Because if I let myself believe that the tenderness was real, then I must accept that they’re capable of hurting people they care for. That they could care for me and still destroy me. That they could hold me gently and still hold me down.
And that realization is somehow even worse than the simple truth that they never cared at all.
I realize with nauseating clarity that I’ll never be able to unsee them like this. Will never be able to look at them again without remembering what they chose to do.
The tiny glimmer of hope they’re offering isn’t enough to light the darkness they’ve created.
It’s only enough to make me see exactly how far I could fall.
21
LIAM
“My turn,” I announce, the words cutting through the tension.
Dominic’s eyes meet mine, a silent question there. I don’t flinch. Unlike him, I’m not torn about what we’ve done. The plan worked perfectly—Mayor Pike’s face when he saw his precious daughter displayed like that was worth every second of planning.
Dominic finally nods, loosening his grip on Cora. Her tear-streaked face turns toward me, and I feel a surge of dark satisfaction. This broken, vulnerable creature is exactly what I wanted—what we all wanted. The mayor’s perfect daughter, shattered.
“Come here,” I command, pulling her from Dominic’s lap onto mine. I position her over my cock, still hard despite—or perhaps because of—her distress.
She whimpers as I lower her down, her body still slick and ready despite her emotional state. I begin moving her hips in a slow rhythm while my fingers find her clit.
“You might be upset now, sweetheart,” I whisper against her ear, not bothering to soften my tone like the others. “Beingfucked in front of your father and stepmother wasn’t part of your little rebellion plan, was it?”
Her body trembles against mine, but I don’t stop. Unlike Dominic with his conflicted conscience or Ryder with his care for her, I understand exactly what this always was.
“But you’ll thank us in the end,” I continue, increasing the pressure on her clit. “We’ve freed you from him. He can never control you again, not after seeing you like this.”
I thrust deeper, enjoying how she tightens around me despite herself.
“You belong to us now, Cora. And Mayor Pike knows it.” I emphasize each word with a thrust. “His power over you is gone. Isn’t that what you wanted all along? Freedom from him?
“Look at me,” I demand, gripping her chin when she tries to look away.
Her eyes flash with anger through the tears. Good. I prefer her fighting.
I thrust up harder, making her gasp. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? Someone who sees the real you?”
My hands grip her hips, fingers digging into the soft flesh hard enough to leave marks. I lift her up almost completely before slamming her back down. She cries out, the sound somewhere between pain and pleasure.
“I’m going to keep you,” I growl. “Not just for the Hunt. For much longer.”
Despite everything—her tears, her anger—her body responds. Her inner walls clench around me, her breathing quickens. When my hand finds her throat, applying enough pressure to make her eyes widen, she moans.
“Your father couldn’t control you,” I whisper. “But I can. And you love it.”
I glance at Dominic and Ryder, their eyes dark with desire as they watch us. Dominic’s jaw clenches, his hands tightening into fists. Ryder licks his lips, leaning forward.
“Tell me you’re ours,” I command, emphasizing each word with a thrust. “Say it.”
Cora’s lips part, but only a choked sob escapes. I tighten my grip, feeling her pulse flutter beneath my fingertips.
“Say. It.”
I’m demanding her submission even now. The look in Cora’s eyes—rage mingling with devastation—shouldn’t arouse me, but it does. Every delicious tremor of her body as she fights against her own response fuels my need to possess her completely.
Her lips part, but instead of submission, she spits in my face.
