Chapter Twenty-Six #2
Onyx: Define “need.”
Karter: You sharing her again? You sure?
Wells: Is this real life?
Me: She earned it. Told her if she wanted out of the party, she’d have to spend the night digging through her past. She did. Don’t know what she uncovered, but whatever it was…it wrecked her. So now we end the night on a high.
Karter: So we’re celebrating… with our favorite girl?
Me: Yes. Bring whatever will make her moan.
Wells: I could cry. But instead, I’ll just grab the swing and some silk rope.
Me: I’m heading to the toy room now. Meet me there, don’t be late.
The toy room smells like leather, sweat, and memory.
My favorite fucking room in this house.
I don’t waste time. Toss a few essentials into my black duffel, gloves, blindfold, scented oil I know she likes, and a pair of restraints lined with velvet. She’ll feel everything and still thank me for it.
By the time I get downstairs, the others are already piling in, each of them carrying their own kind of sin. Their expressions are wild. Hungry. Focused.
“Wyck,” Dash says, adjusting the heavy bag on his back. “You sure about this?”
“Absolutely.” I don’t hesitate. “She needs a release. And we’re the Devils who’ll give it to her.”
“Then let’s go find our brat,” Karter grins.
“Masks on,” Wells mutters, already pulling his down over his face.
“Who finishes with her?” Onyx asks. Calm. Curious. Dangerous.
I pause. Let the tension wrap around us like smoke.
“We all do,” I say. “We do this together. For her. And for us.”
“Fuck yeah,” Karter growls. “Just like the pool party. Except this time… darker.”
We all slip our masks on. The air thickens with intent. Our girl’s about to be worshipped by five men with no limits and no apologies.
We move.
“Maeve!” I shout as we hit the kitchen.
“Christ on a fucking crucifix,” she mutters, emerging with flour on her hands and murder in her eyes. “What now?”
“No fire. Just need the power cut.”
She crosses her arms. “You know the girls are three floors up. You want me to make them piss themselves?”
“Which is why,” I say, nodding to Karter, “he’s going to text Athens the second the lights drop.”
“I already typed it,” Karter says, grinning. “Just waiting on your go.”
Maeve looks us over, eyes narrowing at our black clothes, masked faces, and bags of sin. “You boys look like trouble.”
“We are,” Dash replies.
She sighs. “You know, I should’ve poisoned your tea years ago.”
“And yet you didn’t,” I smirk. “Because you love us.”
“Fuck off. It better be worth it. Ryan asked for another dose of ‘herbal refreshment’ after whatever Athens read tonight. She sounded wrecked.”
That makes me pause.
“What’d she read?” I ask, voice low.
“Didn’t ask. Didn’t want to know. Just did as I was told.”
She vanishes toward the breaker. We wait in silence.
Until, click.
The world goes dark.
Screams echo above us. Footsteps thundering. The sound of chaos. And then, Creeeeaak. A door opens. “Karter! What’s going on?” Her voice, sharp, shaken, still recovering.
“Tell her to come downstairs,” I whisper.
Karter texts, and I swear I can hear the grin in his silence.
A beat passes. Then another.
Soft footfalls descend the staircase.
Our girl is coming.
And she has no idea what she’s walking into.
But she will.
“Come downstairs and find out, Brat,” Karter taunts, his voice velvet-wrapped sin through the phone. I can practically feel his smirk bleeding through the line. And I know her.
She’ll pretend she’s not scared.
She’ll pretend she’s in control.
But her heart’s racing. Her body already primed.
From up the stairs, her voice rings loud and cocky, designed to cover the tremble I know sits just beneath her skin. “Girls, what do you say? Shall we go down there and show him who’s boss?”
God, she’s perfect.
Ryan answers first, always the wildcard. “Fuck yeah, we’re not scared of you, Karter!”
Their footsteps echo like drumbeats on the stairs, each one closing the space between prey and predator.
Karter doesn’t miss a beat. “Who said I was alone?” That feral laugh of his twists up from his throat, enough to make lesser men flinch. “You talked all that shit, don’t go quiet now.”
Athens answers, voice steady but low. “What’s the worst that could happen?”
“She’s ready,” I whisper, heat crawling up my spine. I look at the Devils, all of them dressed in black, masked and hungry. “You catch her, you do what you want to her. But make sure she says yes. She’s been through hell tonight. We make her forget, we don’t break her.”
They nod, and for once, there’s no banter.
Just reverence.
“She knows we’ll take care of her,” Dash says. “Let’s give her something she’ll never forget.”
Moments later, Ryan’s voice cuts through the tension. “What the fuck is this? Oh my God, are you assholes hiding behind those masks?”
I almost tell her to shut her fucking mouth before I let Wells rip open her boyfriend’s secrets, but I don’t. Not yet.
I step forward. Voice low. Cold. “Ryan. Fred. Thank you for what you did tonight. But we’ve got something to handle with Athens now.”
Fred’s face twists with concern. “No way. Do you even know what she’s been through tonight?”
Wells steps in, calm and brutal. “We do. That’s why we’re here… to make her forget.”
Fred stares up at him, all challenge. “Athens, girlie, you say the word and we’ll stay.”
Athens turns toward her girls, eyes soft and grateful. “I’ll be okay. Tonight meant everything to me. But now… I need this.”
Fred hugs her tight, whispering something only Athens hears. Ryan hesitates, but she nods.
“Okay, but we should do this twice a week. That room is a-”
“Fred,” Dash cuts in.
“Huh?”
“Shut up. Go.”
They scurry off with half-hearted protests.
And then it’s just us.
And her.
“You didn’t have to be so mean,” Athens giggles, high and glowing like a forbidden star. “What’s with the silly costumes?”
“Silly?” I echo. “We’ll see who’s laughing when it’s your screams echoing through the trees.”
Her eyes flick from Devil to Devil. Her lips part. Her fingers toy with a strand of hair as her hips shift, sway, an unconscious invitation.
She’s ready to play.
I raise a hand. “Karter?”
He leans in, his voice a threat laced in silk.
“Run, Brat.”
She freezes. Then grins. That feral, fuck-me grin we all love.
And then she bolts.
Out the front door, into the dark.
White tank top flashing like bait across the lawn.
“Alright boys,” I grin beneath my mask. “That’s our cue. Give her a head start, she doesn’t know the grounds like we do.”
“This is gonna be fun,” Wells mutters, already at the door.
“She’s running into the woods,” Dash observes, cocking his head. “Why the hell would she go there?”
“Because it’s her fantasy,” I answer without hesitation.
Onyx’s head swivels. “How do you know that?”
I stare out across the treeline. “Because she told me once. She wants to be hunted. Caught. Taken. She wants to be devoured under the stars. I couldn’t give it to her then.”
I clench my fists.
“But I’ll give it to her now.”
Silence.
Then Karter’s already running. “Come on, you sappy bastard. We’re wasting time.”
Wells follows next.
“I wasn’t questioning your girl,” Onyx says, lingering. “I was just… curious.”
I clap his shoulder. “I get it. You’ll know her like I do one day.”
I step past him, darkness licking at our heels.
“Now let’s go get our girl.”
And give her everything her twisted little heart desires.
The woods throb with adrenaline and heat.
"Athens!" Dash’s voice cuts through the night, full of playful menace.
“Come out, come out wherever you are,” Onyx growls, his voice drenched in anticipation.
She doesn’t respond, smart girl. She's holding out, keeping them at bay, making them work for her. But she forgot one thing. I don’t need noise to find her. I can smell her. Track her. Read her.
She’s mine.
I break off from the pack without a word. Let them scream and howl like hungry wolves, I’ll hunt her like a shadow. Silent. Sure. Merciless.
I peel off my shoes and press into the dirt, stalking low through the trees. A broken twig. A hint of vanilla and gingerbread. My Little Fox thinks she’s hidden. Thinks the dark will protect her.
She giggles in the distance. “They won’t find me here.”
A wicked smile spreads across my face. “That’s where you’re wrong, Little Fox.” I whisper to no one. But she hears something, her breath hitches. Then she’s running.
Again.
Oh, she wants to be caught.
I follow the sound of her soft footfalls, the rustle of branches whipping past her frame. I don’t rush. I know where she’s going, exactly where I want her. She thinks this is her game.
But it's always been mine.
She presses herself flat to a tree, chest heaving, peeking over her shoulder.
Poor thing.
She doesn’t even see me coming.
I lunge. She screams, just the way I like it, and bolts again, laughter trailing behind her like a damn ribbon in the wind.
My cock strains at the sound. She’s having fun.
I give her a few more minutes. Let her tire herself out. Let her body ache with the need to be caught.
And when she slows, just enough, I pounce.
I wrap my hand around her mouth and drag her into the trees, feeling her body melt against me as she giggles into my palm.
“You think I wouldn’t find you?” I rasp against her ear. “You practically begged me to.”
Her eyes gleam with mischief as I drop my backpack to the ground and sink to my knees, dragging her with me. She squeals, delighted.
Fucking perfect.
I rummage through my bag, grab the tape, and smooth it over her lips before she can say something bratty.
“Mmmph,” she moans, smiling behind the strip.
“Don’t even think about taking that mask off, sweetheart.” I wag my finger, and when she dares to reach up, I bind her wrists tight with another strip.
Her breath comes faster. She's not scared, she's buzzing.
I stand in front of her. Watch her tilt her head back, gaze dark and full of sinful curiosity.