by Katie May
smidge.
"What I'm saying is, we can work on this together. This relationship
thing. Z, you deserve to be loved.”
"Wow," a sly voice said from the corner of the room. I jumped,
recognizing the lilt and husky tone immediately. "That was deep. You
changed my entire outlook on life and love."
"Ryland," I said, peering into the darkness. His shadowy form moved
until it was hovering at the very top of the wooden wall, dark legs dangling.
The shadows clung to him, black tendrils that obscured his features from
view.
Except for the one time I had seen his face...
"Princess," Ryland replied immediately. He moved once more, jumping
from the wall and swinging on the rope swing. The shadows moved with him,
curling upwards, until he was directly in front of me. The wispy shadows
danced in the skylight roof.
"Were you spying on us?" I asked, cocking my hip to the side. I shouldn't
have been surprised. Ryland had a strange fascination....read as: fetish...with
watching people. Lurking in the corners of rooms, the rest of the world
oblivious. Listening but never speaking.
Shadows were descended from Pride, and it was rumored that they hid
their faces because the rest of the world wasn't allowed to look upon them.
With Ryland, I believed he hid his face for an entirely different reason.
A reason I was determined to get to the bottom of, even if it killed me.
"I like spying on you," he said easily.
"Creep." I smiled to soften my words.
"Only for you."
"If you're done now..." Lupe's voice was tight with irritation. "We were
talking."
"Excuse me for interrupting your moment. What was next? Romantic
stories? A love poem? Ohhh! Maybe you planned to show her that portrait
you made of her when she was sleeping."
Lupe's face turned red at Ryland's words, and I turned to face the Shifter
with a hand on my hip.
"Really? When I was sleeping?"
"So when he stalks you, it's romantic, but when I do it, it's creepy." He
threw his hands up into the air. "I can never please you, woman."
Rolling my eyes at his antics, I slapped him on the chest.
"So are we doing this?" I asked, nodding towards the obstacle course.
Lupe grimaced, but I imagined Ryland would be smiling brightly.
"A woman after my own heart," he cooed dramatically.
Without another word, I threw myself at the course.
HOURS LATER, I found myself dripping in sweat. It clung to my skin like a
glossy sheen. My body felt unnatural heavy, weighted. Halfway through the
obstacle course, my nose began to bleed, but a quick trip to the bathroom had
stopped the heavy flow. Sweat and copper from my nosebleed permeated the
air. Poor Lupe and his keen Shifter senses. I probably smelled something
awful at the moment.
Fortunately, he wasn't faring much better. His dark hair was plastered to
his forehead, and his breathing was ragged.
"Never again," he huffed, flopping onto his back and extending his arms.
I moved to sit down beside him, wrapping my arm around my knees.
"Baby," I smirked.
"Trust me." He tilted his head up to meet my eyes, smile devious.
Devilish. "I am nothing but man."
Heat pooled in both my cheeks and core.
"And I'm disgusted," Ryland quipped from where he was sitting opposite
us. The shadows were still pulled tightly around his person, but I could see a
flash of icy blue eyes peering through the tar-like blackness. "That was an
awful pickup line."
"Pickup line?" Lupe retorted, still grinning at me. I liked seeing him
smile. He always looked so serious, as if he was weighed down by the entire
world. I wasn't sure if he would ever be carefree, but I enjoyed seeing this
side of him. "I was only speaking the truth."
My dumbass mouth blurted the first thing I could think of. "Prove it."
Totally didn't consider the implications of such a statement.
Lupe's eyebrows touched his hairline even as his smile broadened.
Ryland chuckled.
"I think she wants us to whip out our dicks," he said to Lupe.
"What is it with females and their fascination with male dicks?" the burly
Shifter mused. I had no doubt that it would be just as big as the rest of him.
"Females?" I asked teasingly. "As in, more than one?"
Okay, half-teasingly. I would probably maim any female who dared get
too close to my males, let alone see their dicks.
A large hand cupped my breast from behind, and I hissed slightly in
pleasure. This touch was followed by the lightest brush of lips against my
neck. Eagerly, I tilted my head to grant him better access.
"Only one for me," Lupe murmured. His tongue snuck out to lick my
skin, a growl rumbling in his chest. "And you, Ryland?"
The Shadow materialized inches from my face. Those blue eyes stood out
like a white dot on a black sheet of paper. They were so blue, waves cresting
against the shoreline, and I knew I could get lost in them. I could tumble head
over heel in a riptide, drowning. It would be the sweetest death imaginable.
"One for me as well, brother."
Lupe's fingers pinched my nipple through my thin, black shirt and bra,
and I practically purred.
"I don't think there has ever been a girl as beautiful as you," Lupe
murmured into my neck. His hot breath fanned out against my skin.
"You're so full of shit," I breathed.
"Nope." Ryland popped his p. "But we are biased."
"Rightfully so," Lupe added. His lips moved to my earlobe, tugging it
between his teeth. I groaned low in my throat.
The feel of his hard, muscled body behind mine...
Desperately, I grabbed his neck and brought his lips to my own. He
conceded without a fight, opening his mouth to devour me completely. His
tongue tangled with mine, and I felt his hand push up my shirt and bra,
revealing my breasts.
The cold air had already made my nipples hard, but his touch brought me
to almost decadent levels.
His fingers pinched and tugged, his thumb circling my peak. His free
hand crept lower, towards the waistband of my pants, before thrusting inside.
I gasped as his finger entered my already wet slit.
"You're so wet for me, babygirl," he whispered, pulling his lips from
mine. "So fucking ready."
His lips trailed down my neck, across my shirt that was pushed up to my
neck, and then landed on my breasts. His tongue snaked out and swirled over
my nipple before pulling it completely into his mouth. I gasped, arching my
back at the sensation.
Down below, his finger began its relentless pursuit, bringing me to that
edge of oblivion. A second finger joined the first, and I thought I would
orgasm then and there. The feel of him inside of me, even if it was just a
finger, was very near overwhelming. I felt so safe in his strong arms. So
loved. Electricity shot through my nerves, lighting me up.
Movement captured my attention.
The shadows around Ryland had receded slightly, revealing a dark hand
around a straining cock. I wondered if he even realized he was doing it as he
stroked himself in
tandem to Lupe's fingers fucking me.
My lips parted, and a breathy exhale left me.
As Lupe continued to lift me higher and higher, I kept my focus on
Ryland.
His large, dark hand moved erratically over his length. Another hand
cupped his balls, fondling them.
He made a noise, a combination between a groan and a howl, before he
came, spilling his seed across the mat.
That was my undoing. I stumbled face first over that cliff I had found
myself on, a scream lodged in my throat. I came around Lupe's expert
fingers, tears in my eyes and inarticulate praises escaping me.
Ryland pulled the shadows around him once more, hiding his cock from
my eager eyes. I wanted to pout in disappointment.
Lupe continued to finger fuck me through my orgasm, finally pulling out
when I was well sated and spent. Almost absently, he placed his fingers into
his mouth and began to lick them clean. I watched it all with hooded, lust-
filled eyes.
These men were going to fucking destroy me.
"Well..." Ryland chuckled breathily. "That was fun."
I collapsed against Lupe's chest, my breathing heavy and my mind
spinning.
Yup. Destroy.
NINE
Z
Devlin was once again on my ass.
And not in the good way.
The second I walked into my room, the post-orgasmic bliss
washing over me, he pounced. His immaculately pressed suit was
unbuttoned, showcasing a healthy layer of chest hair. Dark bruises rimmed
his violet eyes, and his pouty lips were pursed.
"Where were you?" he asked instantly. It looked as if he’d worn a hole in
the rug from his repeated pacing.
"Why?" I asked snarkily. "Are you my keeper now?"
His lips tightened into a thin line.
"You disappeared. Again. Without even a fucking note."
"So you are my keeper," I mused. I stepped around him, towards the
immense shower in the bathroom. It was able to fit approximately three
people and had jet streams that could massage your ass. Diego had loved this
damn shower - probably more than he loved me.
Ignoring the probing gaze I could feel on my back, I slipped out of my
sweat-soaked shirt and pants. Dressed in only my panties and bra, I turned to
look at him, placing my hands on my hips. The anger in his eyes diminished
instantly to be replaced by a carnal hunger. Heat radiated from his eyes,
warming my skin and seeping through to my very bones.
"I was worried," he said cautiously. His eyes continued to mentally,
relentlessly, undress me. Normally, I would've ripped him a new one, but I
was still riding the wave of my last orgasm. If Devlin - handsome, perfect
Devlin - wanted to give me another? Who was I to complain?
"I'm not stupid," Devlin continued as I turned on the water. I tentatively
placed a hand beneath the spray, gauging the temperature, before deciding
that it needed to be warmer. "I know about your past."
"My past," I said succinctly. "What do you think you know?"
"That you worked for the Alphabet Resistance." He took a step closer.
The heat in his eyes belied the coldness of his words. My body tensed,
electricity shooting through my nerves and not in a good way. Instead of
answering, I shoved my hand back into the water. Perfect temperature.
"I killed people, you know," I whispered, reaching behind me to absently
unhook my bra. I heard his sharp intake of breath, but I ignored it. Ignored
him. "Killed people that you might've known. Genies, for one. Other
Nightmares. I was supposed to kill you and your brothers, but I think you
already know that."
Slipping the straps down my arms, I turned, holding the gauzy fabric to
my chest in order to keep some semblance of modesty. Who was I kidding?
When it came to these men, I had not a modest bone in my body. Still, it felt
odd to confess this to him completely naked.
Devlin watched me for a long moment, an undefinable expression
flickering across his handsome face. When the silence became unbearable,
suffocating even, I turned around. My bra fell to the ground
unceremoniously, and I leaned down to remove my underwear as well.
Through it all, I could feel his eyes caressing my bare flesh. The wanton
desire in his gaze was impossible to ignore, evident despite my confession.
Despite the fact that I had murdered people.
"I don't care," he answered at last, voice terse.
A laugh bubbled out of me, but I tampered it down with a hand to my
mouth. There was no joy, no mirth, in that sound. It was cold and heartless.
"How could you not?" I whispered, finally stepping beneath the spray. I
leaned over to grab my body wash, the heady scent of pomegranates invading
my senses. This particular soap always appeared in my room. I had a distinct
feeling that my mates were behind it...or, at the very least, one in particular. I
wasn't completely oblivious to Lupe's sniffing tendencies.
"I’ve killed too." His voice was a whisper. He still did not move closer,
his silhouette visible through the steamed glass of the shower. "I’ve
murdered, Z. I'm not innocent."
"I never said you were." The last word I would ever associate with Devlin
Genie was innocent. My heart ricocheted, one beat away from completely
breaking free of my ribcage.
Why was everything so difficult with him? Why was I so determined to
break things off before they could even begin?
I knew the answer to those questions, though a part of me wished I didn't.
It would be much easier to live in my oblivious, diminutive bubble, unaware
of the rest of the world and my own damn feelings.
The truth was, Devlin had hurt me once. Hurt me beyond repair. What
little pieces of my heart I had given him, he had shattered. Did he think of me
as I had thought of him when we were apart? Did he regret breaking me,
breaking my heart?
"Those men we met..." Devlin took a step closer. His black jacket fell to
the floor beside my clothes. "They're assassins too, right? They're a part of
the resistance." Though it started as a question, it ended as a statement of fact.
There was no denying it; somehow, Devlin knew everything. No surprise.
We weren't exactly subtle about it.
"Yes," I answered evenly. I rubbed the soap across my body, down my
arms and over my breasts. I paid extra attention to my nipples, pulling them
between my soapy fingers.
I heard the sound of his belt coming undone.
"You scared the shit out of me when you left, you know that?" I didn't
respond to him, focusing instead on my shampoo. I massaged it into my
scalp, tilting my head up to catch the blistering hot water on my face. "Why
would you do something so fucking stupid? Especially when you know you
have a target on your back."
The shower door opened and closed, and Devlin moved to stand in the
spray beside me. His naked, chiseled body dribbled with rivulets of water, his
cock already half-erect. Without a word, he stepped closer, replacing my
hands in my hair as he rubbed the shampoo into my scalp. I very nearly
groaned at the sensation. The feel of him.
; "It was stupid," I admitted. "But I couldn't stay here."
"Because you run." Again, it wasn't a question.
"And you're afraid," I retorted. There was no malice in my statement,
though, only understanding. For the first time, Devlin wasn't difficult to read.
"I'm fucking terrified, babygirl," he whispered. "I can't lose you again."
I spun in his arms, memorizing his features. God, he was so fucking
perfect. And he was mine. All mine. My eyes traced over his olive-toned
face, those high cheekbones, those penetrating violet eyes that always saw
through me. My gaze drifted lower, over his chiseled abs to his straining cock
and down his toned, muscular legs. Perfect didn't even begin to describe him.
Even with water streaming down his face and his hair disheveled, he was as
beautiful as always.
"Prove it," I whispered hotly, stepping closer. My breasts brushed his
chest, and I heard him inhale sharply. "Prove to me how much you love me.
That you're mine."
His breathing was ragged, but his eyes darkened with barely constrained
lust. Reaching forward, I interlocked our hands together before moving it
over my breast. Not touching, just hovering over the sensitive skin.
He waited. Always waiting.
"You can touch me," I whispered breathily. When he eagerly began to
lean in, I stepped back, tsking disapprovingly. "Only here." I nodded towards
where his hands hovered about my breasts.
With renewed vigor, he palmed my heavy mounds, twisting my nipples
between his fingers. I melted under the feel of his ministrations, the feel of
him. The possessiveness and ownership with each flick of his wrist. He
ducked his head, breath fanning over my tips. He raised one brow in
question.
Giving him permission with a decisive bob of my head, he began to lick
and suck on my boobs. His tongue swirled over my nipple the way he knew I
liked, a growl reverberating in his chest. I panted, arching, but he did not let
up. His hands desperately gripped my hips, pulling me even closer to his
rock-hard cock.
"Stop," I instructed, and with a whimper, he backed away. He stood still,
watching me with heavily-lidded, lustful eyes. "Don't move."
Keeping my eyes on him, I dropped to my knees. He waited patiently, but
his chest had stopped moving. The poor man wasn't even breathing.
With a coy smile, I cupped one of his balls, testing the weight. A moan
