Chapter 30 A Friendly Competition
\[Atticus’ POV\]
I lean forward and press my lips against Tabitha’s as she remains quiet. If only she knew how fucking badly I wanted to take her right here and now because of what I had seen her doing with another.
Never in my life had I felt this fucking possessive over someone, and it was beginning to drive me mad.
“Get some sleep,” I murmur, pulling away and brushing her cheek. “You’re going to need your energy for when I get my hands on you.”
“What about you?” She whispers, clearly feeling the same draw as me. “What will you do?”
“Help that bastard Anthony settle in,” I smirk.
Nodding, she gives me one last look before heading into the room and closing the door so that I’m left alone in the hall.
For a moment, I don’t move as I debate whether or not I really need to go down and deal with him. However, in the end, I move since I didn’t want him to disturb me later when I got my revenge on Tabitha.
When I step into the living room, he is up and alert, and a look of relief colors his features when he sees me.
“What?” I ask, quirking a brow. “Were you not expecting me to come back down?”
“Actually, no,” he admits. “I don’t know what exactly has happened between you and Tabitha, but if you dare touch her again, I’ll fucking kill you.”
“I don’t think you have any say in it,” I point out.
It was easy enough to tell that the two had a history, even though I didn’t know exactly how deep that was, but if I put two and two together, I could only assume that the one that she spoke of while drunk and who hurt her so badly was the man in front of me.
“I don’t know what your past was with her, but clearly you aren’t in her future due to your own fuckup,” I continue. “Now, I’ve agreed to let you stay here and help me protect her, but that doesn’t mean that I intend to let you try to work your way back into her heart.”
Growing quiet, I wait as he takes me in with a look of rage.
“Who are you to stop me?” He demands. “Tabitha and I have history.”
“History or not, I don’t plan on losing to you,” I smirk.
At my words, Anthony’s eyes grow wide with shock. It is clear that he didn’t expect me to say what I did. Well good. If he thought that I was the type to go through this much trouble for any woman, he was wrong.
It had been years since I felt any sort of stirring in my heart, and I would be damned if I was going to just turn away.
“You can’t be serious,” Anthony hisses, his gaze narrowing. “You barely even know her.”
“And?” I ask. “I have plenty of time to get to know her.”
“And what if I win her back?” He challenges.
“You can try,” I chuckle. “But that doesn’t mean that I will allow it. I’m pretty fucking possessive, and I don’t like to share what is mine.”
Even if it meant that I had to kill anyone who got in my way, I would do whatever it took to get what I wanted. I wasn’t a nice guy, and some could say that I was morally gray, but I would make sure that Tabitha remained safe and in my arms.
“Now, I suggest you either go home or stay out of my way,” I continue.
Finished speaking, I begin to make my way to the kitchen. Although I would prefer for the bastard to leave, I knew that he wouldn't, so I would just give him something that would make sure that he didn’t interrupt me later.
When I finish, I head back out with two beers in hand, and I give the spiked one to Anthony, who just gives me a wary look.
“What?” I ask, taking a seat. “Don’t trust me?”
“No,” he responds immediately, making me laugh.
“Smart man,” I chuckle. “But don’t tell me you’re too much of a bitch to drink beer. What? Are you into those fru fru drinks? Sorry, but I don’t have any here.”
“Who the fuck are you calling a bitch?” He hisses, popping the bottle open and then bringing it to his lips.
Smirking, I watch as he downs it all in one go before placing the now empty bottle on the ground.
“Need another?” I ask, taking a sip of my own.
“Yeah,” he responds immediately. “I need something to take the edge off after what happened this evening.”
Nodding, I go and grab him another and then pass it to him before taking a seat.
“If you knew that she had such a history with vampires, why didn’t you do anything when she was first marked?” I ask, deciding to voice the question that had been bothering me since finding Tabitha with that fucking asshole. “Shouldn’t you have taken action then?”
"I..." he begins, slumping forward and looking forlorn. “Was distracted.”
“Distracted?” I repeat, raising a brow. “What in the hell could distract someone who is pretending to be so obsessed with her?”
“Holly,” he sighs. “I don’t quite understand it myself, but every time I hear her voice or she is near me, I can’t seem to think of anything else except her.”
“Hm.”
If you asked me, I would say that this Holly he was speaking of may not be human, but if the bastard was too stupid to realize himself, I wasn’t about to reveal it.
“If that’s the case, why are you still chasing after Tabitha?” I ask. “Sounds to me like you’re pretty obsessed with her.”
Letting out a groan of frustration, Anthony leans forward, burying his face in his hands. Was he actually showing his weakness in front of his competition?
“I don’t fucking know,” he growls in annoyance. “I still love Tabitha, and when I see her, all I can feel is my affection for her, but when she isn’t around and I’m with Holly, I can only think about her. I’m so fucked up, but I can’t stop myself.”
“Don’t chase after Tabitha with such half-assed feelings,” I snap, unable to ignore my annoyance. “If this is how little you care, then stay the fuck out of my way.”
“I….”
“Listen,” I continue, knowing that time was running out before the herbs I gave him kicked in. “I’m more than willing to have a friendly competition with you to see who can win Tabitha, but I won’t accept you winning her when you can’t even figure your own shit out. Before you decide to compete with me, determine which woman you actually want.”
"You..." he begins, but slumps forward even more as his eyes fill with shock. “Tricked…”
He doesn’t get to finish his words before he crashes to the floor, while I get up and let a smile spread across my face.
“I said a friendly competition, but I didn’t promise to play fair,” I chuckle before beginning to make my way up the stairs.