Chapter 24 #2
His blood-smeared hand gripped my thigh, pressing into the fresh cuts as he fucked me, and the pain and pleasure started twisting together so intensely I could barely breathe. I came hard then, clenching violently around him and screaming into the dark woods as the pleasure ripped through me.
Rhys didn’t slow down. He kept fucking me through the haze of pleasure, growling filthy praise against my ear until his own rhythm turned erratic. Then, with a deep, guttural groan, he buried himself deep and came, pulsing hot inside me as he held me against the tree.
For a long moment, the only sounds were our ragged breathing and the distant rustle of leaves. He stayed buried inside me, forehead pressed to mine, his hand still gently smearing the blood across my skin like he was marking me as his.
“You’re never getting away from me now,” he muttered, voice dark and reverent. “Not after this.”
The haze of pleasure slowly ebbed, leaving me raw and trembling. That was when reality started to creep back in.
Blood.
It was everywhere. Smeared across my chest, my stomach, my thighs. And most of it wasn’t mine. It belonged to the four Legacies Rhys had just slaughtered; the ones who’d been hunting me through the woods only minutes ago.
My stomach lurched violently, and I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head as if I could somehow force out the memory of what we’d just done.
But it was too late. It was already playing on loop: how desperately I’d kissed him back, how I’d begged him to cut me, how I’d come harder than I ever had in my life while he was soaked in someone else’s blood.
Nausea twisted through me, and my knees almost buckled.
“I think it’s time for some damage control now,” Rhys said softly, rubbing his jaw.
My gaze snapped back to him. “What?”
“How long have you known about me?” he asked.
“I… I didn’t know for sure,” I said, my voice unsteady. “But I started suspecting it last night.”
His gaze sharpened. “Did you tell anyone else?”
“No.” I swallowed hard. “It was just a suspicion, so I… I thought it was a bad idea to tell anyone.”
His fingers came up, closing around my chin and tipping my face toward his. “You’re such a bad liar,” he murmured, almost sounding amused. “Let me guess. You told Jasmine.”
“No. I swear.”
“I know you told her, baby. It’s all over your face.”
“Please, Rhys.” The words broke out of me, panic surging fast as tears burned my eyes. “Please don’t kill her. She won’t tell anyone else. She didn’t even want me to say anything, because she thought you might be innocent, and she—”
He cut me off. “I wasn’t planning on killing her,” he said, brows furrowing. “When I say damage control, I just mean I want to have a little talk with her.”
“Don’t lie to me,” I said in a hollow voice. “I know what you’ll do to keep her mouth shut. And I’m begging you. Don’t.”
He didn’t answer that. Just turned his head slightly, glancing off into the dark like he was recalculating something.
“The campground’s that way,” he said after a second, jerking his thumb in that direction. “I’m taking you to the groundskeeper’s cabin. But I need to know something first.” His eyes came back to mine, cold and steady. “Do I need to gag you? Or will you be a good girl and stay quiet for me?”
My throat tightened. For a second, I couldn’t get anything out at all. Then my shoulders sagged, something inside me giving way under the weight of everything that had just happened.
“I won’t make a sound,” I said listlessly.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I promise.” I swallowed again. “I know what happens if I do.”
His brows lifted slightly. “Yeah? What’s that?”
“You’ll kill all my friends here. Jasmine, Wren, Tamsin, Jesse. Even if none of them were ever on your list.”
He lifted one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “You said it.”
The words settled like ice in my chest. I didn’t argue. Didn’t push. Just nodded once, because there was nothing else I could do.
“Good,” he said. “Let’s go.”
He reached for me again, and I flinched again before I could stop myself. His hand paused for a fraction of a second, then closed around my wrist anyway, firm but not rough.
Terrified for the others, and for Jasmine most of all, I forced myself into silence as we moved through the trees. By the time the groundskeeper’s cabin finally came into view, my legs were trembling so badly it was a miracle I was still upright.
Rhys didn’t slow as we approached. He led me straight up to the door, opened it without a sound, and pulled me inside after him, closing it just as quietly behind us.
He didn’t turn the light on, because even the smallest glow would bleed through the windows, and anyone desperate or curious enough to step outside might notice. Might come closer. Might see us here.
I stayed by the door, barely breathing, trying to get my bearings as the faintest trace of moonlight slipped through the edges of the curtains, just enough to outline shapes. The bed. The sofa. The table. Rhys, still and watchful.
“How is this supposed to work?” I finally asked, my voice low and strained.
“You can’t stay in here forever to make sure I keep my mouth shut, and you can’t take me back outside either, because someone could see me.
And even if they don’t… what about food?
I can’t survive on half of whatever Jasmine manages to bring.
If she even brings you anything anymore. ”
Rhys chuckled softly. “You really think I didn’t plan for that?” he said. “I’ve been setting this up for months, so I’ve got food caches stashed all over the camp. Enough to last as long as I need, and enough to share.”
“Oh,” I murmured.
“Did you actually think I was relying on Knox, Jasmine, and you to bring me supplies?”
I didn’t answer.
“That was just convenient,” he went on, the faint edge of amusement still in his voice. “I never needed it. Like I said, this was all planned well in advance.”
“You didn’t plan for me,” I said, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
“That’s true.” He moved even closer; close enough that I could feel the faint heat coming off him and smell the metallic blood still clinging to his skin. “You were a real curveball, baby. But I’ll find a way to make it work with you.”
That didn’t make me feel any better. If anything, it made everything worse.
“So what is this plan of yours, anyway?” I asked in a low voice. “You might as well tell me now that I’m stuck here.”
“We can talk about that later,” he said. “Right now, we need to wash all this blood off. The shower’s big enough for two.”
My heart skipped a beat. “You want me to shower with you?”
“You really think I’m letting you out of my sight?” He tilted his head slightly, like the answer was self-evident.
I didn’t respond. Just glared at him, though I wasn’t sure how much he noticed, given how dim it was in the cabin.