Despite his playfulness, the fading moonlight floods one side of his face while the other half remains in the shadows, a battleground for light and dark.
Shaking that off, I bite my lip, pleased with his agenda, but aching for a deeper answer. “Good start. And then?”
He glides his knuckles across my cheekbone with a gentleness that doesn’t match the ominous tenor of his response. “We prepare for the fire.”
TY
Five hours. That’s how long I slept last night—or this morning—with Rena’s divine, naked body curled around mine. I hadn’t slept that peacefully or for that long in months. And I’d never felt as comforted or complete as I did with her in my arms.
She’s a balm to the brokenness I’ve become so accustomed to.
For something that has always felt so taboo, it’s perplexing how unbelievably right it feels. I’m sure I’ll have some more reconciling to do regarding that. My hang-ups and past traumas aren’t going anywhere. I wouldn’t want them to either. Forgetting would be dishonoring what Ella, Audrey, and my mom endured. My tortured soul is a lazy penance, but it’s all I have.
Still, I can’t allow that to touch Rena. She deserves the world, every halo and cloud and star in the heavens. Not the depths of Hell. I’m not sure how to keep her separated from it though. She wants all of me, and I long to give her every desire and gift and dream she’s ever yearned for, but she doesn’t know whatall of memeans entirely.Not regarding my past or our future. And certainly not concerning the demons she’s so eager to dance with.
She may have approved of my immoral tactics to eradicate villains more grotesque than me, but that’s the shallow end of the wicked waves she’ll be immersed in. Nowhere near the depths.
I told her that everything I am is hers, but I intended that to express what she means to me because I haven’t been very good at that. I’ve hurt her. But despite her nonchalant acceptance of the darkest truths, I’m still not convinced that thrusting her into the life she’s about to encounter won’t be among my very worst sins.
I’ll figure it out, I guess. One fire at a time.
Until then, I don’t foresee being able to relinquish my grip on her. She’ll be leashed to me for her own protection. And also because it’s the only way I can fathom for me to hang on to that last thread of my sanity.
Tonight is the exception. Although I have provisions to remedy that.
About a half hour ago, I woke Rena up by eating her sumptuously sweet pussy until she shook and screamed. I would have gladly sunk into her again, but she’s pretty sore. I had been as gentle as I could bear to be with her last night, holding back so I didn’t hurt her. But even so, toward the end, I lost a smidgen of control.
And her throat … well, it’s nothing she can’t take. Honestly, after the scare she gave me and the peril she got herself into, I was gentler than she deserved. Thepunishmentdid serve as a useful guise to unlock some of her kinks—pain, degradation, bondage, impact play. And when I shot my cum on her chest after our hot-tub soiree, she lit up like a Christmas tree. My girl likes it dirty.
Maybe I should have left her unsated and begging a bit longer. But I was too desperate for her. To finally sink inside her and watch her fall apart because of me.
One glimpse of her angelic face—her plump lips around my cock, guileless eyes seeking direction, sassy tongue spoutingconfidence she didn’t harbor—and any irritation I held dissipated. If she catches on to that, I’ll be in trouble. I probably am either way.
Now, she’s soaking in the tub. After I feasted on her, I made her breakfast and drew her a bath.
While I busy myself, cleaning up the kitchen—a grand space with two long islands, much like we have back home; waterfall marble countertops; rich wood cabinetry and beams; stone accents; and stainless steel appliances—Gage knocks on the door. It’s been closer to ten hours than seven since our call, but that’s my fault. I sent him on some errands to pick up a few items for me.
When I answer the door, a breath of relief blasts out of me. It’s hard to put into words what the guys mean to me. But knowing he’s here to help me obliterate those bastards is sweet comfort.
He smacks my back and drags me in for a hug. Once he pulls away, he scans my face. “You good? Did the little Noire princess set you straight, man?”
A smile coasts up my cheeks as I ruminate on how her variety of crazy has indeed calmed my untethered thoughts. “I’m getting there.”
It’s true. I do feel more balanced than I’ve been. No flashbacks since the club and no nightmares last night. Plus, I’m rested. And not using alcohol as a meal replacement.
He nods, and there’s a loaded hesitation that follows. “It’s gonna be a rocky road, Tytan, but I’ve got you. We all do.”
That’s as tender as Gage gets, and it damn near makes me crumble from how warm and fuzzy my chest becomes. I’ve always been the levelheaded voice of reason in our group, with the few exceptions of when I’ve plunged into the depths of madness. Extremes. I live in the extremes.
But while Wells is fatherly and Liam is a pesky little brother, Gage is like the burly older brother, who effortlessly cares and corrupts.
He worries far more than he lets on. It’s why his bark is so aggressive, which I understand. We’re as opposite as can be in ourapproaches, but the anger and anxiety that link to become a chain coiling around us is something we both recognize.
Me burrowing into the dark corners of my mind frightens him because it rarely coexists with that levelheaded side of me. And Gage frets that he and the guys won’t be able to pull me back out, even if he doesn’t outright admit to it. That’s why he’s always so eager for me to marry the two sides of myself—feeding my inner beast while still being pragmatic and rational. He’s adamant that it will merely take me training myself to welcome them.
Not my strong suit.
The rocky road he’s referring to is, of course, whatever hell KORT will bestow upon my girl once I claim her—which wrenches my insides and boils my blood—but we’ve got a little while for that. I’ll need to face her brothers first. And neither unfortunate quandary is necessary to confront today.
