“Kiss me,” he whispered, his voice raw, vulnerable. “Please.”
Axel moved closer, his lips a temptation. “I’m not going to ask you for more, because I know that right now you can’t give it.” He closed the distance, his moan breaking through Sam’s lips as his tongue swept in. There was no rush, no urgency as they just tasted one another, Sam’s left hand wrapping inside Axel’s t-shirt before the right scratched along his jaw, the long stubble deliciously rough. Only their lips touched, but sensation stretched tight across his skin, making him lightheaded as he savoured every shared breath, every caress and moan.
This wasn’t about sex, it was about intimacy and support, which was something Sam had never really experienced before. Creating a connection emotionally, rather than physically wasn’t something he’d ever wanted, yet he found himself rising from the bath, water dripping down his chest to pull Axel closer, using his touch to fight against the memories that threatened to unravel him.
Chapter19
Axel
Sam had been passed out for hours, his breathing steady and even. Axel had made him shift twice more after his bath, the results knocking him out to the point he’d almost had to carry him to bed.
He wasn’t supposed to stay the night, watching him sleep like some creep, but he couldn’t seem to bring himself to leave. It was strange to lie beside someone else, their warmth more comforting than the blanket that pooled low on his hips.
But he was too hot, his skin stretched painfully. Tugging at his t-shirt didn’t help, nor the sweat that dripped down his forehead as his fingers itched, searching for the pills he kept in his pocket.
Carefully removing the blanket, Axel slipped out of the bed, and Sam let out a low complaint in his sleep.
Mine,his beast grumbled, the word clear and precise.
Axel pursed his lips, a heavy ache rattling behind his ribs, and despite rubbing the heel of his palm over it he couldn’t seem to erase the strange sensation. It had been too long since he had poisoned himself, his body craving its next fix. That must have been it.
Forcing his attention away from Sam, he slowly descended the stairs, making sure each step was silent as he padded across the wooden floor to the bathroom. Pressing himself against the closed door, he just breathed, the faint scent of lavender lingering from before.
Dragging a hand through his hair, he carefully reached for the clear bag from his back pocket, arm shaking as he counted the three pills. One had been slightly crushed, more of a powder but the other two were fine, smiling faces carved onto the small circular surfaces.
Axel opened the bag, the pills odourless as he tipped everything into his palm.
His pulse throbbed, his was mouth dry as he scrambled to the toilet, tipping the drugs into the water and flushing. Stomach cramping, Axel pressed his forehead to the cool surface, fighting against the nausea and sudden dizziness.
Pathetic,he thought.Weak.
Taking a single, controlled breath, he pulled out his phone, texting the one person Sam trusted.
Climbing to his feet, Axel turned to the sink, splashing cold water against his face. Shoulders hunched he caught his reflection, not recognising the man in the mirror. His eyes were hollow, the skin beneath dark as if bruised.
A beep, his phone brightening to reveal a response. It gave him a new focus, one that didn’t involve self-loathing as he finally opened the bathroom to go stand in the living room.
The sky was a pale pink on the horizon, the large windows allowing for a beautiful view as Axel waited, biting his nails, concentrating on each of Sam’s breaths as he slept above. It wasn’t long until he saw Alice’s shadow, and before she could knock he opened the door quietly.
“He’s asleep,” he whispered before she could say anything. “He needs to rest.”
Alice wore dark jeans and a tight black t-shirt, her Spook Squad badge pinned to her belt. “What happened?” she asked, matching his volume. Her eyes searched his, her power an uncomfortable prickle against his chi. He had known Alice for a while, fought beside her and he was always surprised with the amount of suppressed power she carried. “Axel?”
He hesitated, wondering how much he should tell her. He decided on everything he knew, hoping Sam would fill her in more when he awoke.
Her power increased along with her anger, her fingernails leaving distinctive dents in her arm by the time he had finished. But behind that anger he saw a flash of guilt, and his beast sought blood.
“You knew he’d been threatened?” Axel asked, beast deepening his tone. “What the fuck, Alice? Why didn’t you say anything?”
* * *
SAM
Voices drifted, rousing Sam from his sleep.
“You knew he’d been threatened?” Axel growled, low and threatening. “What the fuck, Alice? Why didn’t you say anything?”
“Don’t you dare –”
