“Love you back, Devil Prince.” He gives me a wink, then strolls away whistling “Can You Feel the Love Tonight” from the Lion King. I shake my head, suddenly captured in a mismatched gaze that’s full of intensity. “Hey,” I sigh as Tarl takes a step closer, then another, until finally our bodies are pressed together. Knox’s warmth seeps into my back, his large palm grasping my hip, refusing to be parted from me.
“Aziz-e delam,” he murmurs in that soft, melodic tone of his that has my thighs clenching and breath hitching. Knox chuckles behind me, the sound vibrating straight to my core until I’m aching and filled with longing.For fuck's sake, this is not the time or place.Tarl’s hand comes up to grasp the back of my neck possessively, and he leans down, my eyes closing automatically. “I apologize for making you wait so long,Eshgham,” he sighs against my lips, silencing my protests when he presses his own upon them.
Tarl kisses like he has all the time in the world, like the gunfight—that seems to be winding down a little—in the background is not even a concern. He dominates me with his kiss, as they all do, but his domination is one that you don’t even know is happening until you’re a tied-up, willing victim begging for more of his delicious torture. He slowly pulls away, and a whimper sounds low in my throat as his lips leave mine.
“Later,Azizam,” he murmurs softly. “Later I shall worship your body until you don’t know how to breathe, and then the others can join in.” Knox scoffs behind me, but I almost don’t hear it as I’m lost in Tarl’s sensual promise.
“So that’s how this works,” I hear Rook muse, and a blush instantly stains my cheeks as Tarl steps away, only for my gaze to land on my brother who is watching us with curiosity. “Don’t you guys get jealous?”
“Nope,” Jude denies, at the same time as Knox answers, “Yes.” He squeezes my hip possessively and I giggle.
Jude strips off his Kevlar vest and black T-shirt, then strides over to me, putting the T-shirt over my head and helping me get my arms through. It smells so much like him, like sunshine and cotton candy and musky man, that my body instantly relaxes as it falls around my thighs. He helps me into the Kevlar vest next, which I tell them is unnecessary but the grumble from Knox shows me he agrees with Jude. Jude then leans over me, his upper chest pressing into my face as he plants a smacking kiss on Knox’s lips before darting away with an evil cackle.
“Don’t be jealous, Daddy. There’s plenty of me to go around,” he teases, and Knox growls. I just bite my lower lip, trying and failing to hide my smile.
“So, you’re all fucking each other too?” Rook inquires, and I look over to see him looking between Aeron and Jude with a slight grimace. Aeron catches the look and rolls his eyes.
“I’m not fucking anyone but Dove,” he states, heading over to the doorway. “Time to go back, I think we have most of the Soldiers subdued.”
“Aww, don’t be like that, brother of mine,” Jude teases, heading after him. “I made it so good for you last time.”
This time a bark of laughter escapes me, and I clap my hand over my mouth when Aeron gives me a searing look. #sorrynotsorry.
“I won’t ask,” Rook backtracks, shaking his head and leaving after them.
“Come on, Little Bird,” Knox urges, still keeping me close as he takes my hand and leads me from the room, blocking me with his immense body.
Tarl comes last, his hand brushing my back and I look over my shoulder to see him turn and walk backwards, covering our backs as we walk into the corridor.
“Did you check the other rooms down here?” I ask, knowing that they’re mostly empty, but Rufus has his office at the end.
We all halt so suddenly that I crash into Knox’s back, my ribs protesting with a sharp stab and I rub my shoulder that bumped into him. Ow, fucker is hard.
“What’s down here?” Aeron questions, frustration in his tone as he looks around Knox at me.
“Mostly bedrooms, but Rufus has his office at the end,” I tell him, or the thin air as Knox won’t move out of the damn way.
“Jude, Tarl,” Aeron orders, and Jude squeezes past me to go to Tarl’s side. Knox swivels, putting me behind him again, next to Rook so that we’re in between him and Aeron.
I peer around him and watch as Jude goes to the first door and kicks it in. “Clear!” he shouts a few seconds later after he and Tarl disappear inside, Tarl moving to the next and repeating the move until all the doors stand open, including my sperm donor’s office.
“Good,” Aeron comments, his voice firm and that of the future leader he will be. I turn and catch Rook straightening his shoulders, staring at Aeron with what looks suspiciously like hero worship. “Let’s go deal with what’s left of the Soldiers, shall we?”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“THE WORLD WE MADE” BY RUELLE
KNOX
We all head out after Aeron, following him like I suspect we will for the rest of our lives. Fucker knows he shouldn’t go first; keeping the heir safe above all else and all that shit, but like Adam, he insists on doing it anyway. I think he likes the dramatics.
The lights come back on as we head through the door, and I survey the surrounding devastation with a sense of satisfaction. The dark, gloomy walls are riddled with bullet holes, a shame as some of the original features have been damaged. I bet in its heyday this place looked fucking epic.
There’s a pile of dead Soldiers—gotta love the irony—to one side of the room, a pretty big fucking pile with a couple more bodies being added without ceremony as we head over to where several key players are kneeling in front of Adam and his inner circle, hands bound behind their backs.
“Ah, boys, there you are,” Adam greets us, his face covered in the dust that still floats in the air, but he’s got no obvious injuries. Adam’s gaze catches first on our bird and then Rook and his expression is considering, but not unkind. There’s none of the hatred I expect to see there. “And you must be Lark and Rook Jackson.”
Our Little Bird takes her brother’s hand, and both of them stand tall, braver than most men who face down the infamous leader of the Tailors.
