Make her bleed bound by.., p.1
Make Her Bleed (Bound By Blood Book 1), page 1
Copyright © 2022 by Zepphora
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Edited by Victoria Ellis with Cruel Ink Editing
Cover by Kirsty-Anne Stills with The Pretty Little Design Co.
Created with Vellum
To Smuttok,
Thank you for darkening my bookshelf. This dark and twisted journey is for you.
“Society wants to believe it can identify evil people, or bad or harmful people, but it's not practical. There are no stereotypes.”
TED BUNDY
WARNING
Make Her Bleed is the first book in the Bound By Blood series. It follows the journey of Aria as she fights to survive the Bound By Blood cult that no one knows exists.
This is a why choose (RH for those unfamiliar with the new terminology) dark, taboo romance. This entire series will touch on almost all triggers.
Make Her Bleed is best read going in blind with no spoilers, but if you require content warning, you may find them on the author’s website.
CONTENTS
Aria
1. Aria
2. Kai
3. Aria
4. Kai
5. Aria
6. Kai
7. Aria
8. Aria
9. Kai
10. Aria
11. Kai
12. Aria
13. Aria
14. Knox
15. Aria
16. Kai
17. Rowe
18. Kai
19. Aria
20. Aria
21. Aria
22. Aria
23. Aria
24. Kai
25. Aria
What Happens Next?
Acknowledgments
Also by Zepphora
ARIA
I've always loved football—the game, the players, the sound of the cheers that fill a stadium. The game can bring people from all walks of life together for a single purpose.
My dad being a football player during most of my childhood also has a lot to do with my love of the game. He considers it an honor that he has been able to play with so many teams, so many coaches, and so many other devoted players. He didn't make it to the major league, but we've never considered that a failure.
Gridiron, the minor football league, has treated him well, but it's time for him to retire, which isn't a bad thing. It means he can do what he's always wanted to do … coach a high school football team.
"Are you sure you're okay with this move, honey?" Dad asks as he pulls the moving truck up to our new house.
It's smaller than our last one—-we’ve moved around a lot for different teams in Gridiron—-but we don't need much. Mom has been gone as long as I can remember. Luckily, Grandma helped when Dad had his games, but now, Grandma is back in New Jersey with Grandpa. It’s their “retirement destination” as Grandpa said. They didn’t want to move back to their hometown—-our hometown.
We're not in Arkansas anymore.
Royal City, Washington is a small town with roughly two thousand residents, and it's a big football town. Everyone goes nuts over it—or so Dad says. This is where I was born and where my dad was raised.
"Of course, Dad. We go where the money is, right?"
Dad smiles and squeezes my hand before parking the moving truck. I climb out with just my water bottle and my phone in hand, eyeing the exterior.
The house is nice. Navy blue shutters, a bright red door, and clean white siding make for a beautiful new beginning. The stone walkway leads to a grand wooden porch with a swing and all. It's almost like we stepped into a housewife's dream.
This doesn't seem like my dad's style.
"I know it's not as big as our old house," Dad starts, looking defeated.
"It's fine. We had to downsize, and I get that. Let's go inside."
He gives me a relieved smile and we enter the house using the key he got from the realtor.
The house is beautiful inside as well. There are dark mahogany wooden floors, clean beige walls, and gold fixtures throughout the house.
Once we're inside, I travel down the hall and check out the floor plan. I already know the gist of it. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an office, a kitchen, a laundry room, and a room Dad wants to turn into a theater room.
"If you want to check out your room, it’s at the end of the hall, Aria!" Dad calls from the other side of the house.
I was named after Aria Wallace, an actress Mom loved, which is a bit odd in my opinion. I've always thought it was weird to name a kid after a famous person you've never met. It's different if it's a person who impacted your life—like a family member or even just someone who inspired you from afar, but my mom didn't want to be an actress.
Still, I like that my name is a bit unique. It's not as common as Sarah or Jessica but people can still pronounce it.
I walk into the bedroom at the end of the hall and sigh.
At least it's not small. The flooring is the same as the rest of the house, and the walls are white instead of beige. Also, there's an extended windowsill which could be repurposed as a mini bookshelf.
I'm picturing where to put everything when I hear Dad call my name followed by another man's voice.
I leave my room and head back toward the main part of the house, and I find my dad talking with another man who has his back to me.
"Aria, you remember Malakai Harris, right?" Dad says as the man turns around.
Deep blue eyes, tan skin that would put a surfer to shame, dark blond hair looking soft to the touch, strong jaw chiseled by Narcissus himself, and full, kissable lips make up his features. His face is that of a man, and the few wrinkles under his eyes show he's older than my dad.
His face is handsome and familiar. He used to come around all the time when we lived in Little Rock, and they played together on the Twisters team. He was one of my dad's best friends on the team. I do remember that he never had a woman or children with him, it was always just him. I thought it was a bit strange because the other guys my dad played with always had either a girlfriend or kids with them when they came around.
Not Malakai Harris, though.
"Uncle Kai!" I greet him with a soft smile as my dad strolls over to me and squeezes my shoulder in appreciation. It takes everything in me not to throw my arms around him in excitement.
Okay, maybe I missed him a little bit.
"Hey, Aria. It's been a long time. You're all grown up," Kai says in a charming, inviting voice.
"Almost," I mutter, shrugging.
Most people my age consider themselves grown-up once they start high school but I'm not like that. I know my dad has sheltered me from the evil of the world but my life circumstances have sheltered me as well. I've never known anyone to die or be hurt, and no one has ever hurt me. Until you've dealt with the darkness and depravity of the world, I still consider said person a child because you see the real world in childlikeness. You don't look at people and immediately wonder if they might want to hurt you.
I'm not ashamed that I haven't reached that level of awareness, but I know it will come eventually.
"Kai is the head coach at Royal High School," he explains.
Well, that helps a lot. I'm guessing he got Dad the job as the assistant coach.
"That's great," I respond.
"I need all the help I can get with those boys. They're like wild bulls. They barely listen to me," he jokes.
My dad laughs but I don't understand how it's funny. They should listen to him. His job is to make sure they're successful on and off the field. If they don't listen to him how can he do his job well?
"We'll get those boys whipped into shape," Dad mutters before fist-bumping with Kai.
"Damn right, we will. Even as bratty as they can be, we still take home the championship every season and those boys are as tight-knit as they come."
"Bound by blood?" Dad asks, a bit of a dark shadow crossing his stare, but it lifts after a moment.
What the fuck was that?
Bound by blood?
"Some of them. The others need some persuasion." Kai grins with pride as I eye them suspiciously.
"Are they your family or something?" I ask, not understanding at all.
"Something like that," Kai mutters. A secret code stretches across his face. I'm unable to decipher the hidden meaning here. "The guys are on their way. They agreed to help get you two settled."
That's nice of them.
"I appreciate that," Dad responds.
The doorbell rings, signaling the arrival of the team to help us get unpacked.
Here we go.
So many guys have come, and I've lost count of all their names. Like just about every football player I've ever met, they're all ridiculously handsome and built like bulls, like Kai said.
I focus mostly on unpacking boxes while the twenty-plus men carry in furniture from the moving truck.
We have a lot of stuff so I expect this to be a full day affair.
"Man, take a look at that," I hear a voice come from my doorway but I don't show it much attention.
I'm used to guys gawking at me, and it really gets old. I know I'm built voluptuously but of all places for a couple hormone-fueled teenage boys to stare at me, it has to be i
"Wait, is that Coach Patrick's daughter?" another voice says.
I roll my eyes and smooth my skirt before standing up.
"She has ears, too, fellas," I quip as I turn to the two football players that are staring at me like I'm a goddamn buffet.
I think the blond one is Rowe and the sheepish, red-head guy is Desmond. I heard one of the other guys talking to them earlier.
Rowe is scanning his eyes up and down my body and those deep blue eyes of his stare at my tits a bit too long for my liking.
"Pizza is on the menu, dipshits. Not me," I sass.
Honestly, if Rowe wasn't being a creep about it, I might entertain it. I'm not into relationships, and sex is just to get off. I don't screw creeps, though.
"Hey, dickheads. Leave her alone. Seriously," a guy behind them says before shoving them away.
"We're just messing around, Blaine," Rowe grumbles before walking away with Desmond.
"Thanks," I mutter before smirking at him.
Blaine sends me a curt nod before smiling. "No problem. It's Aria, right?"
"Yeah. They've been gawking at me since they arrived," I say, rolling my eyes at the stupidity.
If a high school boy wants to screw a girl don't they know it's better to talk to them than just stare like a creep?
"In their defense, you're really beautiful and they're used to hot girls throwing themselves at them with absolutely no effort on their part. That's just how Royal City is. A bit insane, right?"
The compliment is really sweet.
"My dad came from the minor leagues. I'm well aware how some girls go sex-crazy over football players. Not me though. I usually don't screw jocks," I admit, completely unashamed.
"Usually?" he asks, a hint of hope in his eyes.
"I … could be persuaded." I flirt a bit, my cheeks heating up, and the look in his eyes let me know everything.
He hopes to persuade me straight into his bed, and based off this very limited conversation, I’d say he is way ahead of those dipshits in his chances.
CHAPTER ONE
ARIA
Three Months Later…
"Fucking hell." Blaine grunts as he pins my hips against the bathroom sink, ramming his cock into me from behind.
"We need to be quiet," I hiss as he hikes up my skirt more, pushing my knee onto the counter.
"Shit, sorry. You just feel so good." He groans as I slam my hand back over my mouth.
I'm not a slut but I'm not a virgin either. I have the same needs as every other high school girl. With my refusal to date, I have to get my pussy wet somewhere. It just so happens that Blaine is a good friend who enjoys fucking me. Usually we can be loud as hell when we get our rocks off, but his mom is home today.
I need my sex to get through the stress that comes with school, even if I don’t get off. I know a lot of guys my age aren’t experienced enough to make me cum. The pleasure of feeling him move inside me is enough.
If anyone knew about me and Blaine, I'd be labeled as the class slut, but luckily, neither of us wants anyone to know we screw on a nearly daily basis.
He has no intention of trying to push for more, thank god. I like Blaine, but I want my freedom. I don't need a boyfriend. All I need is someone to fuck me on a regular basis.
Once he gets off, we fix our clothes and exit the bathroom before his mom has a chance to notice anything is off. She's still on the phone in the kitchen talking to her sister out in California about the upcoming holiday season and their plans.
"You're getting to be insatiable," Blaine whispers as I flip my textbook back open.
We're set up in the living room, and even though his books are across the rug, he's right up next to me, his hand riding dangerously close to my ass.
"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" I joke then feel his smooth lips kissing along my shoulder.
Kissing. That's how it always starts.
"Blaine," I groan, which he must interpret as an aroused groan instead of irritation because he openly gropes my breast while simultaneously sucking on my shoulder. "Stop," I hiss at him as I push his hand off of me and turn to him.
"Did I hurt you?" he asks, concerned.
"No, of course not," I say, my voice calmer.
"Then, what's the problem?" he presses, genuine concern in his eyes.
Now I feel like a bitch but it's unavoidable. "You can't be doing that, Blaine," I tell him as calmly as possible. I don't want to hurt him but there's no other option.
"What? Putting my arms around you? We screw every day, Aria. Me touching you shouldn't bother you."
Maybe that should've been the first sign but Blaine is overly affectionate with everyone. He even hugs Kai who seems to be a bit of a cold fish when he's not having dinner with my dad at our house. I see the life leave his eyes and he seems so distant to everyone and everything, even when he’s around other people.
I wish I knew what did that to him. I don't know Kai very well, not since I was a little kid, but I like to help those who are wounded and he obviously is.
"It's not the touching. You touch everyone. It's the … kissing," I admit.
His eyes widen and his cheeks turn pale. "Because I kissed your shoulder? Jesus, Aria." He rolls his eyes, clearly exasperated.
"You know exactly how I am, Blaine." I groan defensively. "I made sure you were well aware of my conditions before we moved forward with this. I don't date, and sex is just sex. I don't like you like that. You're my friend."
My assumption from the simple shoulder kiss was right. I see the rejection in his eyes, and he's not happy though he tries to hide it.
"Oh, I know. It's fine."
It's not though. He's upset, and if I console him, it will just make things worse.
I feel like a douchebag. What did I expect to happen? We've been screwing for months. Eventually, something was going to happen to fuck it up. It just happens to be his heart that ruined things.
CHAPTER TWO
KAI
"Hey, Coach," Blaine says as he strolls into my living room like his second home.
All of my guys know they're always welcome here. I only have one rule. Leave your judgments at the door.
Why do I have that rule? Because we all do some shit other people would consider fucked up, and my house tends to be at the center of where all the depravity occurs. If not, I get a call from one of my guys and we deal with the shit.
Bound by blood isn't just a saying for me. Once they take my oath, I will do just about anything for these guys knowing they will repay it at some point.
Blaine just happens to walk in while the head cheerleader is sucking my cock, gagging on it like I've taught her to.
I've spent years getting this entire town wrapped around my finger. Even if she went to her mommy and daddy about how she has to suck my cock every day to keep her position on the cheer squad, it wouldn't go anywhere.
Royal City is my kingdom, and no one stands against their king.
"Evening, son."
I grab Kaylee by her blonde hair and shove her face all the way down my dick. She fights by trying to push at my legs but I'm way stronger than her. I could easily hold her down until she suffocates on my dick, and the thought makes me grin. I'm the one with the power, not this slut.
I give her a much needed break from the strangulation by thrusting away at her face before spilling the mediocre load down her throat.
I'm getting bored with this whole distraction. Getting my dick sucked isn't enough anymore, and I'm stuck in this endless waiting game.
Just six more months to go, I constantly tell myself. Six months and then I can take what I really want.
