated. "She's not wrong," Ariel giggled while pecking me on the cheek. "Hey, now, she's not all yours, you know," Zeus reminded, I began to kiss Ariel passionately. "All right, fine, I concede," Zeus surrendered. Ariel and I began to laugh hysterically like candy from a baby. "I suppose me offering you to stay in Ireland with me is out of the question?" he asked. "Not necessarily; we could always use it to escape the city," I smirked, "Keep it." Ariel scurried off to work, and success reared its corner when I could see the jealousy in Zeus's eyes. "It doesn't bother you that I fuck Di