I stare at the phone after hanging up, Finn all but singing in my damn head from hearing his baby girl. We had been eager to hear from Jade but didn’t think it would take as long as it had for her to reach out. Then again, Jade was a stubborn woman and she had probably been holding on as long as she could.
A grin splits across my lips as Slash nudges my shoulder. “Your daughter sounded adorable.”
“She is!” I grin, clutching the phone in my hands. The past five years have been difficult, my alters disappearing and meshing with my main self at times. Other times, I don’t know where I amor which of us is present. It’s been pretty confusing but our men have been there every step of the way.
Funny enough, I always come back to reality when Slash or Samael is killing someone or the sweet taste of lungs hits my tongue.
“Hey, killer, what’s going through that head of yours?” Samael purrs as he comes up on my other side. He stares over my shoulder at the beautiful picture of Echo one of Samael’s guards sent the other day. Her head is angled back, her lips parted with glee, those mismatched eyes Killian used to wear staring at me.
She’s definitely my kid. Our kid.
“She’s beautiful. I wish I could meet her.” I run my finger along the screen. “But I have no idea what I would do with her. I’d be no better than Dad.” My face scrunches up as I think about the man who had been playing with me just as long as I had been playing with him. That fucker was still locked up, Primrose a skeleton of a town it used to be.
Dad had tried to explain his way out of it but he was right. I had won. It didn’t feel as great as I wanted it to but that was behind me now.
Now, my only job was to enjoy every day until my last.
Aeron hums from the kitchen, drawing my attention to him. “First off, dinner is ready. You haven’t eaten anything all day, sweetie.”
My nose scrunches up in disgust. “Don’t fucking call me sweetie, baby girl,” I throw back at him. The awful pet name came about the last time I fucked him and he squealed when I hit the right spot. His face flames bright red and if Samael wasn’t already shoving me in a seat to eat dinner, I would absolutely do a replay.
Slash snorts as he slides in across from me. “I know that look, Runo. All I ask is that you let me watch. I’ve never heard him make a sound that delicious before.”
I grin. “Sure, and then maybe you can bring out the knives again. The new one…”
Samael shuts us all done. “No sex talk at the fucking table. And Runo, Slash, both of you are fucking banned from using knives. I am not stitching up anyone this weekend.”
“Awww,” I purr, leaning over to Samael as I push my bottom lip out in a pout. “You’re just want to be part of the fun, don’t you?
Samael turns toward me, his eyes much darker than they were a few minutes before. “No, the last time I stitched you up, both of you went too fucking far and you lost too much fucking blood. Both of you are in an entirely different world when you get into that headspace. So, no more knives. Not right now. Please.”
The fear in his eyes claws at what little emotions I have before I nod. “Yeah, yeah, I can get behind that.”
Aeron calls from the kitchen, “You better be getting behind me!”
Excerpt Two: Eight Years After the End of Alter
DARK
Fucking finally. I’ve been waiting for a chance to drive this meat machine. It hasn’t been entirely Runo’s fault, we’ve been crumbling. However, I’m so fucking excited to finally have a date with our men.
Except, in order to keep this plan under wraps, I have to keep pretending to be Runo.
Which… during dinner, is difficult as fuck.
Runo: Just don’t think about what you’re eating.
Finn: It tastes pretty good actually.
“It’s disgusting, is what it is!” I whisper yell to them, staring at the cut of meat Aeron just slid in front of me. It looks deliciousand it smells divine but I can’t imagine stuffing that in my mouth. It’s got those little mashed potato balls and the sauteed string beans that I absolutely fucking love, though.
“Not hungry?” Slash purrs from across the table. He leans forward, drawing a gasp from me as I feel his foot sliding up my inner thigh. And when he places his toes against my cock, I have to keep from completely melting beneath his touch. He frowns and tilts his head because Runo would never submit like that.
I manage a wiry grin before cutting off a piece of meat and stuffing it in my mouth. Ew. I’m eating people.
Runo: You’re actually eating the hack who lived down the street. You know the one who yelled at Samael for driving too fast around the corner?
My nose scrunches up as I chew, bile rising at the back of my throat. I’m mad that it tastes good and more mad that I like it. I blame it on Runo and Finn that we’ve been eating this for nearly ten years.
