“And why would Ieverthink that you could do that? You forget, I wasthereat The Pitt. I saw you all go in, and I saw you come back out sans one. I heard the radio calls where you all went rogue, where you decided that saving civilians wasn’t important enough. Fuck civilians though, right? Plenty of espers will choose their own skin over that. The fact that you left one of your own squad behind, though?” He shook his head. “You’re here because you don’t want me interfering, right? You want me to shut up and let Yun dig herself deeper, let her fall into your trap. The problem is that I’ve seen what you do to those you’re supposed to protect, and I’ve got to say, I’m not that impressed. Yun is my dearest friend, and I won’t see her get slaughtered just because you value your own skin more than anything else.”
“That wouldn’t happen.”
“Wouldn’t it? You think I don’t have enough ears out there to know about the hotel?Shefaced a corrupted to save your ass, and where were you?”
Nearly dead.The answer meant I hadn’t actually hung her out to dry, but the point remained the same. I hadn’t been able to protect her, and instead, Yun had stepped up and risked herself to save us. She’d put herself in danger, faced one of her biggest fears, and for what?
It hit me for the first time just how deeply invested Yun truly was. I’d known it, of course, but the truth made me uneasy.
“Exactly. Yun’s a good person, way too damn good for any of you. She’ll keep putting herself in danger to protect those she cares about, and for some god-awful reason, that now includes you all. You can see why I’m not thrilled about it.”
I drew my hands into fists, hating how little I could say back to any of this. I’d thought I’d walk up, threaten him a little, make him see reason, and leave. Instead? I might just have moved to Team Kaidan all of a sudden.
He kept going, as though he knew I had nothing to say back. “But Yun does what she wants—always has. I know there isn’t a damn thing I could do or say to change her mind—trust me, if there was, the girl would be states away from you all right now. So I’m not going to interfere, I’m not going to try to keep her away from you—there’s no point. However, I’m also not going to help you. I’m going to stay right here, watching, waiting to pick up the pieces when you all break her heart.”
“That won’t happen,” I said.
“Sure. Just know that I might be a guide, but if you hurt her, if anything happens to her, I don’t care how powerful you are. I’ll make you pay.” He stared at me with eyes so steady that I believed him.
After a moment, he rested back again, not saying another word, dismissing me with that motion. He was making a point that he didn’t give a damn what I had to say, that he found me irrelevant to him.
It had me walking away on my own, doubts swirling through my head.
What if everything he said was right?
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Yun
Pulling corruption from the men had become easier. Was this how it felt for most guides?
Before, it had always been stressful, a hated task that had to be done, like going to the gynecologist.
As Kenyon pressed his fingers into me, I wondered if this wasn’t still similar…
“You shouldn’t laugh like that when you’re with me,” Kenyon scolded, offering a kiss to my throat, his tone playful.
It reminded me of how different the men were from each other. Shear was silent and even with guiding, he never usually making things too sexual. He joined in as a group, but when I guided him alone, he kept a distance. Ingram liked to tease, to play, up for damn near anything. I doubted there was a kink he hadn’t explored at one point or another, or anything he wouldn’t try. Carter was controlling, rough, but never cruel.
Kenyon was sweet, as though sex were more than just physical. He seemed to enjoy the connection, the time together, wanting to make jokes. He felt like the entire act was something between two people instead of just two bodies.
He also didn’t mind at all when we just got each other off without penetration. I’d admit that when we finished like that, it felt as though something were missing. However, with how often I guided them, if I fucked them each time, I wasn’t sure I’d getanythingelse done.
My own orgasm crept closer, with his skillful fingers sinking into me, his thumb stroking my clit. I had my own hand wrapped around his cock, though he thrust his hips forward so I didn’t have to move. All the while, the corruption from him poured into me, as eagerly as it ever did. I’d kept them all at levels so low that it was astounding, as near zero as an esper could go without any side effects.
It meant that when they went to dungeons—and there had been so many breakthrough portals each day as we approached The Pitt opening—they were in excellent shape.
It also meant I got to see them in a different way. Yes, they were absurd, and they didn’t seem to give a fuck what anyone else thought, but they were also powerful and dangerous. I saw them as the high-rank espers they were instead of the jokes they were seen as.
Kenyon moved his lips from my throat to my own, kissing me in a way I recognized. His hips came forward, hard, fast, his rhythm erratic and messy. I got it—I drowned in that same lust.
We came at the same time, with his hot cum spilling on my hands and my cunt squeezing around his fingers.
That moment of bliss that happened right after was damn near my favorite part, a split second where I didn’t worry, where there was no past, no future, nothing but the wonderful haze that covered my mind.
It always drifted away too fast, though at least I came back to myself with my head resting against Kenyon’s bare chest, the thudding of his heart enough to calm me as well. He dragged his fingers through my hair, the touch sweet, gentle.
“Let’s just stay like this.”
