“I....” I frowned at him and stepped forward, caressed my hand across his chest, near his left shoulder, and petted him. The chest hair tickled my fingers, and his skin was hot. I glanced up at him. “I obeyed you. I killed Wengrow.”
He laughed, unamused. “You didn’t listen to me. I didn’t say anything about killing Wengrow. Not yet. Your first task was Donny.”
Something—disappointment?—swirled in my gut. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this way. Maybe never. Not even with my parents. “I thought—”
“Don’t think.” He cradled my cheek in his rough palm, and a moan slipped from my mouth as I leaned into his touch. “I speak, you obey my exact orders. Right?”
I nodded and groaned. “Yes.”
He leaned in closer and his breath tickled my lips.
I tilted my chin up, hoping he would kiss me, but he moved away again. I couldn’t help but let out a sad whimper. “Tell me what to do to make it better. I’ll do it right this time, I promise.”
He grinned. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow. Come with me.” He slid his hand into mine and slowly led me up the stairs near the front door and down a small hallway. We went into his bedroom, and I couldn’t help the gasp that escaped my mouth. As I headed to his bed, he pulled me to a stop, and I froze.
Jules pointed at the floor. “Sleep there for tonight. You only get to be in my bed when Donny is out of the picture.”
I pouted, and his grin widened.
“You only get rewards when you do what I say, Ari.”
I sighed, angry at myself. I was better than this, and I would prove it to him. Nodding, I let go of his hand and went to the floor beside his bed. He grabbed blankets and a pillow from his closet, and I smiled when he passed them to me.
“I’m not entirely cruel,” he said.
I didn’t think he was. Jules was anything but cruel. He was like me, only more experienced at hiding from the world. I could learn things from him.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He made a noise. “Call me Master. Thank you,Master.”
My heart galloped and a molten heat slid through me, landing straight in my balls. My cock swelled, and with only my underwear and the thin sheet the homeless lady had given me, I didn’t have anything to hide my reaction from him. I didn’t want to. Not many people drew these kinds of feelings from me, and I wanted him to see what he did.
I smirked and spread the sheet wide to show off the hardness in my underwear. “Yes, Master.”
His eyes sparkled. I couldn’t wait to see how happy he would be after Donny was dead at his feet.
7
JULES
I hadno idea how long I’d been awake, but I’d been staring at Ari since the room was drenched in shadows. I’d witnessed his transformation from wraith to a beautiful man and couldn’t get over how the phantasm was probably closer to reality—the exquisite face he wore was the mask.
Overnight I’d grown fonder of him.
Master.
The word from his lips had sent a satisfying tremble through my body. The real feeling I’d heard in his voice was a pure offering from a man who was used to doing only what he wanted. No one had ever given so much power to me. It was one thing if a normal man was afraid of me or my badge, but another entirely if someone who had stepped outside the bounds of society agreed to accept my orders and rules. I reached down but didn’t brush my fingers across his cheek.
What am I doing? If I’m his Master, I have the right to touch him.Still, I hesitated. He wasn’t a puppy. No, Ari was dangerous, and even if he called me Master, I would have to treat him with a certain amount of respect, or he’d slit my throat some dark night. I grinned. That would be interesting.
I caressed my thumb around a rusty splotch on his cheek shaped like an arrow. Was the mark blood? The fact that someone else’s life force had formed the shape of a weapon on Ari’s skin seemed significant. Maybe the universe was trying to send me a message:SOS. Run for your life. I wasn’t about to listen.
Ari was a killer, and even the molecules that formed someone’s essence knew this was the case and conformed to it. I circled my thumb around that spot.
“Oh, my pretty killer, what did you do to Wengrow? Hmm?”
Ari didn’t budge, and his deep sleep kept his secrets. I stayed staring until the gray sky visible through my bedroom windows resembled the blue hydrangea bushes along the side of the house. I would be late for my shift today if I waited much longer to get ready. He mesmerized me, and as the sunshine streamed in the room, I stared at the tattoo of a tiger on his upper arm, which I hadn’t given much thought to last night. He had muscle, though not too much, and the bright ink stood out on his pale skin. The design was expensive, another clue to Ari and where he came from. No one who was poor and living on the streets should’ve been able to afford work like his. I snagged my phone from the nightstand and snapped a photo of his arm, being careful to keep his face out of the picture.
