Chapter 10

Elijah

If they had told me that I would bring Isabella down by attacking her new friend in front of her, well, I would have rushed everything to make it happen sooner. However, I was satisfied with how things turned out.

"I only have one condition." I laughed when I heard her say such a thing, and I wasn't disappointed to learn that this girl wasn't that dumb.

"I don't think you're in any position to make conditions, but I'll let you talk." I played with her mood and saw her look of repulsion towards me. This only made me more amused and got me thinking of everything I could do to make her change the way she looked at me.

Getting her to look at me with respect became another one of my main goals for her.

"I won't work for you forever, just until I pay off that debt." Well, I expected no less from her since she had proven to me that she is smart.

"Okay, you will work with us three months from the first mission you do," I proposed, and I didn't see her convinced. The best thing for me was that she had no choice.

"And when will that be?"

"Don't be anxious, doll. It will be soon."

"Don't call me doll," she mumbled angrily, and I laughed smugly. I was going to call her whatever the fuck I wanted.

Grateful she had to be that I didn't call her a slut or in some derogatory way.

"Okay, White, so will you accept?" I questioned, stop messing with her for a while.

"I accept," she replied confidently. I was celebrating on the inside the fact that my plans always went as expected, "I'm just warning you that my hands won't get blood on them. I'm not a killer like you," she accused, making me change my mood very quickly.

That girl loved to see me angry.

"You never know when it will be your turn to defend yourself, and there are situations where you have to kill or get killed," I shouted sharply, catching her attention. "In this organization, we work as a team that's why we are the best in the country and, many times you kill to defend your life or that of your teammates, but mind that, White, our hands are not stained with innocent blood," I clarified, and his brow furrowed at my words. "And I'll give you some advice." She watched me, waiting for me to continue. "Try always to be the hunter and not the prey," I said and remembered all the times I was in a dangerous situation.

When I had to decide between killing or dying, I always preferred the first option, and as long as I could, I would remain the hunter.

"I would never kill for you," she formulated with disgust as soon as I finished speaking. And, although what she said should not have mattered to me at all, it managed to remove inevitable thorns inside me. "I'll kill you first, but never, LuzBel, listen carefully, I'll never kill for you," she assured, pointing her index finger at me in a way that didn't even fucking please me.

Those words were like sharp daggers at me.

Without thinking about what I was doing, I lunged at her and grabbed her by the neck, making my grip a little rougher than I intended. Her words annoyed me and not because I needed her to defend me at some point, but rather because of her arrogance and thinking she was superior to me. Her eyes opened wide at the surprise of what I did, but she did not show me fear. On the contrary, I saw the determination in her gaze and the truthfulness of her words; she took her small hands towards mine, and that simple contact caused me to shiver, making me release her immediately.

"Never say never, White," I warned, smirked at what she said, and looked her up and down with disdain. She was still alone in her top and pants, her rough way of breathing marked the muscles of her abs, and I felt her discomfort when I looked at her that way. "Now, get this Little Scaredy out of here." I pointed to Jane. "Evan, help her and take them to her car," I ordered.

"No! Not Evan!" she spat immediately. "I can do it alone." The way she looked at Evan made me realize that not only did I succeed in doing her work for me, but without intending to, I also took her away from him, and I didn't understand in that instant why that caused me some satisfaction.

In the end, I proved that the brunette was beautiful, stupid, brave, and very easy to handle.

"I don't mind if you can alone. One of the boys will accompany you," I mumbled without being angry.

"Let it be Jacob then. I prefer him and not Evan."

She was stubborn too.

"Isa, please. Don't react like that," Evan demanded. I tensed at the plea that encased his tone of voice and caused me to be disgusted. "I can explain it to you," he went on. Some guys turned into idiots when they saw a nice ass in front of them.

"Enough with the stupid lovey-dovey shenanigans!" I demanded in a voice colder than I expected, causing them both to be shocked by my words. "Jacob, go with them, and for your sake, I hope you don't go idiot with her like Evan has," I snorted, unable to control myself.

I was disgusted by that.

"Idiots they all are already," the brunette muttered, not pretending anyone heard her, or so I thought, but she failed.

"I heard you," I warned, and she smiled as she raised one of her eyebrows, giving me to understand that was her intention. I immediately denied and snorted, though I opted not to say anything else.

I wasn't going to make a big deal out of that tease either.

"That was impressive, what you did." I heard Jacob compliment her in a whisper when he was very close to her, helping her release Jane from her restraints.

"I hope you still believe that when I kick your ass too," she threatened, and I smiled out of instinct.

It was more than official that this girl hated us, and it wouldn't be so easy to work together, but it would be fun, and the best part was that the hatred was a mutual feeling on my part with her, and I could see it being challenging for that to change.

I turned around and decided to leave to talk to my father and tell him about my plans. Tess, Dylan, Elsa, and Evan followed me, and I knew they wanted to question me, more deduced what suited them and better to keep quiet.

"Are you having fun with what you're doing, or what are you up to?"

Except for Elsa, of course, it was since she would never stand for anything and more if it bothered her, but more it bothered me. Even when she knows me, she decided to fuck with me at the moment like that.

"What I intend to do, I think, is none of your business." I tried not to go overboard with it, though I doubted I could pull it off. "If you're okay with it, fine, and if you're not, I don't care," I added with a shrug and went on my way.

"Did you know she was going to react like that?" her voice was accusatory.

I thought to myself that yes, I did know, and I had wished for it.

"Truth be told, I didn't expect it to be any different," I said, being honest.

"God, LuzBel, that bitch knows how to defend herself, and I could have ended up dead!" she claimed.

"You know I would never have allowed that, Elsa. So don't overreact, and you better shut up," I asserted with mock calmness.

"She and I will never work well together," she clarified, and I laughed.

"Neither will I," Dylan joined in.

"And since when did I care about that?" I wryly stopped my walk and looked at them both, and they didn't respond.

My patience reached its limit, and they forced the issue.

"I really like her, so it will be an honor to work with her," Tess stated, getting a glare from the other two.

"Too bad you don't work in the organization," I reminded her.

"And you know I disagree with that. If you can, I can too, Elijah. It's not fair," she claimed, throwing a tantrum just like a five-year-old girl, causing me to roll my eyes at that. "You and daddy are so unfair. I know how to defend myself. I've trained all my life to be able to be part of Grigori, and I even tattooed the emblem that identifies me and, even if I like Isabella, I don't know why you prefer her to work in the organization if you can't stand her," she snorted.

"And it's the only thing you will have from the organization, the tattoo that identifies you as part of it and which you did without permission," I emphasized and looked at her. She was about to cry. "Besides, it's stupid that you even question why I prefer that girl to be in the organization and not you. If something happens to her, I won't care," I asserted, and I saw that my words affected her differently from how it was before.

I wasn't the typical protective brother. There were even times when I wanted to hit her myself, but if it were between keeping my sister or Isabella safe, I would choose Tess without thinking.

"And by the way, Tess, back home, you will tell me what you talked about with that girl after your defeat," I warned, causing her to give me an indignant look as I reminded her of her first failure.

I continued my way, leaving them there before everything got worse. It was always the same with my sister. She insisted on being an active part of Grigori, but both my parents and I would never allow it. It was true that she knew how to defend herself very well, but being part of Grigori meant many dangers, and I would never forgive myself if something happened to her. Even against what she wished, I would try to keep her safe from our enemies and the dangers that being there meant.

With Elsa, it was the same. I tried to stop her from becoming part of the organization because she was my friend, but she was as stubborn as Tess, and I couldn't help it. She ended up joining, taking the oath, and tattooing the "G" that represented us as a society or organization. Each of us who belonged to it had a symbol tattooed that identified us as part of Grigori. In my case, I was represented by many since I always liked to get tattooed.

"Elijah, wait!" demanded Elsa as she tried to stop me by grabbing my arm and making me turn around sharply and face her.

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call me by my name!" I spat angrily, that situation was getting me angry, and I was fed up with the spectacles I had to live through during the night.

"It's your name. That's why I call you that way," she defended herself by crossing her arms at her chest.

"Yes, and you know my rules, I am called that by those I want to be called that, and only my parents and Tess are included in that little list," I reminded her sharply.

Maybe that was crazy to many. However, in my world, knowing my name was dangerous for many reasons, and for the same reason, only my parents and my sister called me that. Not even my grandparents called me by my name, although it was different because they chose to call me affectionate nicknames.

"So don't fuck with me, Elsa, because my patience has reached its limit."

"B-but I thought I already had that right too," she surmised somewhat sheepishly, and I just laughed mockingly, "because of the years we've known each other and because of what's between us."

"So, what's up?" I questioned satirically and being a bastard to her. She was about to answer, but I didn't let her. "Don't get confused, Elsa. I've told you a thousand times that between you and me, there's nothing more than friendship, let's put it that way." Her expression was pained to hear me say that, and I ignored her. "I see you the same way I see the others, with the difference that I take you to bed when I feel like it and because you let me."

A slap on her part made me turn my face, and I felt anger blind me. I hated that she acted like a crazy jealous girlfriend since we were even getting to be friends.

"If it bothers you that I'm telling the truth, then so much the worse for you!" I spat angrily as I brought my hand to where I received her slap. "But since you decided to be part of my life, you know perfectly well that if I want, I belong to all of them, and if I don't, I belong to none, but never, Elsa. Listen well, I will never be only of one," I clarified and looked her straight in the eyes, conveying my coldness and, although my words hurt her, I did not take it back so that she would have it very clear and not get her hopes up with something that would never happen. "You're just my hobby, and that's all you'll ever get to!"

The hurt at my statement flashed in his eyes. However, that was what she got for playing on my patience.

"You're a fucking asshole!" she yelled with hatred.

"Good thing you're finally catching on," I spat as I turned and left her there, oblivious to the tears falling from her eyes.

That was the real LuzBel, a selfish fucker.

I arrived at my Ducati, where Tess was waiting for me. Even though my plans went as expected, the drama with the guys made me very upset. The only thing I wanted was to get to my gym and hit the punching bag until my knuckles bled or the anger I felt would subside because I had a feeling that if I didn't do it soon, I was going to explode in the worst way and that was not good at all.

My anger outbursts were not something very recommendable to witness, and I didn't want to regret later what I did when I was in that state.

The other guys were already in the black Jeep, where they were driven that night, to leave for their homes; Elsa arrived minutes later going straight to get in the car, Jacob as always comforted her and whispered things in her ear to calm her down, even though he didn't achieve much with that.

"Call Connor and tell him that first thing tomorrow morning. I want him next to Isabella to keep an eye on her and inform her only what is necessary about Grigori," I ordered Evan.

"If you let me, I can do that," he offered, and I glared at him.

"Or me," Jacob included himself, stopping comforting Elsa and earning a murderous glare from her.

"Neither of you two, I need someone next to her who doesn't want to kill her," I pointed, looking at Dylan and Elsa, "or someone who won't become such an idiot in her presence." I turned my gaze that time to Tess, Jacob, and Evan.

I put on my helmet and handed Tess hers. After she put it on and settled in behind me, I started the bike, revving it up in an exaggerated manner so that they could tell my mood matched the roar of that engine.

"Are you going to tell me what you talked to that girl or not?" I asked Tess over the helmet intercom.

"I just complimented her on the way she fought," she replied listlessly.

"You complimented her on the way she kicked your ass," I scoffed, earning a pinch in the ribs from her.

"You're a bigger idiot than usual today," she complained, "and I know that girl had a lot to do with it."

I decided to shut up and not continue that conversation because it would have only been to worsen my mood if I had.

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My breathing was agitated, my heart was beating fast, and my body was full of sweat. I hit and hit the punching bag only with some bandages on my hands to try to protect them a little; I had gloves, but I wanted to feel in my flesh every impact I gave. My arms began to get tired. I gave one or another kick and continued with the punches; I was tired, the stress still did not leave me, and even more when I realized that I could not get out of my head everything that had happened that night and above all, the arrogant brunette.

That really pissed me off.

I was more and more intrigued to know about her, her look was often the same as mine, with the difference that I wanted to be who I was, but I could almost certainly say that she was forced to be who she was.

She was distrustful even with her friend, but she had a protective instinct even though I hardly knew her for a long time, and that surprised me. She was arrogant and haughty like a typical daddy's little girl, and I was not going to admire her at all, that her father was overprotective of her. Her mother spoiled her as if she were a little girl. She knew how to defend herself better than any of Grigori, even better than Tess, and that was already saying a lot. But not knowing anything more than her name fucked me up because, from my experience, I was aware that only those who wanted to hide erased their history.

That made me determined to know more about her life since she crossed my path that day in the cafeteria of Richmond University.

I went to bed after showering, wearing only boxer shorts as pajamas. After getting between the sheets, I grabbed my cell phone from the nightstand and checked it, finding a text message from Jacob informing me of Isabella's phone number. I smiled as he accomplished more in one night than Evan did in days. I registered the number in my contacts as Gorgeous, and I was shocked at such stupidity I had done, but I left it as it was.

Before I fell into a deep sleep, I kept thinking about her honey-colored eyes and that personality so similar to mine, and many questions flooded my head.

What are you hiding, Isabella?

Why are you getting into my head like this?

They were some of them because, even if it made me furious, it was the truth; since that day in the cafeteria, I did nothing but want to know about her, and for every thousand thoughts I had in my head day by day, Isabella was in the middle of them.

I shouldn't care about her life, but I did and my hatred, however unjustified, was there. It was almost like a scented insect repellent, which, even though you know it's poison if it smells good, you breathe it in deeply sometimes. That same effect that girl was having on me was taking valuable time away from me to invest in essential things.

Having her working for me was the perfect excuse to make her regret her whole fucking life for daring to confront me the way she did, for looking at me the way she did, and for not being afraid to talk to me the way she did. I was the king in that fucking city, and she had to understand that and look at me as such.

I hadn't felt that way in a year.

The way she was, the way she spoke, the way she acted, and even those little details I had managed to see in her, as well as the bravery, reminded me of only one person. I cursed not to avoid comparing them and let the memories come to my mind like gusts of wind and feel those pangs of pain in my chest again. I also thought about the person who collaborated with those bad memories, and the hatred in me flared up again, and I regretted not having been able to get rid of him.

I should have been stronger, more of a son of a bitch, and sent to hell the guilty of my way of being. I couldn't even think of their names because that only made that demon inside me want to wake up and take his revenge. One that I knew that sooner or later, I would get and enjoy as I never enjoyed anything.

And as I thought about it with a cool head, I discovered that my hatred for the brunette was genuine because of that because her physical features and manner were like hers, and I refused that, it hurt that I couldn't help it because I was failing, and I vowed not to do it again.

I hated Isabella White for coming into my life so suddenly and taking me out of my comfort because she turned my world upside down since that day, she crossed my path. I hated that she made me fail at what I set out to do, that she drove me crazy so quickly and confused me with her mere presence. I hated that she forced me to remember her and provoked me to think of that person who so repulsed me and whom I forcibly had to spare her life.

But I knew my time would come and both Isabella and that person would regret ever meeting me.

I swore it as my name was Elijah Pride.

And I swore to quench the bloodlust I'd had for a long time. No matter the circumstances or the collateral damage I caused.

Looking like her would be Isabella's worst punishment, and welcome to her new hell.

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