Chapter 21
Chapter
Twenty-One
CHAOS
I t had been far too long since I’d felt this degree of calm deep in my bones. I’d pummeled more than my share of opponents tonight, finally releasing all that pent-up violence within me, and it was good. Real fucking good, if I was being honest. For the first time in who knows how long, it felt like I could breathe easy.
I shifted my duffel bag, hoisting it up higher on my shoulder as I prowled through the foyer, eager for a shower and my bed. I might actually sleep tonight. What a novel concept. It had been nothing but fitful nights filled with restless limbs, tangled sheets, and racing thoughts.
As I rounded the corner and headed into the hallway that housed our rooms, I paused outside Sin’s door, listening for signs he’d returned. Nothing hinted at his presence. If he was home, there’d be some music blasting, or he’d be playing one of his many instruments to pass the time. Merri’s room was next, and I tried to ignore my body’s need to peek inside and check on her. She hadn’t looked well when I saw her last. Grim’s no-camming rule hit her harder than I think any of us were prepared for.
I didn’t hear anything coming from her room either, so I assumed she’d gone to bed early. Imagine my surprise then when I heard the soft murmur of her voice coming from Malice’s room.
A low, rumbling growl built in my throat. Jealousy burned through me, unwelcome and unbidden. I had absolutely no excuse for it. Not one I was willing to admit to, anyway.
“What happened to that adamant insistence you weren’t going to get involved?” I grumbled under my breath. “Such a fucking hypocrite. You’ve got the self-control of a sailor in port, Malice.”
Her laughter floated through the wood, and I reacted without thinking, opening the door and bracing myself to find the two of them making the beast with two backs. I couldn’t be held responsible for what I did to Malice, but I was pretty sure it would end in me turning his face into nothing but meat once my rage took hold.
I never had been good at sharing my toys. Or my weapons, for that matter.
Fists clenched, I stood in the doorway, fully prepared to make Malice feel my wrath. Instead I found myself equally charmed and intrigued. Merri stood beside Mal’s bed, fully clothed, hands in the pocket of her hoodie, eyes wide, and looking guilty as hell.
“Start talking, Red.”
“It’s not what it looks like,” she said.
“It never is.”
“I was bored.”
“So you decided to go snooping?”
She winced and took her plump bottom lip between her teeth. “Kind of?”
“Find anything good in here? Mal’s not known for having much of an attachment to material belongings.”
“So I’ve learned,” she said with a heavy sigh as she walked around the bed and came closer.
Narrowing my eyes at her, I asked, “What have you done with Malice? There’s no scenario in existence where he’d leave you to your own devices in his domain.”
“He’s having a nap.”
I glanced at the obviously empty bed. “I find that hard to believe. Malice doesn’t nap.”
“Don’t know what to tell ya, big guy. He does now.”
“Where?” I demanded, knowing I’d have seen him if he’d been sprawled out on one of the big couches in the front room.
“Erm, my bed?”
“Are you asking me?”
“No?”
I couldn’t help but laugh, even if the thought of him in her bed made zero sense. “Why is he in your bed and not his own, Red?”
She shrugged, trying to brush past me, but I caught her by the arm.
“Don’t ignore my question.”
“That’s where he fell asleep. I wasn’t going to kick him out.”
“But why was he there in the first place?”
I appreciated nothing about the jealousy twisting in my gut. There was only one reason Malice would be in her room, and I hated it. I hated it because even though I hadn’t made any moves myself, he wasn’t supposed to be the one to seduce her.
“Well... I’m a little fuzzy on the specifics.”
“What?” I all but shouted. If Mal had taken advantage of her, I’d have his head on a pike faster than Vesuvius wiped out Pompeii.
“No, no, nothing bad. I’ve been starving since the attack, and, um... he helped me.”
My eyes narrowed once more as I took her in. She clearly wasn’t starving now. In fact, she was luminous. Everything about her seemed to glow. Her hair had an extra sheen, her eyes filled with inner light, her skin radiant and youthful. Merri had always been beautiful. No one could argue that, but now? She was breathtaking.
“I see.”
“You’re mad.”
“No.”
“Your jaw is clenched.”
“It’s always like this.”
She raised a skeptical brow. “You know how when a woman says she’s fine and she’s never actually fine? That’s you right now.”
“It never should’ve gotten to this point. You shouldn’t ever be unclear about the details of your feeds.”
“If it makes you feel better, that part is crystal clear. It was the before times. There was a cellar and Daddy Death and passing out in an elevator... I think?”
No. That didn’t make me feel a damn bit better. Also, Daddy Death ? Grim was in on this bullshit too? Fuck me.
“Merri, if you are in need, you have a responsibility to ask us for assistance.”
“When the fuck am I supposed to do that? You avoid me at every turn, Mal ignores me, and Grim won’t even touch me. All I have is Sin, and he wasn’t here. Neither were you, in case you forgot. Apparently I have to be on death’s door—or in his wine cellar—for any of you to help me.”
Had it really been that bad? Was I off releasing my pent-up violence while Merri had been nearly starved to death?
What kind of protector was I?
One who nearly let her get taken by a Knight. One who couldn’t recognize her suffering. One who didn’t deserve a moment of her time.
That stopped now.
“Go get changed.”
Her eyes widened at my abrupt shift in topic. “What? What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”
“We’re going to the gym. Meet me down there in two minutes.”
“But I?—”
“Two minutes, Red. No arguing.”
I didn’t give her any room to fight me on this. Turning away from her, I strode back down the hall and took the stairs, heading for the gym.
Merri was going to learn something useful tonight. And I was going to teach her.
Tension built in my muscles as I awaited her arrival, the clock on the wall ticking down the seconds until she was officially late. If I had to, I’d toss her over my shoulder and haul her to the gym myself, but I wanted to see if she’d heed my command.
Ten seconds past my time limit, she stepped into the room, her long hair up in a high ponytail, body now clad in a matching set of skintight baby-pink workout clothes. Fuck. She couldn’t help herself. The woman was my every fantasy come to life.
“Okay, big guy, I’m here. What do you want from me?” she asked, hands on her hips.
“You need to learn how to defend yourself. You were completely vulnerable during the attack, unable to fight or resist the thrall of the Knight. I can’t do anything about the latter, but I certainly can help amend the former.”
A slight smirk tugged at her lips. “You want to teach me how to fight?”
“Yes.”
“Can I have a sword?”
My expression fell flat. “No. No weapons.”
“But . . .”
“Aside from the danger of putting a blade in the hands of someone who can barely throw a punch, you are unlikely to be armed during any attack unless you make a point to be at all times. You need to be able to use your body to defend yourself before anything else. It is the first and only weapon you can count on.”
“Not true.”
“How do you figure?”
“Well, I’m a succubus. That comes with its own arsenal, doesn’t it?”
I shook my head, not remotely about to entertain the thought of her unleashing her sexual wiles on me. “You were the first to admit you don’t have a good sense of control of your power. We’re sticking to the basics.” I pointed down at the mat in front of me. “Get your ass over here.”
She did as I asked—okay, demanded—but she muttered under her breath the entire way. “Isn’t that the whole point of practice? To get better at something?”
Ignoring her attitude, I positioned myself in front of her. “Let’s begin.”
We went through the requisite moves all people should know to counter an advancing attacker. She did quite well, especially when learning how to break a hold from behind, but now it was time to test what she learned, a.k.a. employ the element of surprise.
“See? I told you I was a quick study,” she said, pride suffusing her tone. “Now can I have a—” Her words cut off with a shriek as I tackled her to the mat, pinning her smaller body under mine.
“What was that?” I rasped, my lips at her ear. “Not so confident now, are you?”
“You cheated,” she grunted, the breath mostly knocked out of her.
I pushed up a little, my eyes finding hers. Before I could come back with a snide retort, I noticed the way her body felt beneath mine. Soft to my hardness, sweet and supple while I was rough and rugged. I breathed in the faint scent of her perfume as the reminder of how kissing her had felt took over every other thought I had. Without conscious thought, I pressed my hips into her, making us both groan at the friction.
Fuck, I wanted to kiss her again. No, I wanted to drive inside her and make her whimper my name. I could. We weren’t separated by much more than a few layers of fabric. If she’d let me, all it would take was a few tugs until we were bare.
I rocked into her again, wondering how attached she was to her pants. Maybe I’d just rip them open and spare the effort of pulling them off.
Her lips curled up in a wicked grin as she arched her back, pressing her perfect breasts into my chest.
I dipped down, my lips less than an inch from hers when it hit me. She’d played me. The second our eyes had locked, she’d hypnotized me with some succubus spell.
“You little . . .” I growled. “Now who’s cheating?”
Rolling her hips, she gave me a soft moan that I felt all the way to my cock. “You started it. Now we’re even.”
I couldn’t argue her logic, so I went on the defensive instead. “Do you think an attacker will fight fair? You’ll be lucky if they even announce their presence.”
She wriggled under me again, reminding me that I was still absently grinding my cock against her.
“Fuck,” I barked, pushing myself up and off her.
I needed distance, or I was liable to fall deeper under her spell and let her feed as deeply as she required. Would it be so bad? There were far worse ways to go. I’d witnessed them on the battlefield.
“What now, big guy?” she asked, jumping to her feet. “We gonna go another round or two?”
There was no missing the sexual innuendo layered in her words. Or the way her lips curled up as she took in my response to them.
“No. You’re clearly not ready for more intermediate work. Your form is all wrong, and you’re weak as hell.” I pointed to the punching bag in the corner. “Go spend some time on that.”
“Fine. But I’d better not catch you checking out my ass while I work out this... tension.”
Heaving a sigh, I turned away from her. Just the mention of her ass had my eyes desperate for the sight. As her soft grunts and the sound of her punches landing filled the space, I ran a hand over my face and worked to regain control of my aroused body.
My mind drifted back to how I felt coming home tonight. I shook my head and swallowed back a groan. So much for feeling relaxed.