“That’s cryptic as fuck and more than a little annoying.Either say something useful or don’t, but don’t pull that bullshit.”
Shear inched his eyebrows toward each other and shook his head again.It reminded me that as difficult as he was, as annoying as his words were, I should just have been fucking thankful that I didn’t live inside that fucked-up skull of his.
I had no idea what nightmares swam around in there, but if the things he cast into other people’s heads were any indication, it wasn’t a great area.
I lifted my arm to look at my watch, then hit the button for a cleanup crew.It pinned the location, and a moment later, a response told me they’d gotten the request and were sending people out.
No reason to wait around for it.At this point in the night, no one would come wandering this way, and even if they did?A dead monster was a hell of a lot less traumatizing than a live one.
Shear and I headed back to the office, and I remembered why I preferred working with him compared to anyone else.Shear remained silent most of the time.Sure, he could read my thoughts if he wanted—and sometimes even if he didn’t want to—but he didn’t fill the space with pointless talking.
And if I wanted to, he let me.
Kenyon never shut up, and Carter always felt the need to bitch at me over something I wasn’t doing right.They were both always on my ass, but at least Shear knew how to shut the fuck up for a while.
I drove—Shear tended to get distracted, and I didn’t need to get anything broken in a wreck—and in another twenty minutes, I pulled the SUV into the underground garage space, accessible from the front of the building.A two-car garage was almost unheard of right off the beach, so finding it had been worth every pretty penny we’d spent on the beachfront property.
Shear said nothing as he left the car and headed inside, going up to his room in a way that would have been rude from anyone else.We made exceptions for him, though, and honestly?
Sometimes I preferred him to leave so I didn’t have to deal with his weird-ass personality.
I frowned as I stepped inside, the feeling strange.It didn’t take long for me to identify the source.
Guiding.
Not direct guiding.That was stronger.It was the difference between a slice of apple pie and just picking up a slight whiff of it.With Yun in the house, a subtle guiding effect took over, something that would ease espers in that space.It wasn’t enough to save one, of course, not enough to really stop corruption, but it reminded me why S-Rank guides were so fucking prioritized.
This could make the difference for some, this slight feeling of peace.Sure, a part of me fucking hated the idea of anyone affecting me that way, even in the positive, because I wanted to do shit on my own.
The other part of me, however, felt the gentle stroking of that power and wondered what she’d feel like if I slid into her.I wanted to watch her squirm beneath me, her fingers digging into my arms, her hips rolling.I wanted to taste the sweat that beaded up on her chest, to take her as she took the corruption from me.
I shook my head to dislodge the fantasy.
Was I a pervert?Yeah, I sure fucking was.I didn’t mind testing boundaries, but I drew my own line at whipping my dick out where it wasn’t wanted—and so far, that guide had made it clear she didn’t want it.
I didn’t think that would last, of course.
I headed up the stairs, taking them two at a time.We’d driven for a total of forty minutes for what was a thirty-second fight—if I even wanted to call it a fight.It hadn’t taken much out of me, other than winding me up and making me crave more.
That’s how it always was, though.
I wantedmore.More of what, I had no fucking idea.Just more.More fight, more purpose, more reason, more guiding.
It all wrapped around me as I showered until I felt as though I couldn’t breathe.
This feeling inside me hadn’t gone away, not for a fucking minute, though it lessened when I did one specific thing.
I grabbed my phone, water droplets still running down my bare skin, over the intricate lines of the tattoos that covered me, and sent a message.
It didn’t take much, just a few words.I didn’t even bother to pay attention to who I sent it to—anyone with a star by their name in my contacts would do.
The response was fast.An immediate yes and an address.
This clawing need for more, this hunger that never found satiation, it only quieted when I lost myself in the body of someone else.
Sure, I was a pervert and a man whore and a fucking bastard, but it was the only damned time I found even a moment of solace.
Chapter Five
