"Release me, River. We’re not in the bedroom, and you don't have my permission to put your fucking hands on me," Damonutters calmly, as if a naked girl didn't just fall unconscious after he fucked her face before us.
"Permission?"River growls, "You wanna talk about permission right now, Damon? Who the fuck gave you the authority to do that to her, huh?"Shove."Who said you could take from her, when she belongs to all three of us?"Shove."Did Livy give you permission to abuse her like that?"Shove.
I've had enough of them and all this shit for one night. I'm fucking tired, dirty, cold, and genuinely worried that we've done some damage to Olivia that she might not recover from. "ENOUGH, FUCKERS! We have to get her out of these woods, and warm!" I watch with a mixture of intrigue and dismay, as River immediately pulls off his shirt and steps toward me, his golden, tattooed skin glowing in the dawn light. I grit my teeth as I watch him slip it over her cold limbs, and, at the feel of his touch, she burrows deeper into me, as if seeking more warmth and comfort. "Get us back to the car on the shortest route. We have to get her out of here, now."
"I can take her." River reaches forward to take her from my grasp, and I bare my teeth at him, like a vicious wolf protecting its mate. The feeling inside me of needing to keep her close is so foreign that it stops my breath in my chest. "Or not," River sighs and steps safely away from me, his expression filled with dismay.
"Good luck taking her away from him now. Cross won't fucking admit it, at least not out loud 'cause he's a stubborn fucking ass, but he's just as addicted to her as we are." Damon winks in my direction, as he heads toward the treeline that River and I came through. "I didn't fucking hurt her, at least not as much as I wanted to. There's something about her... something that calms the beast inside of me." He meets my gaze over his shoulder. "I won't allow you to take her from me, Cross. Keep that in mind with whatever you're already planning in thatfucked-up, control-freak head of yours. If you try, you and I are going to have a problem,brother."
Damon disappears through the thick trees, and River follows him, after a look back in my direction. He doesn't utter a word, but his expression says it all: he agrees with Damon, and he'll fight me over the woman in my arms. I stare down at Olivia Springhill, who has managed to do something no one, not even our dads, has done before. She singlehandedly, after just a few days in Soule, managed to drive a wedge between the three of us, and made us question our loyalty to each other. That makes her the most dangerous person in Soule right now, and I have to decide what to do with her.
CHAPTER 36
OLLY
Adeep, cold fog has me shivering, my limbs locking as I desperately seek the warmth my body craves. I know I'm not awake, after all, the nightmare starts the same way it always does, and we've become old friends, it and I, companions trapped in misery and despair for years.
Fuck, where am I? Who's chasing me?I'm running through the woods, with sharp branches clawing at my arms and legs, my throat closing tightly with the demand for air, and I can't tell if the forest is real, or just another shadow wearing a face I've tried so hard to forget. The trees bend inward like spindly ribs of some monstrous cage, as the darkness behind me pulses with footsteps that don't belong to any human rhythm. I hear them, not quite voices, not quite echoes, more than one coming after me. My heart pounds with dread, each step echoing my growing panic, as I feel the suffocating weight of fear pressing down on me like quicksand.
Damon, River, and Cross,my mind supplies, but their tones meld together until I can't tell one from the other. The sounds are taunting, coaxing, as if they're hunting prey. A shadowy silhouette bursts between the trees, its form grotesque anddistorted. It's somehow too tall, and wrong in size and shape to be humanoid, and then it splits into three, then six, then nine, their shapes peeling away like shadows dripping off of a juicy bone, the air thick with a sickening, oily scent that makes my stomach churn. "What the fuck is happening here?" I hear my breathy words, but my lips never move, as my pulse slams inside my skull, pounding in my ears like a war drum.
I can't breathe.
I can't run.
I need to wake up.
WAKE UP!
A hot breath grazes the back of my neck, causing my skin to instantly pebble with goose bumps."Found you,"someone murmurs, the voice distorted as if underwater. I scream and spin around, my feet feeling like two blocks of thick, heavy cement, but the macabre shadows lunge first, collapsing over me like a tidal wave. "NO! Let me go!" I scream, but it's no use; I'm trapped.Heat, pressure, and weightassault all my senses. No forest leaves, or sounds are now present, no windy chill fills the air, nor do any claws rip me apart as I surge from the gloomy murkiness. Something is tightly woven around me, restricting my movements, and sending panic rising within me.
Arms. Strong ones.They're wrapped around me so firmly my ribs ache with their steady hold, and it's challenging to get a deep breath in. My chest tightens painfully, and my heart races wildly, threatening to burst from my body. I attempt to crack an eyelid open, but my long eyelashes are crusty, and stick together, causing me pain. Through the tiny, blurry slit, I realize my legs are tangled in sheets, and against bare, hairy legs, and that heavy blankets weigh me down. My cheek is pressed into a soft pillow, and the back of my head is against a warm chest that rises and falls with slow, steady breaths. I allow myself a quick, discreet sniff of whoever is in this bed with me, trying desperately todetermine if I know them. The enticing scent of smoke and sandalwood greets me, almost causing a moan to flee my lips, and stirring a confusing mix of comfort and dread.
Thoughts jumble through my mind at a rapid speed, as I try to organize my thoughts. I'm not running anymore, nor in the woods, but I'm not safe either.Fuck, whose body is pressed against mine right now?Grogginess and exhaustion tear at my mind, urging it to go back into unconsciousness, but I refuse its tantalizing lure. Suddenly, my awareness slams against the world like it's made of glass, shattering any pretense of attempting to continue sleeping in this warm cocoon. The nightmare hasn't finished releasing me. It's still trying to cling to me with sharp talons, sticking to my skin like thick sap. I try to lift my head, but everything spins, causing nausea and sour bile to rise up the back of my throat. "Ugh." I try to clear my sore throat, and run my tongue across my dehydrated lips, only to realize they are not only dry but split and sore, and I can taste the hint of copper on them. My teeth feel grimy as I slide my tongue over them, as if I didn't brush them before bed, but that's not something I'd ever willingly neglect to do. Panic rips through me at the realization that I might be naked, and I slide my trembling hand down my chest until I feel loose, soft fabric, and I release a relieved breath.
Something urgent is pushing at my mind, trying to force its way through, and it's almost breaking apart the thick fog that is plaguing me. I endeavor to put distance between me and the body that smells heavenly, but an instant later, a low sound vibrates near my ear. A husky combination of a groan and a warning, as if whoever this is is now displeased with my attempted movements. The body behind me shifts, tightening its hold as if it thinks I might disappear, and heat flushes down my spine. My skin feels too hot and sensitive, like I've been lying under the sun, and it's burnt my flesh. For onedisoriented heartbeat, the embrace feels protective, familiar even. A place I could melt into, somewhere I'm safe, and Sim's image immediately rises in my mind. I almost utter his name in question, but then the wrongness hits, a creeping sensation of terror begins deep in my chest, and rises to my throat, closing my airway. My skin crawls with revulsion, and I know with a certainty I can't explain that this is not Sim in this bed with me.
What happened to me?Flashes of myself running through the woods naked appear in my mind, causing my heart to pound rapidly in my chest.Where am I? Who the fuck is touching me? Why can I still hear their voices whispering through the cracks of my skull, even though I’m no longer sleeping?My throat locks, my body tenses, and my ingrained training settles in, as I run through possible ways to extract myself from this terrifying situation. I try to pull away, but the arm across my waist pins me in place, heavy, possessive, anchoring me to a bed I don't remember climbing into. My heart claws its way up my throat, beating so hard it hurts, and my bladder clenches, reminding me urgently that I need to pee.
An image of three bright LED masks chasing me through the darkness, and running for my life, hits me like a ton of jagged bricks, slicing me open. All at once, I smellthem,the forest, and the acrid stench of my fear, mixed with the faint trace of something intoxicating and dangerous, but it's not in a dream. It's in the present, in the here and now, and I'm trapped once again. It drags me back into myself all at once, and my blood goes icy cold. The nightmare didn't end; it just changed shape and location.Fuck, fuck, fuck.
The large chest at my back expands with a slow inhale, and the person holding me shifts again, nuzzling closer, as if I'm something they have the right to claim in their sleep.Get out of here now!I force both my eyes open, swallowing the pained cry that would alert whoever this is that I'm now fully awake, andI finally understand why every instinct in my body is screaming with alarm. The room is dark, shrouded in shadows, but parts of it are familiar. I'm pretty sure this is my bed, and I'm in my room in the massive mansion I now live in with my mom, new stepfather, and asshole stepbrother.
Oh my fucking God, please don't let it be him, don't let it be Cross.I don't know why that thought alone sets off louder alarm bells, but it does. A flash of cruel hazel eyes drenched in madness enters my mind, and I get a quick recap of Damon fucking my mouth savagely, near a cliff I almost fell to my death from. The phantom salty, sour taste of his cum filling my mouth, and coating my throat, threatens my gag reflex, and I have to swallow the bile that rushes up to greet it.
Damon.Fuck, that might actually be worse than Cross being in this bed with me. My breath stutters, and I push against the tight limbs now circling me like a boa constrictor, refusing to free me. I don't know where to run. I don't even know if I can, with all the aches and pains now awakening in my body. I only know the nightmare has followed me into the waking world, and it's wrapped around my body, as if it doesn't intend to let go.
"Sleep, Hellstorm, it's too early to be awake," the words are thickly mumbled, and drenched with sleep.Hellstorm?Fuck, which one of them calls me that? I don't heed the command. Instead, I dig my nails into the forearm that's constraining me, and use the sole of my foot to kick at his shin. "FUCK, LIVY! That fucking hurts!" The growl is instantly followed by my body being shoved hard onto my back, and under a much larger one that crushes me into the soft, plush mattress. I yelp, but it only brings an amused chuckle from the massive male above me. My eyes meet bright green globes filled with sleepiness, and from there they expand to take in a golden complexion, light blond hair, and defined classical features that resemble an Italian High Renaissance painting by Raphael, of an ethereal angel. River'sso beautiful to look at that it momentarily stuns me, and I cease trying to get away. "Morning, beautiful. How are you feeling?"
His calm words of concern wash over me, as his fingers trace down my cheek and tilt my jaw upwards, before rubbing that spot back and forth soothingly. Every inch of his large, muscled body is pressed against mine, and I can, for fucking sure, feel his morning wood digging into my stomach. That's all I need to yank me from the spell he's casting around me. "Get the fuck off of me!" I grit through my teeth, and instead of complying, the asshole's lips twitch, before breaking into an earthshattering, panty-dropping smile.
He pushes more of his weight down on me, ensuring I can't slide out from under him, as my skin prickles and my heartbeat pounds against my ribs. He leans forward and rubs his elegant, straight nose against my cheek, with a tenderness that has my heart seizing in my chest. "Naw, I don't think I will. I'm perfectly comfortable right here, Livy."
To emphasize his point, he grinds his torso and hips into mine. My blood surges cold and then hot, a dizzying mix of fear and something else I hate myself for recognizing. My body is too aware of his, the warmth and strength behind his defined, tattooed frame. The steady way he breathes, like he's not afraid of my reaction, or disturbed by my attempt to flee from the bed. I'm attracted to him, and what's worse is that he knows it. I tense, forcing my voice out, even though it feels scraped raw. "Let go of me."
He exhales loudly, the sound filling the silence between us, not annoyed or angry, almost as if he's… disappointed. "No," he says quietly, like it's obvious, and it's not even up for discussion. "You're shaking."
I realize that he's right, and my body is trembling underneath him, with a combination of fear, adrenaline, and something else I refuse with shame to name out loud, even to myself. "I'm fine,"I lie, attempting to hide the wispiness in my voice. "How did I get here, and why the fuck are you in my bed with me?"
