Caleb moves, silent and predatory, and the bastard doesn’t even stir until it’s too late. One huge hand clamps over Sterling’s mouth.
“Wake up, sweetheart,” Caleb murmurs, voice low and mocking.
Sterling’s eyes snap open, pure panic flooding in before he can catch up. He thrashes under Caleb’s grip, but it’s laughable. Caleb drags him off the bed in one brutal motion, his face grinding into the carpet. The sounds of his screams are muffled.
I crouch in front of him, sliding the gag between his teeth. “You know,” I say lightly, “you were very popular on our site. Lot of traffic on your profile. Turns out when you rape enough women, people really want to have you killed.”
My voice drops into a chuckle as I grab the back of his head and slam it into the floor, crushing bone. His nose bursts, blood soaking fast into the fibers beneath him. The muffled scream through the gag is almost satisfying enough on its own.
“I thought he was for Tamsin,” Caleb says, hauling Sterling upright by the collar as if he weighs nothing.
“He is,” I reply, pulling the syringe from my pocket and tapping it gently. “But bringing him alive is closeenough.”
Sterling starts shaking his head violently, sweat sliding down his temple. Caleb’s laugh is dark, curling at the edges while he shoves him back to his knees.
“You see this, Eiden? He’s sweating already.” Caleb tilts his head, leaning close enough that his mask grazes Sterling’s cheek. “You scared, Sterling? You should be. You’ve got no idea how much she hates you, and trust me—she’s not going to be gentle.”
I grab his jaw, forcing him to meet my gaze. “If she didn’t want you for herself, I’d test her little ritual on you tonight.”
The knife catches the low light as I trace the tip just under his chin, slow enough for him to feel every inch. “You know what it feels like when a blade goes up through the mouth? It’s not quick. It’s warm, and it drowns you slowly.”
He tries to jerk back, but Caleb’s grip only tightens.
“Careful,” Caleb says, mock cheer dripping from his tone. “He might piss himself, and then I’ll have to kill him for smelling bad before we even get him to her.”
I smirk behind the mask, syringe steady in my hand. “Don’t worry. You’ll make it to her alive.” I lean in close, letting him see nothing but the black cloth and my eyes. “But you’re going to wish you didn’t.”
One deep breath and I knock.
Quick footsteps on the other side, light, fast, and I know she was up to something. Of course she fucking was.
The door swings open just in time for a desk lamp to come flying at my head. I duck as glass and metal explode against the wood behind me.
“Fuck, Tamsin!” I surge forward, pinning her with a force that rattles the floorboards.
“Enough,” I growl, one hand twisted in her hair, the other around her waist. “You throw one more thing and I swear I’ll tie your wrists to the headboard until you learn manners.”
“Let me go, you dipshit!” she yells, kicking and twisting as if she’s trying to shatter every bone in my hands.
“Funny,” I mutter, dragging her in tight, “you weren’t fighting when I went down on you… twice.” I pin her against me so she can feel there is no escape.
“Well, I wasn’t being held hostage, was I?” She thrashes again, but my arms lock around her waist with iron force.
“I got him for you,” I murmur against her ear, and just like that, she freezes. Her chest rises and falls hard, and slowly she tilts her head back to look at the mask.
“Him? Who?”
“Sterling.”
I loosen my hold. Her brown eyes go wide and narrow into a slow, dangerous smile. “Why?”
“Because he was yours to take.” I shrug and gesture toward the hall. “Shall we?”
She steps ahead of me, combat boots and that black dress, hair pulled into a loose ponytail, makeup smudged in smoky rings around her eyes. She’s fucking perfect like this: raw, unpolished, dangerous.
As we walk, her gaze drifts over the walls, taking in every detail. “How can you afford all of this?” she asks, then stops dead, and I almost run into her.
She turns, stepping into my space. Her voice drops low, careful. “Who are you? Who is Eidolon?”
