Chapter 2
2
My phone buzzes in my pocket and I ignore it in favor of studying the two men while listening to the unsteady, nervous thumping in my chest. At least until my phone buzzes again, prompting me to drag it out of my pocket with a huff.
You okay??? Was it the wellness check? I can feel Sierra’s frantic worry even through text, and I snort as I consider telling her the truth.
Not that I plan to.
“So my friend sent the cops to do a wellness check on me,” I tell the two men awkwardly. I have no idea if there’s some unwritten script I should be following, or if I should be looking for a knife in the drawer beside me to protect myself.
After all, I really know nothing about these men. My gaze strays to the drawer, my hand inching towards it just in case.
“How sweet of her.” Harrow’s— Kieran’s —words drip with sarcasm. “Did you tell her you’re fine and dandy? Just a little sore?” He tilts his head to the side as he watches me, and Val snorts.
“Should I?” I roll my eyes, trying for a bit of bravado. “Or should I tell her to do hourly checks on me, just in case the two murderers I let into my apartment decide I’m next?”
“Nah, because you’ll miss those checks while we play,” Val tells me, stepping closer until he’s only a few feet away. I look down at the space between us, then back up at him, unable to stop myself from anxiously worrying my lower lip between my teeth. “Oh, don’t do that, princess,” he drawls. Valentin reaches out for me, thumb pressing against my lower lip and dragging it free. “If you make yourself bleed, then I’ll get too excited to have a conversation with you.”
My eyes drop to his bandaged hand, and he grins. “Same goes for if you make me bleed.”
“Text your friend back. Tell her whatever you want.” Kieran just sounds bored, and when I look at him, I see he’s also on his phone.
Well, that certainly makes me feel a little dismissed. But neither of them seem to really care what I tell her. Judging by the way Val is making jokes and Kieran just…really doesn’t give a damn. Surely, if there was a problem here, they would try to wrestle the phone from me or hold me at knifepoint to make me lie to her.
Besides, they had all the time in the world to kill me last night. But they knocked me out and brought me home instead.
That makes up my mind for me. I pick up my phone and send Sierra a slightly lengthy message, feeling self-conscious as I tap away at the screen to assure her I’m fine. My ‘new friends’ just want to hang out, and she doesn’t need to worry.
In return, she reminds me of her trip, and makes me promise to call her while she’s in Portland with her mom. Once that’s done, I set my phone down on the counter and gaze between the two men.
I don’t know how this is going to go.
I don’t know why they came back.
“Do you guys, umm, live around here?” I ask finally when they don’t take any initiative to speak. “Or do you guys…like, roam nomadically and murder?—?”
Val reaches up to wrap his fingers lightly around my throat, and a noise of approval goes through him when it immediately makes me shut up. “So nervous.” He chuckles. “You’re just babbling, trying to make conversation. Are you trying to prolong this, princess? Trying to figure out our motives ?” Before I can stop him, he drags me off the counter, and my hand makes an instinctive grab toward the drawer.
My finger hooks over the knob, and Val stops when I manage to pull it open a few inches to reveal the silverware inside. “Oh, yeah?” He snorts, then his hand goes out, and he pulls out one of the sharp steak knives to hold it up between us. “Still want to cut me, Noa?”
“It’s just kind of a knee-jerk reaction.” My blood rushes in my ears as he examines it, though I let out a sharp exhale of relief when Valentin only drops it back into the drawer and closes it.
“I’m not looking to get stabbed by a steak knife today. And seeing as I don’t trust that you actually sanitize your blades well enough for me not to catch something…I think we’ll keep you knife free for now.” Without another word, he yanks me forward, taking advantage when I stumble and pulls me into the living room that’s sparsely decorated with only a coffee table, sofa, bookshelf, and my TV. He doesn’t stop, doesn’t let me go, and he’s strong enough to sling me toward the sofa just as Finn bolts for my room in surprise.
My cat’s exit makes room for Kieran to pull me onto his lap with a huff and chuckle. “You’re a feral little thing even in the daylight,” he murmurs against my neck. “I already bandaged him up once, from your enthusiasm. I’d prefer not to do it today.” Though I wiggle against him, Kieran only presses a hand against my stomach to force me back against him.
“God, she’s just so fucking pretty.” Without warning, Val drops to his knees on the carpet, crawling forward until he’s seated between Kieran’s thighs. “Even prettier in the daylight, princess. Though…” He sits up, resting his elbows on Kieran’s thighs while he looks me over. “I think she’s prettiest when she’s covered in blood. This is cute. Very seasonal.” He reaches up to trail his fingers through my ombre hair.
“I would like to protest being covered in blood ever again.” The words come out quick and nervous, as I cringe away from the memories of what they did to the others at the haunt. “Why did you kill those people? You mentioned last year, right? Is this something you?—”
Kieran grabs my face with his free hand, jerking me around to face him. “It’s too early for questions,” he murmurs. “And we came here to play, not to tell you all our secrets. Unless you’re too sore, darling…” His other hand trails downward, pushing my thighs apart to stroke over the seam of my too-short shorts.
I can’t help the sound that leaves me. It’s something like a whimper and a gasp, though I’m jerked back to earth when Val’s fingers push the hems of my shorts upward and he sucks in an appreciative breath through his teeth.
“Look at you, princess.” The husky roughness of his voice makes my stomach twist, and I tense as he reveals more and more of the marks they left on me. “You know what you look like, don’t you?” He grins up at me, and I squirm uncomfortably on Kieran’s lap.
“A trauma scene? A domestic violence poster child?” I ask flatly, unable to help my sarcasm.
Kieran chuckles against my shoulder and Valentin scoffs.
“Nah, that’s not it.” He runs his fingers over the marks at the tops of my thighs, light green eyes fixed on them like they’re some kind of work of art. “Show me the rest of you.” It isn’t a question, and he doesn’t give me time to think or comply with his request.
Val lunges forward, greedy in his excitement, and grabs my tank top in his hands. He barely manages not to rip it at the seams, and even as I yelp a protest, it’s over my head and tossed somewhere else in the room.
The action leaves me mostly naked for their eyes…again. It’s a no less vulnerable feeling than before, and my arms instinctively come up to cover myself. Only for Kieran to snatch them away, using one of his hands to pin my wrists at my lower back with a soft growl.
“You know, it’s only fair for you to take your clothes off, too. Both of you. At some point,” I point out while trying to sound casual. And failing in an epic manner, of course. Even I can hear the tremor in my words, and normally I’m an optimist about my success in all things deception.
Val’s gaze drags up to mine and I bite my lip, only for him to reach up with his thumb to stop me again. “You have got to stop doing that.” His grin widens. “You make it hard for me to control myself.”
Kieran shifts behind me, a small huff on his lips. “You want to play with us, don’t you darling?” he murmurs against my ear. “Do you want Val to make you come?”
This is definitely not how I was expecting my morning to go. Val doesn’t wait for me to answer before he’s dragging my shorts down over my thighs, and he easily tosses them over his shoulder.
“What a gorgeous, good girl,” he compliments. “But I’ll admit, I’m excited to see you feral again.”
Squirming in Kieran’s grip, I give him a bemused look. “Why do you think you’ll see me feral again? That was only when I had a knife and you were threatening to kill me.” God, I feel so unsure, vulnerable, and delicate here, with nothing on and with both of them holding me.
Val just chuckles. “Maybe I just think you have it in you.” His voice is soft and velvety, and he lifts onto his knees again as Kieran pulls me back to more comfortably pin my back against his chest.
It also allows Val all the access to the marks he could possibly want. A low sound of approval escapes him as he leans forward to run his fingers over the marks on my hips and sides. He matches the fingerprints with his own hands, his touch soft and warm and wanting.
Fuck, this shouldn’t be as hot as it is. It’s hard to remind myself they’re murderers when I’m not in danger. Harder still when all I can think about is how well they fucked me.
And how much I was into more things last night than I care to admit.
I gasp, not having predicted Val to lean forward to graze his teeth over the bite imprints. He bites down ever so slightly, tongue teasing over the marks. His hands slide from my hips to my thighs, pressing them open until they’re hooked over Kieran’s knees.
“Gorgeous, perfect thing,” Kieran murmurs in my ear. “You look so good covered in our marks.” The hand not still holding my wrist comes up to cup Val’s jaw, and he cradles his face in one hand. “You said you wanted to play,” he reminds him, and earns a reproachful look from the other scare actor.
“Do you guys have, uh, plans today? Bodies to hide or crime scenes to burn?” I hate the way my voice is uncertain, but I can’t seem to help it.
Neither of them speaks for a few seconds. But that’s more because Kieran’s mouth is on my throat, probably leaving a few more marks of his own while I struggle not to make any embarrassing sounds or movements.
Val is sinking down between my thighs, his fingers tracing along my skin in random designs that have me twitching and nervous. “Something like that,” he says finally, glancing up at me with something like regret and apology on his face, but it’s gone a moment later. He leans forward to breathe against me, pulling a shiver from my body before he licks teasingly up my slit.
“Fuck!” I yelp, leaning back suddenly against Kieran. “Val—” He, apparently, doesn’t care about more conversation. I writhe, wanting to get one hand free to tangle in his hair, but Kieran’s grip is firm and solid, keeping me pinned in place. His mouth finds my throat once more, and he licks over the old and new marks like he’s trying to taste them.
I don’t get a chance to recover for even a second as Val swipes his tongue up my slit, then licks over my clit repeatedly. He seems insistent, impatient, especially when he slides two fingers into me with an approving sound.
“Still so tight, even after how we played with you last night.” He leans back to gaze up at me as his fingers curl inside of me. My hips jerk into his hand and my mouth falls open, though I have absolutely no idea what to say.
“I’m…” It feels almost like an accusation or a compliment. I can’t decide which. My cheeks burn as Val gazes at me with his fingers in my pussy, and I find his gaze harder to meet when Kieran’s hand wanders down as well. He spreads me open and plays with my clit; he does it easily, considering the way my thighs are hooked over his. I pant out a breath, a word, something , in response to the overwhelming sensations of their hands on my body and Kieran’s mouth on my throat.
This really isn’t how I thought my morning would go.
“Wait, wait— wait ,” I whine, realizing with surprise that I’m already close. It feels like they’re going to drag an orgasm out of me by force, and I don’t have a lot of say in the matter.
They don’t wait.
They don’t stop or pause or even slow down. The two of them just keep going, playing with me like a toy, no matter what I say or do. By the time my words are just nonsense, I’m trembling, and my legs are clenched tight over Kieran’s. My hands still twist and writhe at my lower back, and I can’t stay quiet when Val’s tongue joins Kieran’s fingers on my clit for a few seconds before he pulls away.
“What are we waiting for?” he teases. “Permission? Princess …” he trails off with a chuckle. “We don’t need your permission to make you come. We just need you to love this, don’t we?” His fingers curl and he adds another until he’s fucking me with four. It’s a burning stretch, it’s just on this side of painful, and it’s too much.
But it’s perfect.
My hips arch, rocking into their hands. Kieran gives a soft growl as he bites down once more on my throat, harder than he has so far this morning. I cry out at that, my breath coming in short, sharp pants.
“I-I’m gonna?—”
Kieran growls against my skin. “Then fucking come, darling,” he murmurs. “Come for us like I know you want to. I know you can, baby. I know you love Val’s fingers in your cunt. So come on. Come for me—” I cut him off with a sound that’s way too close to a scream for my comfort and I feel my body clenching around Val’s greedy fingers. Writhing and struggling have no effect when they’re both strong enough to easily hold me in place.
Val fingers me through my orgasm, not letting me come down from it for long, spaced out seconds. It’s intense and too much, though my mouth isn’t working well enough for me to voice any complaints I might have.
“S-stop,” I finally manage to whine. “Stop! Stop , you—” Kieran bites the other side of my neck and sucks a mark onto my skin, and somehow the sensation has me seeing stars all over again.
In what feels like way too long and yet way too short of a time period, I feel Val pull his fingers free. He strokes over my thighs and lets out a soft sigh. Then his lips brush against my kneecap.
“You’re so pretty when you’re desperate,” he murmurs roughly. “I hope I get to see it over and over again.”
“I thought…” I pant the words as Kieran shifts to his feet, though he easily sets me back down on the couch against the pillows.
“You deserve a break. It’s still early, after all,” he tells me. “And I know Val wants to play more, don’t you?” He glances sidelong at his partner, who grins guiltily.
“I always want to play,” he admits slyly. “Especially with you.” As Kieran walks towards the kitchen, Val hands me back my shirt and shorts, surprising me.
“But—” Maybe I’m confused. After all, they gave me the impression they’re short on time. Maybe they just wanted a victory lap, to gloat, or to let me see their faces before heading out and going on their way.
Maybe this is the last time I’ll see them. That thought hurts more than it should. I should not be already sort of attached to two terrible men, and it goes to prove just how awful my taste in people is, clearly.
“Don’t worry, princess.” Val’s grin is bright and friendly. It’s a new look for him, and he helps me tug my tank top over my head. “Seriously, the last thing you need to do is worry. You’re too perfect for that.” It’s sweet. So is the way he sits beside me on the sofa as Kieran comes back with a glass of ice water.
“Who knew two scary psycho killers could be so…accommodating,” I mutter as I take it from him. “Thank you.” Kieran doesn’t reply. He only tilts his head as I take a long swallow from the glass, then another. “Are you, umm, leaving?” I finally ask, not sure I want the answer. “Like, really leaving?”
Val glances up at Kieran, who still just doesn’t answer. It’s awkward. It’s definitely really awkward as I take a few more absent sips of water while they just look at me as if they’re waiting for something.
“That’s good, right?” Val asks, leaning his chin on my shoulder. I have no idea what he’s asking, and I open my mouth to tell him so before Kieran answers instead.
“Yeah. That’s good. Where are your shoes, Noa?” Kieran reaches out and tugs the glass free of my grip, even as I make a noise of confusion and surprise. “And your jacket?”
“Uh…what?” I have no idea what in the world he wants with my stuff, though I glance toward my room instinctively. “Why? I have plans today that involve me staying here, eating pecan pie, and drinking coffee. I’m not going anywhere.”
Yet again Kieran just looks at me, tilting his head to the side like I’ve said something amusing. A small smile tugs on his lips, and a sense of unease makes me pull away from Val and push to my feet.
My head spins suddenly, prompting me to reach out to grab the armrest for support. I reach a hand up to my face, a groan on my lips. “Yeah, this is why I say I’m taking today off. With pie.” God, I really am more tired than I thought I would be.
“You should sit back down,” Val tells me, tugging me back down to the couch beside him. I want to resist, to protest, but somehow it’s all too easy for him to pull me off my feet.
Something’s wrong with me.
Fuck, something is wrong with me. On the sofa I lean forward, nausea tickling at my throat. “I think maybe I need, like, a doctor? I don’t get what’s wrong with me. Maybe, like, all the stress and strain and—” Breaking off, my brain finally takes this moment to work.
That’s good, right? That’s what Val said after I drank about half of the glass of the water Kieran gave me.
“Oh, my god.” I jerk my head up to look at Kieran, though my gaze swims. “You drugged me!” But my accusation is weak and strained, and I have to blink to keep him in focus.
Kieran kneels in front of me and reaches out, one hand cradling my face. “Yeah,” he agrees. “I did. I need you out longer than the chloroform can do. Sorry, darling.” I think he smiles, but then again, I really have no idea.
I can barely see him. My head is fuzzy, and I can’t seem to feel my fingers. Belatedly, I realize Val has me leaning against him, and he’s murmuring something in my ear that I can’t really make out.
“You can’t…I thought…” Yet again, a feeling of helplessness settles over me, and I can feel the hot burn of tears in my gaze. “ Why ?” I manage to ask at last.
But if there’s an answer, I don’t get to hear it. The blackness takes me too quickly to even know if I actually said the word out loud or just thought I did.