Opposite me, Leo brushed the curls away from Kiera’s neck before massaging the swell of her shoulder with her thumb. “You’ve gotta be sore, baby. Let me see those wrists?”
Her delicate skin, usually so slow to bruise, was already blooming deep purple at the worst pressure points. We wouldn’t be able to see the extent of the damage for a few days probably, but there was no mistaking that those bruises ran deep.
“Jesus, Bunny,” I winced, trying to calm the ache that gripped my heart. A flash of guilt heated the back of my neck as I worried that perhaps we’d gone too far.
But remembering how pretty she looked in our chains, how eagerly she took it, that pit of hunger was roaring through me all over again.
I’d always thought the way Leo took girls was too rough for me — she liked to push her partners to the brink of breaking, toeing that line right up to the millimeter. But just like every other thing in my life, it seemed like Kiera might be changing that, too.
“Any big clicks while you were strung up?” Leo asked, brow furrowed in full medical mode.
“No more than usual,” Kiera murmured, rolling her shoulder back with a pop that made my stomach clench. But the sound didn’t bother her a bit as she brought her wrist to rest in front of her, her eyes almost sparkling as she took in the damage. “Is it weird that I like the bruises?”
“Definitely weird.” I smirked, admiring her face until Leo punched me in the shoulder. “What? I didn’t say that was a bad thing.”
Unbothered by the two of us, Kiera closed her eyes, letting the most adorable little smile pull at her lips. “I’ve alwaysthought they looked so cool. Kinda sucks they’re temporary, honestly.”
“We can always refresh them if you ask,” Leo grumbled, hardly able to hold back the lust from her voice as her arms tightened around Kiera.
Those are just a placeholder. Once Dom finishes up the real thing…
But I held back the thought for now. No point in ruining the surprise for her — not when it was just around the corner. If I knew one thing about Dom, it was that she wouldn’t rest until it was done.
Besides, Kiera was already halfway to dreamland by the time Leo made her offer. Her face smooshed against the pillow, a small puddle of drool already forming as Leo began to snore behind her. But while she drifted off, I couldn’t have been further from sleep.
Everything about her — the way the moonlight danced on her skin, the heap of curls splayed over her silk pillow, and the little wrinkle forming where her brows always furrowed — all of it utterly captivated me. I could have stayed up all night watching her sleep.
I’m… falling for her. Really falling.
That realization tingled down my spine like ice. And for the first time since we’d taken in our little captive, I was genuinely afraid of what the future held for us.
I’d had my heart played with by plenty of straight girls looking to experiment. But really, truly falling in love? I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt that before now. And Kiera of all people made a dangerous testing ground for those feelings.
I tried to push the thought away, tried to close my eyes and drift off to sleep. But even as warmth bloomed in my chest at her touch, one thought kept playing on a chilling loop.
Kiera may not be straight. But that doesn’t make her any less of a flight risk.
21
KIERA
Two days later,the ache was just starting to release from my muscles. Leo and Spencer had been angels throughout the recovery, offering massages and keeping me on a steady schedule of ice and ibuprofen.
I still couldn’t work up the resolve to make my big bed, but that had as much to do with my own laziness at this point as it did with any extra pain I was in. And I couldn’t begin to imagine how much worse it would have hurt without their help.
But the bruising didn’t really come into full bloom until long after Initiation. According to Dr. Callahan, the delay was a symptom of my connective tissue disorder. But unlike the knee pain I’d learned was, apparently, not normal walking up the stairs, this was a side effect I didn’t mind.
Leaning back on the couch in the den, I held my wrists up, looking at the watercolors that painted my skin. In some sections it was as black as ink, while others were lighter, smokier hues of blue and purple. Another day or two, and I was sure green would start to peek through around the edges.
Other than the bruises on my wrists, Dom had done a freakishly good job of keeping the bruises to areas that wereeasy to hide under my clothes. Probably wouldn’t do to have me walking around like a Rorschach blot on our next mission.
Lucky thing, too. The Oracle had reached out to Leo this morning, and we’d be suiting up in just a few hours now for another stakeout.
My wrists were easy enough to cover up with a jacket or some jewelry without looking too out of place. But while we were home, I liked to keep them out in the open where I could map their changes.
Am I really that bored? This is only a step away from watching paint dry.
At least it gave me something to keep my mind off of the South Wing. I still hadn’t found a way in there — not one that came free of the risk of being discovered by Dom. Even in the moments I thought I might be alone, it seemed that one of my saviors was always hovering around the next corner, waiting to come grab me.
