Strike Back Back On Novels & Stories

I sucked in a sharp breath as his hand came down again, a little harder this time. “This is for calling yourself a disgrace.” Oh. It actually stung a little now, radiating a sharp heat. “For calling yourself a disappointment.” It had only been three strikes, but my skin was already on fire. How on earth was I supposed to handle thirty or forty? I honestly couldn't even remember how many awful things I had mumbled against myself last night. One final strike landed firmly against my cheek. “And the last one, for calling yourself pathetic.”

I snapped. "Oh, so you can spank me when I'm bad, but you can't pretend to throw a punch?" Zack questioned, a playful, wicked glint in his eyes. I chuckled darkly, my hand sliding down to the small of his back. "Those are very different things. You earned those spankings. You could never earn a strike." Zack pouted, shifting his hips against mine in a way that made my blood catch fire. "One more try? Please?"

A third time, every strike fueled by a thirst for revenge, and the urge to totally obliterate him. He tried to counter my strikes by swinging back wildly, but I just ducked under it, my knuckles raking across his ribs in a sharp hook that sends him crashing to the ground. I followed it up with a kick to his head, the loud sound of his skull cracking against the concrete exhilarating. Damn, I needed this. I blew out a breath, my chest heaving as I watched him try to crawl away from me, his blood dripping all over his face. He looked pathetic.

"Come on, Grandfather! I did not say another word! What the hell was that second strike for?" "You stubborn fool!" Jabari huffs, leaning heavily back onto his cane. "You did not even flinch or whimper the first time I struck you. It appeared my arm went too easy on your thick hide. So, I had to hit your bone harder to ensure your wolf actually learns a lesson tonight. Next time, maybe your brain will think before your tongue insults my grandson's mate."

He squared his stance and offered his back like an answer. The first strike landed like punctuation—measured, not a test but not a claim either. The sound carried to the bar, a crisp thud softened by suede. A second. A third. She found a rhythm, the kind of cadence that pulls breath into sync. Leo’s shoulders loosened, then set, then loosened again. The color of his breath changed.

When Jonah noticed the abrasions on my wrists, fury nearly overflowed from his eyes. All the suppressed grievances I had endured erupted. "You idiot, why did it take you so long? I was almost killed!" Jonah gently wiped away my tears and enveloped me securely in his arms. Witnessing me in another man's embrace, Marcello raged. "Morgan, what the hell are you doing? I'm your husband! You're mine!" A mercenary kicked him hard, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

~ Liam came out of his ward, frowning at first. Then he assessed the situation. While Haley knelt on the floor, her hair was locked in his mother's fingers. The woman let go of her instantly and she got to her feet, massaging her scalp. Was his mother bullying her again? Hadn't he sent her away because she wouldn't stop badmouthing his brother? Why did she come back? “Son- Son!” Vera scurried up to him, face pale and eyes wide. “Haley’s talking back again. Can you believe this barren woman who can't give me a grandchild had the guts to insult me?”

Because if I scream, they win. If I ask them to stop, they win. So I stay quiet. I count the hits. One. Two. Three. Each strike sears into me, but I hold onto one single thought. For every time they hit me, I will return it tenfold. I will make them bleed. I will make them regret this. They think they’re breaking me. But all they’re doing is giving me a reason. By the time they stop, I’m barely upright. My vision swims, and there’s blood on my tongue, my chin, my shirt. But I stay awake. I don’t let go.

If I hadn't seen how little you valued Clara and your daughter, I would have never tested your so-called love repeatedly! "It was you who broke your promise to me. You broke your vow to Clara. You destroyed Clara, and now you want to destroy me too! You put all the blame on me. That's selfish of you!" Alaric was momentarily stunned by shock before he furiously roared, "Shut up, you whore!" Losing his mind, he lunged at Elena. Seeing this, she raised her hand. Dark energy swirled at her fingertips. She struck at his heart.

She replied sarcastically, with that deadpan face Jax recognized because he has the same expression when he’s annoyed. To cover his frustration, Jax muttered a swear under his breath and then put a timid smile on his face, nodding yes to whatever his sister had planned. When he looked about, he had to squint because his attention landed on the banned on his left. ‘Speed dating!’ read the words, and as if heaven and hell had descended on him, Jax realized what was going on: his sister had set him up. The line is long, composed of both girls and boys, and he’s obliged to date them right now. “Am I that hopeless?” he wondered aloud, emphasizing the word ‘that.’