Zeth
Everything that happens after Wren leaves the party is a blur. I can’t focus on anything, and I’m aware of how disconnected I am, how far away my mind has drifted. The moment I saw Olivia, something inside me slipped, and I haven’t been able to pull it back.
I’m supposed to be Wren’s bodyguard, aware of her surroundings at all times, cataloging every threat and every face, but I got so lost in my own head that I was rendered completely useless. I feel ashamed because Wren was actually all alone tonight, and she doesn’t even know it. She has no idea how much I failed her, how I left her exposed when she needed me most, and that hurts worse than anything.
I vaguely register Wren asking Dale to take her to the Ritz-Carlton. When we arrive, she asks for a suite, and I hear the clerk’s response, but none of it really penetrates. I’m present but not really, merged with her but mentally absent.
I finally snap out of it when Wren stands in front of a floor-to-ceiling mirror, hands on her hips, waiting for me to say something. The suite is beautiful – all cream-colored walls and plush carpets, a king-sized bed with too many pillows, and heavy curtains pulled closed. There’s a sitting area with a velvet sofa, a marble-topped desk, and generic but tasteful art on the walls.
“I’m sorry,”I whisper as I pour out of her.
I unmerge and pool in a puddle like tar a few feet away from her. I am black liquid on the expensive carpet, but I can’t bring myself to take humanoid form yet.
Wren looks at me with concern.
“Come on, Zeth. Pull yourself together and let’s talk.”
I tremble at her words, silver ripples moving through me like waves. I gather my strength and shape myself into the body thatshe knows, but I’m so defeated, so crushed by what happened tonight, that I can’t stand. I remain on the floor with my back against the wall, eyes closed, elbows resting on my knees.
Wren kneels beside me and reaches out to touch my arm. When I stay silent and still, she cups my face with both hands and makes me look at her. I have no choice but to open my eyes, and the moment I do, I get lost in her blue eyes. Seeing how she looks at me – with pure concern, no disgust and no fear – makes me feel a little better. She’s not judging me for falling apart.
“Come here,” she says and wraps her arms around my neck.
I pull her in, desperate for the contact, and she falls into my arms, wrapping herself around me. She holds my head pressed to her chest, cradling me, and I inhale her delicious scent and feel the soft silk of her blouse against my cheek. I bury my face between her breasts, and she strokes my head slowly.
Seeing Olivia tonight paralyzed me like I didn’t think was possible anymore. I haven’t seen her since I was young, an inexperienced symbiote who was dealt a bad hand by fate and ended up in a situation no one should ever go through. Olivia ruined me in ways I still can’t fully articulate. There were others who hurt me during those years, others who used me and took things I didn’t want to give, but Olivia was ruthless. Back then, her surname wasn’t Kyzer. This was before she got married to Viktor, before she helped him build a mafia empire and gave him three sons.
After what Olivia did to me, it was hard to pull myself together, heal from what happened, and believe that I was worthy of a normal life. It took years to believe I deserved agency over my own body.
Now I have Wren in my arms, and she is perfect. She’s so kind, so gentle and understanding, and she’s not pushing me for answers I’m not ready to give. I’m broken and don’t deserve her, but now that she’s here, I will take anything she gives me, anyscrap of affection. I’ll take it all because I’m too selfish to let her go.
I look up at her, and there are so many questions in her eyes. She wants to know, wants to understand what happened tonight and why I fell apart, but at the same time, she’s willing to wait and give me space and time. Her patience shatters my heart because no one has ever been this patient with me.
I press my lips to hers and feel her melt into me. The kiss starts slow, tentative, testing to see if she’s okay with it, but it soon becomes intense and demanding. I think I need her like I need air, like she’s my oxygen and my lifeline, the only thing keeping me tethered to the present instead of drowning in the past.
Wren places her hands on my chest and pushes gently, stopping the kiss. I pull back, respecting the boundary even though it feels like dying, and look at her with desperation in my eyes. This isn’t a dream, this is real, and maybe she doesn’t want it.
But she surprises me when she brushes a tender hand over my cheek.
“Are you sure you want this?”
“Yes. More than anything.”
I kiss her again before she can respond, and I feel her abandon herself to me.
Feeling energized by her acceptance, I get up from the floor and gather her in my arms. She’s light in my grip, and I take her to the massive bed, lay her down on the expensive sheets and follow her, covering her body with mine. I pin her under my weight, caging her with my body, careful not to crush her. Wren’s hands roam all over me, and I groan into her mouth. She’s groping and massaging, and maybe it sounds ridiculous, but I feel worshipped.
My cock emerges from my body, hard and dripping. It presses against her through the pantsuit, leaking dark precum, and I start pulling at her clothes impatiently. They rip under my brutal fingers, fabric tearing, buttons popping, seams splitting, and I feel satisfaction at the thought that I’m tearing the clothes Garrett bought her to pieces. I want her naked and all mine, untainted by that man.
I kiss down her jaw slowly, tasting her skin, and move to her neck where I trace along her pulse with my tongue. I feel her heartbeat racing under my mouth. When I reach her breasts, I take a nipple into my mouth, and she whines and arches under me. I suck lazily, teeth grazing gently, reveling in the desperate sounds she makes.
I’ll never get tired of her.
I explore her body with my mouth and tongue, kissing down her ribs, licking across her stomach, circling her navel. I bite gently at her hip and kiss down her inner thigh, taking my time even though I want to devour her. She writhes under me, hands fisting in the sheets, and begs breathlessly.
“Please, Zeth, please.”
I circle her clit with my fingers first, teasing, and feel how wet she is. She’s slick and hot under my touch, and she bucks her hips, trying to get more pressure. I hold her down with one hand on her stomach and dip my tongue into her pussy, licking slow and deep. She’s already close, body trembling, and I don’t let up. I keep licking and sucking until she comes, crying out, back arching off the bed, thighs clamping around my head.
