Fury (New Adult Romance) - #1.5 Fierce Series Read online

  FURY

  Clarissa Wild

  Would you risk everything for love?

  Life has held nothing but hardships for Hunter Bane. Growing up with a learning disability wasn’t easy, especially when you’re poor. With only his brother to support him, Hunter clings to the short moments of happiness in life. Like when he meets Autumn Blakewood.

  Autumn Blakewood is a geek at heart. Reading is her passion, and she can’t spend one day without her books. She’s always locked up in her room studying, trying to avoid trouble. Until Hunter comes into her life.

  Hunter can’t resist the temptation to get closer to Autumn. She is his complete opposite, and yet he’s drawn to her in ways he can’t explain. But when his brother is caught dealing drugs and sent to prison, Hunter’s world shatters.

  To save his brother, Hunter has to join the gang he’s feared his entire life. Now he’s forced to choose between his family and the one girl he loves. Fighting for both, his fury is all he needs…

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  Links to Clarissa Wild’s books

  (NEW!) FIERCE

  ~ ~ ~

  Blissful Volumes 1-3 (Boxed Set)

  Which includes:

  (FREE!) Blissful Vol. 1

  Blissful Vol. 2

  Blissful vol. 3

  ~ ~ ~

  The Billionaire’s Bet (Boxed Set)

  Which includes:

  (FREE!) The Billionaire’s Bet #1: A Seductive Deal

  The Billionaire’s Bet #2: A Hot Call

  The Billionaire’s Bet #3: A Risky Raise

  The Billionaire’s Bet #4: A Final Game

  ~ ~ ~

  Enflamed (Boxed Set)

  Which includes:

  (FREE!) Raveled By You (Enflamed, #1)

  Hooked By You (Enflamed, #2)

  Cling To You (Enflamed, #3)

  Cherished By You (Enflamed, #4)

  ~ ~ ~

  Doing It (Boxed Set)

  Which includes:

  Doing It Wild (Doing It, #1)

  Doing It Risqué (Doing It, #2)

  Doing It Free (Doing It, #3)

  ~ ~ ~

  Short Stories:

  First Dance With You

  One Helluva Christmas Romance

  Visit Clarissa Wild on Amazon for current titles.

  © 2014 Clarissa Wild

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, places, organizations, or person, whether living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  License Notes

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Table of Contents

  FURY Playlist

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  FURY Playlist

  FURY was written using a lot of the same songs I listened to while writing FIERCE, but there are a couple of new ones that might be interesting to you ;) Check them out!

  "Hold Me Now" by Red

  "Demons" by Imagine Dragons

  "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons

  "Supermassive Black Hole" by Muse

  "Uprising" by Muse

  "Glorious" by Muse

  "SAIL" by AwolNation

  "The Fighter" by Gym Class Heroes ft. Ryan Tedder

  "Iris" by Goo Goo Dolls

  "The Reason" by Hoobastank

  "Wonderwall" by Oasis

  "Work B**ch" by Britney Spears

  "Dark Horse" by Katy Perry Ft. Juicy J.

  "Holding on and letting go" by Ross Copperman

  "Army Of Me" by Björk

  "Sweet Dreams" by Sucker Punch

  "Ni**as in Paris" by Jay-Z & Kanye West

  "Rap God" by Eminem

  "All Is Full Of Love" by Björk

  Prologue

  3 years ago

  My heart thrums as I roll the ball around in my hands. The rigged, dented surface skims the tips of my fingers. I stare at the basket suspended in the air in front of me, the hoop gently swaying back and forth with the wind. Leaves rustle across the ground, a cold breeze creeping up my legs, sending shivers down my spine.

  The high-school grounds are abandoned, except for me and them.

  I hear them whisper and laugh behind me. I don’t even have to look around to know they’re glaring at me. I’m hyper aware of my surroundings, but I don’t show it to anyone.

  Not ever.

  “C’mon, chicken chaser. Throw the ball,” one of them yells. “We’re not waiting forever. You have one chance.”

  They all start to laugh out loud and snort.

  “Bet ya can’t even hit the basket,” he says.

  My fingers curl around the ball, my nails digging into the leather. I bite my lip to keep myself from screaming my lungs out.

  “Yeah, he probably doesn’t even remember how to do it! Strainer brain!”

  They laugh some more, and my nose starts to twitch, just like it always does when my blood is boiling.

  Keep your cool, Hunter. Keep it down. You promised Jessie not to fight.

  Suddenly a ball comes flying from my right, and it’s so quick I don’t even see it coming before it hits me in the shoulder.

  It was one of them.

  I hold my ground. My lip is getting torn. I bite down so hard I can even taste the blood.

  Focus on the basket, Hunter. Just five more minutes. Jessie will come; he promised.

  “C’mon, do you want your lunch money back or not?” one of them snarls. “Make the freaking throw!”

  I blow out some air and raise the ball to form the perfect throwing arm. I can do this. If I can get it in, I’ll get that money back. Jessie will kill me if I don’t. I still can’t believe they actually managed to steal it from me when I wasn’t looking, but I can’t just go and take it back either. Jessie would definitely kill me if I started another fight.

  As I’m about to make a jump and aim to throw the ball, one of them yells, “You’re a pussy! Just like your mom. A fucking wet pussy for every guy to abuse!”

  The ball shoots from my hand, but I don’t even look at it anymore. I don’t know if it reaches the hoop or not. I’ve already turned around.

  “What did you say?” I hiss, my mouth barely opening as the words slither across my tongue.

  One of them backs away, fear oozing from his face.

  My hands curl up into fists, ready to strike.
r />   “Your mother is a whore and you’re a fucking bastard.”

  That’s it. Screw the promise.

  My fist lands on his face before he can utter another word. His teeth are knocked out the moment my fingers make contact with his jaw, and his body flies to the ground.

  One other kid runs toward me, but I grab his arm and swing him against the fence like a twig, hearing his groans as he smashes into the bars like a ragdoll.

  The other kids back away, stumbling over each other, while the two kids in front of me try to get up.

  “What the hell!” the kid on the ground screams.

  I step closer, fuming with anger. The kid near the fence makes a quick escape while I’m completely focused on this asshole.

  “Bastard! I told you!” the kid on the ground yells, his spit missing me by inches.

  I raise my leg and drop my foot right onto his balls. He squeals in agony.

  “Don’t you ever fucking dare say a word about my mother!”

  I pound in on him until my fingers start to bleed and my skin feels numb from the warm blood rushing through my veins. I’m seething. I don’t even care about the money anymore.

  My mother … Nobody has the right to even mention her except me and my brother.

  I don’t think the kid is even awake anymore by the time I’m finished with him.

  Then I hear my brother calling.

  “Hunter!”

  My head jerks up, and I let go of my victim.

  The moment I see his disappointed eyes I feel defeated.

  Yet again I couldn’t keep my promise to make peace with the other kids at school. But how can I when they torture me so much? It’s like they want to be hit. Plain and simple.

  I let go of his shirt, his head thudding on the ground when I get off him. I walk to the fence where Jessie is standing, and only then do I notice the car behind him.

  Big. Black. Tinted windows. Scary.

  But with each step I take, there is something much, much more disturbing than that car.

  His face.

  Botched up, covered in bruises, and bleeding from the nose, his face looks like a complete mess.

  With trembling fingers I walk toward him, my anger slipping away and making room for horror. Every drop of blood leaves my face as I look at him.

  What happened to him?

  Seeing him like this frightens me. It shouldn’t, because I know what it’s like to be bruised and to bruise others, but it does. My brother is my rock. He is supposed to be the one who cannot be bruised.

  And yet he seems broken to the bone.

  “Let’s go,” Jessie snaps, and he opens the door.

  “What’s this?” I say, pointing at the car.

  “New. Get in.”

  “How the hell did you pay for this?” I say as he grabs my collar.

  “Doesn’t matter. Just get in.” He shoves me inside and closes the door behind me, frantically checking the neighborhood.

  I sit back and watch him hurry to the driver’s seat, his behavior seeming erratic, almost volatile. As he slams the door shut behind him, he wipes away the blood running down his nose. He grabs a few cubes of ice from a cup standing in the cup holder and holds them against his scruffy, bruised chin.

  “What the fuck happened to you?” I say, frowning.

  “The same thing that you just did to that other kid, obviously.”

  I snort, blowing off steam. “Yeah, well he deserved it.”

  “Hunter!” he says, turning his head. “You can’t keep doing this!”

  “If they don’t stop talking trash about me, I will keep doing that!”

  He sighs. “How can you expect to live like this? Huh? Do you want it to be like this forever? Punching people whenever you see fit? Without any friends?”

  I purse my lips and fold my arms. “Like I care.”

  “I care. I don’t want this for you.” He hisses from the cold touch of the ice cubes against the cut on his lip.

  “I don’t want this either. Just like you don’t want to look like that.” I stare him down, knowing that he knows full well what I mean.

  He throws the ice cubes back into the cup and runs his fingers through his blond hair. Then he starts the engine and drives off.

  “Why are you so banged up anyway?” I say.

  He rummages through a bag and takes out a pack of cigarettes. “Like I said: doesn’t matter.”

  I want to snatch away the lighter in his hand, but he keeps it out of reach.

  “Just one. I need this,” he says.

  Annoyed, my eyes drift to the bag, which he throws to the back seat. In it are tiny bags of white powder.

  My eyes widen. “What the fuck …” I turn my head immediately. “Drugs?”

  He blows out a puff and coughs on the fumes. “Just don’t look at it.”

  “What the hell is that shit doing in here? What have you been doing? You pick me up all battered up, buy a new car out of nowhere, and you’re carrying a bag of drugs? You’re dealing now?”

  “Yes, goddammit!” He smashes the lighter into the dashboard. “You know we need the money.”

  “So that’s how you got the car …” My brows inch toward each other more and more.

  “It’s on loan.” Jessie leans his elbows on the steering wheel. Then he suddenly slams it. “A fucking threat to make me stay.”

  “What?”

  “They trashed my old car and gave me this one.”

  My jaw drops hearing that.

  “It’s their way to keep tabs on me. To force me to work for them.”

  “Why did you take it then?” I say.

  He slams the wheel again. “Dammit! Do you think I had a choice? Of course not!”

  I put on my seatbelt. “What about your job at―”

  “Forget about that.”

  “Wait, what? You can’t just shove that aside and do this instead! This is fucking dangerous.”

  “I know! But this is the only way. This is what I’m going to do from now on, and it’ll bring in enough cash for us to survive. It’ll be okay, I promise. I’ll make it work. Somehow.”

  “But what about our ‘normal’ future?” I make quotation marks with my fingers. “You know, the one we promised to each other.”

  “Just stop, okay. I know what I said, you don’t need to remind me …” He sighs. “What’s done is done.”

  “But―”

  “Look at me!” He frowns, tears welling up in his eyes, but they won’t run. “They don’t want someone like me. When do they ever want anyone like us?”

  I open my mouth, but close it again. There’s nothing I can say. He’s right. He doesn’t mean the bruises or blood left on his body. He means us. Who we are. Nobody would want a guy with an explosive amount of energy and lack of concentration, nor would they want a guy that forgets everything he’s been taught.

  Regular jobs are not for us.

  But why does he choose this instead? Dealing drugs? Fighting people? Is that what our life is going to be like now?

  That is hell.

  “I’m sorry, but this is the only thing I can do to make it work,” Jessie says, starting the engine.

  “I know.”

  “Let’s just go home. Fix you up.” He tilts his head, looking at the bruises and swelling on my hand.

  “It’ll heal,” I say. “You on the other hand …”

  My brother throws me a half smile, and I can’t help but finish my sentence to cheer him up a little.

  “You look like you got brought back from the dead.”

  My brother snorts, and we both burst out into laughter as we turn around the corner.

  Chapter 1

  Life and Leaves

  Present

  Shadows. That’s all I see when I open my eyes, waking up to the sound of silverware being thrown around. My neighbors are yelling at each other again, as usual. It doesn’t take much for their screams to reach our house.

  Sun shines through the tiny window to my left, illumin
ating half of my bed. Dust particles float through the room and make me sneeze. Temporarily closing my eyes doesn’t help shut out the darkness looming all around me.

  Nothing can.

  My head hurts. I’m not sure whether it’s because I slept for about an hour in total, or because of those fucking people in their house merely ten feet away from ours.

  Seriously, why can’t they fight at a more reasonable time? It’s getting fucking annoying listening to all that yammering back and forth, not to mention the times they even bring the cops into it.

  I’d rather keep the cops far, far away from here.

  And my brother, for that matter.

  When they come he can’t be here. Not ever. If they find out what he does for a living, they’d …

  Fuck no, I don’t want to think about it.

  Not even once am I going to let these neighbors get in between my brother and me. They can do whatever the fuck they want, but I’m sick and tired of them calling the cops on each other.

  There’s only one thing I care about and that is keeping my brother out of trouble.

  I honestly don’t give a shit about their relationship. I’d rather see them fuck off and move so I won’t be bothered by them anymore. I’m not the most caring type. I don’t care about other people’s problems, and I really don’t want to get involved in them. And with that I mean I don’t want to hear it.

  Groaning, I shift my legs and let them hang out of bed, while my head rests on the sheets. I blink and sigh when they start screaming again, taking away the last shot I had at a little sleep. This is getting ridiculous.

  I throw the musty blanket off me and step out of the creaky bed. I stretch and rub my eyes, walking toward the window. Leaning on the window sill, I scream, “Shut up already!” and slam the window shut.

  I almost trip over my own clothes, scattered across the room. Sinking to the floor, I grab a bundle of dirty clothes and make my way through the hallway, littered with junk my brother left behind. I go into the bathroom and lean back so I can open the washing machine. It only partially opens, because the door bumps into the wall behind me. I wish there was another way to do this, but sadly there’s not enough room anywhere else in the house. This thing is just too big, and space is not a luxury we can afford.