Confession of a King

The sound of glass shattering filled the room, along with the shards all over the floor after the crystal cup slammed into the wall. Matt’s fist pounded against the countertop, then reached for the next object that he could use in his destructive rampage. Brian, Zacky, Corey and his men, all stood in the room, hanging their heads low. We didn’t receive the best news in the world, but quite possibly the worst. A text from Ashley came through to Behemoth that contained a photo of our new home, with the address. We knew this time would come, but we were hoping that the brutes didn’t know how to look up tax information.

We were obviously wrong. I frowned and finished the rest of the coffee in my mug, Matt’s hand pulling it out from under mine as soon as I placed it back down on the table. There it went, my favorite Mickey Mouse mug, smashed into a million pieces on the wall. A nice brown drip followed the ceramic to the floor, the last few sips of coffee.

Matt let out a groan and went to kick the wall when I finally spoke up, “Breaking stuff isn’t going to change the situation. You need to calm down, sugar.”

“Don’t you dare tell me what to fucking do,” Matt turned and looked at me with a snarl. “Why are you even in here? Once Christ gets here you’re going upstairs and don’t need to be involved.” I rolled my eyes at his attitude, which just set him off more. “I’m not playing with you, Ivy.”

“Whatever, Matthew,” I spat his name with venom. I knew he didn’t like me using his name around Corey’s men, but at this moment I didn’t care what he liked. I knew he was frustrated, but he didn’t need to take it out on me. I was immediately yanked from my chair and slammed, my back against the wall, my head hitting it rather harshly.

Matt eyed me, as I was now eye-level to him, he was holding me up by my throat. This was his go-to position whenever we fought, for as long as I knew him. “Watch your fucking mouth, you little bitch,” he growled and shook me against the wall.

The guys were smart enough to look away while this was going on. They weren’t going to step in; it wasn’t their place. Matt could literally choke me to death, but it wouldn’t be their place to make him stop. He was the one in charge, and therefore, he wasn’t to be questioned. I felt someone watching us, though, and I peeked over Matt’s shoulder to see that Brian’s eyes were fixated on the two of us, watching closely.

“I don’t want to have to hurt you, Ivy,” Matt stated, a snarl still formed on his gorgeous face. “But I will if I have to. You are not going to speak to me like that, or roll your eyes at me, ever again. You are not going to tell me what to do, ever again. Do you understand?”

I felt his grip on me becoming shaky and knew that the anger in him was pushing him further than he needed to go. I was worried, “Baby, your arm. I feel it giving out.”

“Shut up,” he snapped, pressing me firmer against the wall, his arm still shaking.

“Shadows, let her go,” Brian’s voice boomed as he took a few steps closer to us. “Put her down and get a hold of yourself, man.”

“Mind your own fucking business,” Matt retorted, not even bothering to look over his shoulder. He shook his head and chuckled, darkly, then looked at me, “I asked you a question. Do you understand?”

I rolled my eyes again, despite how much he hated it, and leaned forward. I pressed my lips to his roughly. His arm finally gave out from weakness and I heard him hiss out as he deepened the kiss. I held myself up to his level by throwing my arms around his shoulders, his left hand how hoisting me up on my hip. I heard Brian mutter the words ‘thank god’ to himself as Matt lost control in me. After about two minutes of heated making out, I was beginning to feel slightly awkward knowing there were eight other men in the room, most likely looking at us. I pulled my face from Matt’s, but still held on to him. His eyes fluttered open, still a dark hazel, but he gave me a small smile, flashing his dimples.

“You okay?” I whispered so only he could hear me, and motioned to his arm. He shrugged and pursed his lips, then I caught them in mine quickly again for a peck. “I know you’re a big, strong man, but I need you to be careful. I can grab you a painkiller from upstairs, but I don’t want you to overdo it.”

He laughed lightly and rubbed his nose against mine, “I’m fine, honey. It’s just weak and more of a dull, annoying feeling. I don’t need to be medicated.”

“I wouldn’t say all that…” I smirked, “Some bipolar medication may actually do you some good, Mr. Mood Swings.”

I didn’t know how he would take my little joke, and I feared his face would drop and he’d snap back into Shadows mode. Luckily, he smiled, “I love you. Thank you for putting up with all of this; mood swings included.”

“Always, sugar,” my face reflected his. “But, I am going to challenge you on something. I’m going to be down here for the entire conversation. I want to be included in the conversation rather than getting it relayed to me by you. You can be pissed off all you want, but I am not leaving.”

“Fine,” he huffed and set me back on the ground, kissing my forehead afterwards. He turned back and faced everyone, “I’m going to go call Christ and see what his ETA is. I will be back in ten.”

I leaned against the wall, not really knowing what I should be doing. Should I be engaging with them? Should I explain to them that what was going on between Matt and I was something completely casual and fine? They probably didn’t want to know, or care. Except for Brian. I was slightly surprised that he stood up to Matt, and that he hadn’t taken his eyes off me since.

“Gates, can we talk in private?” I asked and he nodded, then followed me out of the kitchen and down the hall. I pulled him into the hall bathroom and closed the door behind us. He looked at me, puzzled, “What the hell was that all about?”

“What was what all about?” He asked while leaning his hip against the sink.

I glared, “You confronting Matt.”

Brian laughed and shrugged, “I’m not okay with him putting his hands on you in any way. The rest of them won’t say anything ‘cause they’re scared of him. I’m not scared of him and I’m not going to let him hurt you, Ivy.”

The glare on my face was now replaced by a smile. It had been weeks now since Brian had talked to me as if I was a friend. He had been so caught up in the Gates facade that our friendship had sailed elsewhere. I sighed and threw myself forward, wrapping my arms around him and resting my head on his chest, “I have missed you so fucking much.”

“I missed you, too,” he breathed out and wrapped his arms around me. He rubbed my back lightly while I held onto him. “You know that no matter how caught up I am in all of this, I am always here for you. I’m just a phone call away, Ivy.”

I nodded and looked up at him, “You turn into a whole other person, Bri. It was like I didn’t even know you anymore. Like you watched me give birth, and then our friendship went in the toilet.”

A smile crept across his thin lips and he flashed me his teeth, “Thanks for not flushing.”

I threw my head back in laughter, Brian ultimately laughing with me. He and I had a lot to talk about with the whole Chelsea situation, but I didn’t want to bring it up right then and there. I was happy to have him back. He had become a staple in my life over the past year. Literally him, Matt and Alec were my family. I didn’t have anyone else that I was close with to this point. I didn’t even think of Chelsea as being in the same league that they were. Yeah, I had the other guys, too, but it wasn’t the same. Brian was like the brother I always wanted instead of shitty Andrew; the best guy friend I always longed to have. I placed my head back on Brian’s chest and gave him a squeeze.

His hand snuck up underneath my shirt and his skin brushed against mine, rubbing my lower back. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you how proud of you I am. Zacky filled me in on your trial run against him in the basement and he said that you did amazing. Matt was going to schedule a time for you to go against me, but I fear that with this news, things are going to escalate a little quicker and we won’t have time.”

I nodded, “I think I’ll pass on going against you, anyway. You’re terrifying when you get in the zone. I think you’re the worst out of all of them.”

“And people fear Shadows the most,” Brian laughed. “You would if you didn’t know him as your big teddy bear. We should probably head back out there and get started on that conversation before the teddy bear gets angry again.”

We heard someone clear their throat from the doorway, not noticing that the door had opened. Shaun, one of Corey’s men, stood with his arms crossed over his chest and an eyebrow raised. He looked unamused by what was in front of him.

I kept my arms around Brian and stared back at Shaun, “Can I help you?”

“I thought Shadows didn’t share you like the rest of them,” he replied with a smirk.

“He doesn’t,” Brian pulled his hand from my shirt and pushed me behind him with a growl. “She’s like family, and she’s his property. If you’re smart, you’d keep your pretty little mouth closed. I’d hate to have to end you before you enter the ring.”

Shaun laughed, “I just came by to use the bathroom.”

Brian and I stepped out of the bathroom and into the hallway. He started walking down toward the kitchen and I grabbed his wrist, yanking him back to me. He turned around and our chocolate eyes met, then he gave me a sad smile. My small hand was pried off his wrist and he started walking again. I understood that it probably wasn’t the best visual… us wrapped in each other’s arms and his hand under my shirt, but if anyone else would’ve walked in on us like that it wouldn’t have seemed sketchy. Brian’s response to Shaun confused me, and even made me a little nervous. I walked back into the kitchen and saw everyone standing around, a bowl of chips, salsa and queso on the counter. Matt was leaning against the side of the island and I walked up behind him, hugging his torso and resting my head on his back. He leaned back into my embrace and I kissed him along his spine. His right arm came around and grabbed me, shifting me so that I was pulled into his side. He leaned down and kissed my temple, telling me he loved me. It was a good feeling to know that even in the midst of this madness, and his rage, I could make him calm and collect.

We waited for Johnny to arrive, seeing as when Matt last spoke to him he was about fifteen minutes away. The guys were coming up with a plan on where they were going to go from here, and as much as it terrified me, I was kind of happy we were getting a move on with this. If things could be taken care of quickly and cleanly, it meant the sooner Alec could come home and the sooner we could live a normal life.

Notes