Envy (The Damning Book 2)

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