Arson snorts. “Like you were going to cut me in anyway.”
Vic’s lips twitch. “Consider it payback for eating me out of house and home all these years. But I see congratulations are in order.” He gestures to Arson’s wrist with a warm smile before turning to me and dipping his head in respect. “From the way the jackass spoke, something tells me you’re due some karmic justice. So I’ll hand his fate over to you as a mating gift.”
Vic pulls out a new knife and rolls it between his fingers absentmindedly.Now that habit makes sense; it’s where Arson picked it up.“So, Ever. What would you like to do with this slimy bastard?”
I freeze, not used to being put on the spot.
Seeing my struggle, Arson looks way too happy as he suggests, “Could cut off his fingers and toes, then work your way up to lopping off limbs. I’m sure he’ll pass out before long, but I keep smelling salts on me for occasions like this!”
Bellamy’s lips twist in disgust as he stares down at Adam squirming. “He’s a cheating piece of shit. I vote we start with his dick and turn it into a pacifier since he’s being such a fucking baby.”
Ledger cracks his knuckles. “Let’s just snap his neck and be done with it.”
Not a single person suggests letting him go. And honestly… I’m too petty to keep being the bigger person. Itriedto move on without making a scene. I didn’t embarrass him in front of his coworkers before I left. Hell, I didn’t even try to get him fired. I just wanted to part ways and move on.He’sthe one that turned this into a huge, dramatic thing because he couldn’t get past his own ego and wanted to fuck me over out of spite.
“You couldn’t just move on, could you?” I scoff. “You had to try and steal my work, like cheating on me wasn’t bad enough. So you know what? Fuck you. You’re a small minded, pathetic little man, and as far as I’m concerned, you don’t deserve a quick death and to get off scot-free. I want you to suffer.”
Arson sucks in a sharp breath. “I have the perfect idea, hold on.” He vanishes, reappearing at Vic's side and animatedly speaks in a furious whisper.
Vic raises a silvery-blue eyebrow. “Seriously? The wolf’s right, just kill him instead of playing with your food.”
“Pleeeeeeease?”Arson begs. “Think of how fun it would be.”
With a fond smile and a shake of his head, he relents with an overly exaggerated sigh. “Alright, come on.”
Clasping a hand on Arson’s shoulder, the two of them disappear in a haze of silver mist, reappearing less than five minutes later.
Vial in hand, Arson returns to my side. “Trust me?”
To my genuine surprise, I don’t even have to give it a second thought.
“With my life.”
The heated look he gives me shows he understands just how huge that revelation is. Before them… there literally wasn’t anyone I’d count on to spit on me if I were on fire. So the fact that I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I trust my mate enough to pass Adam’s fate over to whatever is in that vial without needing the details throws me for a loop, but in a good, albeit terrifying, way.
They snaked their way past my defenses so completely, that every single one of them has the power to utterly destroy me if they wanted. But… I’m not actually afraid they will anymore.
Then again, what’s the worst that could happen? Adam dies a slow, horrifically painful death?
Oh noooooooo, that’d be terrible.Such a shame, really.
Arson shoots a sidelong glance at Ledger when he uncorks the vial. “A little help, pops?”
With an irritated huff, Ledger clamps his fingers around Adam’s jaw, holding his mouth open as Arson force feeds Adam the contents of the vial. Electric blue and shimmery in the light, it’s hypnotically entrancing, and reminds me a little too much of nature.
The brightest, prettiest things are typically the ones you want to avoid like the plague.
Adam sputters and tries to spit it out, but Arson claps a hand over his mouth and pinches his nose shut, waiting until his throat bobs with his swallow. Finally, they release his face, and Adam sucks down several ragged, deep breaths. A full-bodyshudder rolls over him before he starts freaking out in earnest, thrashing in his bonds.
And I watch in horrified fascination as he starts toshrink.
It’s a painfully slow process, but I can’t look away. Several minutes tick by before he’s small enough that he slips out of his shirt and into the gaping waistband of his jeans. By the time he tumbles out of one pant leg, he’s the size of a hamster.
And butt naked.
Scrunching up my nose, the guys clearly share my distaste atthatunfortunate side effect. Once reality sets in and the shock wears off, Adam tries to bolt, but doesn’t make it far. Bellamy snatches him up as Myles fumbles with his shoe and sacrifices a sock to the greater good, dropping him into the makeshift sack.
With an amused twinkle in his eye, Bell says, “You can stay that way until you grow the fuck up,” and closes the top of the fabric in his fist.
