161. Dark Clouds

The air was knocked out of her lungs as Layla landed in a heap in the field. Everything hurt. Jackson had been pounding into her for hours.

‘And not in a good way. How the hell are you getting worse at this instead of better?’ the voice in her head said.

Since Jackson had marked her, that voice had become a more permanent feature in her head. She’d been able to shut it off before, but now it was impossible. She was constantly arguing with it and losing focus, and her ability to control her emotions was also on the fritz. Her moods were yo-yo-ing worse than when she’d been pregnant.

“You’re distracted.”

She lifted her head with the bit of energy she had left and looked at Jackson, who was glaring at her from the other side of their makeshift ring.

“I’m tired,” she corrected. “Let’s take a break.”

“We can’t, Layla,” Jackson growled. He marched across to her and helped her to her feet. “You pissed off the Circle, and I pissed off the Wicked Witch. It was fine when our sins were