Puck Me Harder: A Stepbrother Romance [BL]

Damon’s POV

Panic slammed into my lungs like a freight train. My vision blurred for a second as terror flooded my brain. A fire?! When the hell did this happen?! Was Micah inside when the house burned?! Is he hurt?! Did he get burned?!

Why hadn’t he mentioned a fire to me earlier today? Why didn’t he say his home had been destroyed?

My hands started shaking as I took a desperate step toward the front entrance, my voice choking in my throat. "Micah..."

BRRRRRRRRR.

The heavy rumble of an engine shattered the silence behind me. Bright headlights washed over my back, illuminating the stone wall in front of me.

I whipped around as a sleek black car pulled into the driveway and came to a sharp halt.

The doors opened. Noah stepped out from the driver’s side, his expression dark and dangerous. And from the passenger side stepped Micah.

Relief hit me so violently my knees nearly buckled beneath me.

Overwhelmed by relief, I completely lost control. I lunged forward, pushing straight past Noah, and grabbed Micah by his shoulders. I pulled him close, as I checked his arms, his neck, his face, scanning his wide eyes for any sign of pain or injury. "Micah! Are you okay?! What happened to the house?! Are you hurt?!"

"Fuck off!" a furious roar shattered the air.

Before I could even process the words, a heavy hand slammed brutally into my chest.

The impact sent a sharp, agonizing shoot of pain straight through my ribs. Because of my skipped medication and my physically weak state, I couldn’t hold my footing. I stumbled backward violently, nearly losing my balance before catching myself on the hood of my car, gasping for air.

"Noah, stop!" Micah shrieked, his eyes wide with absolute horror as he tried to rush toward me. "You can’t push him like that! He’s hurt! He’s sick!"

"That doesn’t give him the fucking right to touch you!" Noah spat back viciously. He stepped directly between us, his massive frame blocking Micah entirely from my view.

Noah glared at me with pure, murderous hatred in his eyes. "What the hell are you doing here, Silver?"

I clutched my aching chest, my breathing coming in short, painful gasps, but I forced myself to stand tall and glare right back into Noah’s eyes. "When did the fire happen?! Is Micah safe?! How could you let him stay at a burned-down wreck?!"

Noah let out a cold, venomous scoff, his lips twisting into a dark, arrogant sneer. "How is any of that your damn business? You saw him earlier today. You even got to press your filthy lips onto his forehead like a desperate bastard. Isn’t that enough proof for your pathetic mind that he’s fine?"

His words stung like acid, but I refused to break. The sheer jealousy radiating off Noah was suffocating, but the anger inside me burned just as bright.

"I’m fine, Damon! Really!" Micah’s voice called out from behind Noah’s shoulder. He peeked around Noah’s arm, his face pale, his eyes filled with a chaotic storm of panic and distress. "Why are you here? Is something wrong?"

I swallowed the lump of pain in my throat, forcing my voice to remain soft as I looked at Micah. "I already dropped Raven off safely at the club. She’s inside with her brother’s people now."

The moment the word ’club’ left my mouth, Micah’s entire body went rigid.

"Oh no, the club!" Micah shrieked out.

Even Noah turned his head sharply, staring at Micah with a furrowed brow, startled by the intensity of his outburst.

Micah caught himself instantly. His eyes darted frantically between Noah and me, his chest heaving as he tried to cover up his slip-up. "I mean... Oh no! Poor Raven! She must be so terrified right now!"

He was lying.

My heart sank into my stomach as I watched the terror dancing in Micah’s eyes. He wasn’t panicking about Raven. He had panicked the second I mentioned the club itself.

What is he hiding from me? What does he know about the Phoenix Club?

Without giving either of us a single second to ask questions, Micah reached into his pocket and pulled out an old, beat-up smartphone. His fingers flew across the cracked screen in a wild frenzy. "I... I just booked a ride. It’s pulling up to the main street right now."

Noah’s face darkened instantly. "Where the hell do you think you’re going right now?"

"I need to see Raven!" Micah cried out, taking a fast step backward to evade Noah’s reaching hand. "I have to go to her!"

Is he really going to see Raven? Or is he running away from whatever secret is eating him alive?

"I’ll be back soon! I promise!" Micah shouted over his shoulder. He turned on his heel and took off at a full sprint, running down the long driveway toward the main road where a car’s headlights were flashing.

"MICAH!" Noah yelled, his deep voice echoing loudly down the empty street as he took a step to chase after him.

Before Noah could run, I stepped forward and clapped my hand firmly onto his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks.

"Don’t scream down the entire neighborhood now, Noah," I taunted, a bitter, breathless smirk touching my lips despite the sharp, burning pain in my chest. "If you’re so desperate to find out what he’s up to, all you need to do is stalk him like you always do."

Noah snapped.

With a violent flick of his arm, he slapped my hand off his shoulder so hard my wrist stung.

"I don’t need a pathetic cripple like you telling me what to do," Noah snarled.

He wrenched open his car door, threw himself into the driver’s seat, and slammed it shut. He fired up the engine with a roaring rev, rolled down his window, and locked his pitch-black eyes onto mine.

"Stay the fuck away from Micah," Noah warned, his voice dropping into a lethal, quiet threat. "Or else that injury you’re nursing will be doubled next time."

He slammed his foot down on the gas pedal. Tires screeched violently against the pavement, speeding wildly after Micah’s ride.

I stood completely alone in the middle of the silent street, clutching my aching side as the cool night wind blew past me.

Stay away from Micah?

A dark, breathless laugh escaped my lips. What a fucking joke.

I pulled my car keys out of my pocket, turned back toward my vehicle, and unlocked the doors.

If Noah is going to follow him into the dark, then so am I.

I’m going to stalk him. I’m going to protect him. And I’m going to find out every single secret my darling Micah is hiding from me.