Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE HEATHEN
Two of them stare at me like they’d burn the entire world down just to have me, and the other gazes at me with the purest form of hatred.
It's been two days since the triplets took me in.
Two days of tiptoeing around Killian's scowls. Two days of overhearing hushed arguments between the brothers, over whether or not I belong here. Two days of sleeping off the effects of the tranquilizer, cocooned in between Knox and Carter. But I know I should leave. Every second I spend here means harm for the younger ones in the church. The only reason I kill is to prevent them from knowing the trauma I experienced. I am not a bloodthirsty animal, or at least I didn’t start out that way.
I know I should get the hell out of here for that reason alone. Those kids need me.
I should go, but I don’t want to. Being here in Carter’s bed, him on one side and Knox on the other, gives me something I have never known.
Safety.
They both watch me like they’re waiting for someone to try to kill me at any second. Somehow, I know they won’t let anyone come near me. I should be slightly concerned that Carter called me his, but it’s the third brother that worries me the most.
We’ve been lying here for several minutes since waking up, but no one has spoken a word. Raising his hand to touch the side of my face, Carter quickly pulls it away.
“Why do you do that?” I ask, because he has done it twice now.
He glances at his brother before returning his gaze to me, as if they are having a silent conversation.
“I cannot tolerate touch. If I feel your skin, you will want to reciprocate. It’s a normal human response, but I’m not fucking normal, Little Heathen.”
His dark eyes penetrate mine, and I know he’s like me. Lost in his mind. A beautiful, but broken, man. His eyes hold secrets. His heart, so much pain. He doesn’t hide it from me, because his eyes are like a window to his fractured soul.
Carter is right. I want to touch him. Maybe it’s because I know I can’t, but the urge is there.
“How can I be yours if I can’t touch you?”
Again, he looks at his brother before coming back to me, and swallows hard.
“If you need to touch someone, you can touch Knox. I can’t chance you touching me, Little Heathen. I don’t react well when someone crosses that boundary. I don’t want to hurt you, so I won’t risk it.”
I gasp loudly.
“You won’t touch me either?”
Carter lies on his side facing me, with his head propped up in his palm, as he nods slightly.
“I can’t, Little Heathen. You aren’t the only killer in this room. I’ll protect you from everyone, including myself.”
Turning my head, I look at Knox in question, and he nods in agreement.
“You can touch me, Tesoro.”
It’s weird that he calls me that because nobody has ever considered me to be a treasure. Every time he says it, butterflies swirl in my stomach. There isn’t any sarcasm. It’s genuine. I like it and hope he doesn’t stop calling me Tesoro.
I glance back at Carter, who has declared me as his, but is willing to let me touch his brother. How far does that go? Carter nods, giving me his blessing.
I reach out and trace the ‘Live fast, die young’, tattoo on Knox’s chest.
“Fuck, Tesoro,” he groans, and his voice comes out deep and drenched in desire.
“Do you like touching Knox, Little Heathen?”
I nod as I speak with a shaky voice.
“Yes. I’ve never touched a man like this.”
“Like what?” Knox asks, as he trails his fingers down my arm.
“I’ve only been with the men in my family.”
“It wasn’t just your father?” Carter asks.
Taking a deep breath, I respond, as the disgust grows inside me.
“Mainly, but sometimes others had sex with me as a punishment. I’m not normal either. I’ve never had someone touch me like this. I’ve never had an orgasm with a man. It wasn’t about my pleasure, but pleasing God.”
Again they share a glance, telling me that triplets are like twins, with that weird connection that seems to not require words.
Carter balls both of his hands into tight fists, as he leans forward and tentatively presses his lips to mine.
His kiss is slow, deliberate, and restrained, as if he is being careful to not let his control slip.
Knox groans beside us, while running his fingers over my thigh, as Carter slides his tongue past my lips.
A whimper escapes from my throat, and Carter responds by tilting his head to the side as he licks at my tongue like he wants more.
Needs more.
“Fuck, Tesoro. You look so pretty with my brother's tongue in your mouth. Does she taste good, Carter?”
He pulls back from our kiss, and stares at me with a satisfied expression.
“She tastes like a goddamn heathen. Sinfully sweet.”
I turn my head to look at Knox, and he places a hand on my face as he rubs a thumb over my bottom lip.
“Tesoro. Beautiful Tesoro.”
Out of the three brothers, he is the one I’d expect to want me least, after seeing the ugly scars on my back, yet he looks at me now like he has wanted me for a lifetime.
Knox slides a hand into my hair as he presses his lips to mine.
He isn’t restrained like Carter was. A groan slips past his lips as he pushes his tongue into my mouth, swiping mine with his aggressively.
He bites my lip, and the copper taste creates a need deep within my core.
My pussy pulses, but the feeling is unfamiliar, caused by a man's touch.
Wrapping his arm around my shoulders, he pulls me onto my side, closer to him. If there was any doubt about how Carter would react, it vanishes quickly as he presses soft kisses to the side of my neck.
“Carter,” I whimper softly, fighting the instinct to reach behind me and touch him.
“Good girl. Touch Knox, Little Heathen.”
I stroke my fingers down the side of his face as he presses his lips to mine, while Carter growls in my ear.
“Fuck, Little Heathen. Such a perfect girl for us.”
Carter trails his tongue just under my ear, while Knox grips my chin in his palm, tilting my head to the side as he licks at the inside of my mouth like a man possessed, when I hear the clearing of a throat.
Both men stop, as we all turn our attention to an angry Killian in the doorway. He stands with his arms crossed over his chest, and a scowl on his handsome face.
“Knox, let’s go. Cinnamon is waiting. I’ve already warmed her up for you.”
I’m guessing Cinnamon is a woman, and the pang of jealousy in my chest doesn’t make any sense. It should not bother me, but it does. Is Knox going to get up and go fuck this other woman? I’m assuming, since Killian got her ready, they must share her. Maybe that’s their thing.
My heart pounds as I wait to see what he does.
It shouldn’t matter. I shouldn’t care. But I do.
For the first time in my life, I felt cherished. Wanted. And now, some woman named after a fucking spice is taking it from me. With Killian's help. He really does hate me.