EPILOGUE
LIA
One year later, and I’m back in the maze.
This time, though, everything’s different.
The orgy room pulses with sounds of flesh against flesh, moans layering over desperate gasps, the wet slide of bodies finding their rhythm. I lean back against Vane’s chest as he sits on one of the low couches, his cock buried deep inside me while we watch the chaos unfold.
“Fuck, this is better than last year,” Knox groans from somewhere to our left, where Bianca rides him with abandon.
He’s not wrong. Xavier opened this year’s Hunt to the carnival crew after months of dinners that inevitably ended with half of us naked in someone’s living room. Turns out we’re all a bunch of voyeurs who get off on being watched and fucking in the same room.
Across the room, Lars has Alice bent over a bench, her gorgeous curves on full display as he drives into her from behind. She’s watching Cade and Lily—Lily’s suspended in some kind of rope contraption, and Cade devours her with single-minded focus.
“Christ.” Vane’s grip tightens on my hips as I roll against him. “Look at them.”
I follow his gaze to where Flora’s sandwiched between Colt and Nash, both men moving in perfect synchronization. Her cries pierce through the ambient noise, raw and unfiltered.
Heat coils tighter in my belly.
Vane’s hands slide up my body, cupping my breasts as I continue rocking on his lap. His teeth graze my shoulder, sending shivers down my spine.
“See how beautiful they all are, wildflower,” he whispers against my ear. “Everyone is finding exactly what they need.”
My gaze drifts through the haze of bodies. In the center of the room, Tyson has Sofia bent over an ornate table. The carnival ringmaster grips her hips with possessive hands, whispering something that makes her moan and push back against him harder.
“They’ve been together four years,” Vane murmurs. “Two kids at home with a sitter, and they still fuck like they can’t get enough.”
Near them, Eden kneels between Remy’s legs, her eyes locked on his as she takes him into her mouth. His hand fists in her hair, controlling her movements.
Phoenix has Tilly pressed against one of the mirrored walls, her legs wrapped around his waist as he drives into her. Their movements have the easy familiarity of longtime lovers who know exactly how to please each other.
Across the room, Keira writhes between the Dexter twins, Ace meticulously binding her wrists while Cyrus kisses her deeply.
Xavier has Mira on his lap in a throne-like chair, her back arched as she rides him slowly. Beside them, Landon has Sadie bent over an ornate bench, his hands tangled in her hair.
Elliot and Julian occupy one of the plush sofas, moving together in a passionate embrace that seems almost tender amid the carnal chaos.
In the far corner, surrounded by black silk drapes, Cora luxuriates in the attention of three men—Dominic directing the scene while Liam and Ryder pleasure her.
“Everyone getting exactly what they need,” I echo, feeling Vane harden further inside me.
“Off. Now.”
Vane’s command cuts through the haze of pleasure. His hands grip my waist, lifting me off his cock despite my protest.
“Lie down. On your back.”
I blink at him, disoriented by the sudden shift.
“Vane—”
“I want your eyes on me, wildflower. Only me.” His gaze burns with possessive hunger as he guides me onto the plush cushions. “No watching them. Just me.”
He spreads my thighs wide, settling between them with predatory grace. The emerald rope bracelet he made me still circles my wrist—his mark, his claim.
“You’re mine,” he growls, positioning himself at my entrance. “Say it.”
“I’m yours.”
He drives into me hard enough to steal my breath, his hands pinning my wrists above my head. The intensity in his eyes makes everything else fade—the moans surrounding us, the slap of flesh, the wet sounds of pleasure.
“Every inch of you belongs to me.” He pulls almost completely out before slamming back in. “This cunt. This body.”
“Yes.” My back arches off the cushions.
His rhythm turns brutal, possessive, each thrust a reminder of his claim. I wrap my legs around his waist, pulling him deeper.
“Look at me.” His fingers tighten on my wrists when my eyes threaten to close. “Don’t you dare look away.”
The secret sits heavy in my chest—three weeks of knowing, three weeks of terror and wonder. The positive test was hidden in my nightstand drawer. I made the doctor’s appointment without telling him.
But watching him now, seeing the raw devotion mixed with darkness in his gaze, something shifts inside me.
Around us, the carnival crew continues their passionate displays. Tyson and Sofia, still insatiable after four years and two kids. Phoenix and Tilly, their bond unbreakable. Eden and Remy, dark and twisted but utterly devoted.
Children didn’t change what any of them are together.
“Vane—” His name catches in my throat as pleasure builds.
“That’s it, wildflower. Give me everything.”
His cock hits that perfect spot, driving me higher. My nails dig into his shoulders since he’s released my wrists, needing to hold onto something as the world narrows to just us.
“I love you.” The words tear from my throat.
“I know.” He captures my mouth in a bruising kiss. “You’re mine forever.”
Vane’s rhythm turns punishing, each thrust driving me closer to the edge. Sweat slicks between our bodies as he pins me harder against the cushions.
“Take it,” he growls against my throat. “Take every fucking inch.”
“Yes, God, yes—”
His teeth find my shoulder, biting down hard enough to leave a mark. The sharp pain explodes into pleasure, mixing with the relentless pressure of his cock filling me completely.
“Come for me, wildflower. Let everyone hear who you belong to.”
The words shatter my control. My orgasm crashes through me with brutal intensity, making me scream his name as my body convulses around him.
“Fuck—Lia—” Vane slams into me one final time, burying himself to the hilt as he comes, flooding me with heat.
We collapse together, breathing ragged, hearts pounding in sync. He stays inside me, his weight pressing me into the cushions in a way that feels safe rather than confining.
“I love you,” he murmurs against my hair. “So fucking much.”
The words are there, right on my tongue. Three weeks of carrying this secret, and suddenly I can’t hold it anymore.
“Vane.” My voice shakes. “I’m pregnant.”
He goes completely still.
Then he pulls back just enough to see my face, his eyes wide with shock. “You’re—”
“Pregnant. About six weeks.”
The grin that spreads across his face is pure masculine satisfaction. He pulls out of me, sitting back on his heels as he lets out a loud whoop.
“Fuck yes! I’m the first Blackwood brother to knock up his girl!” He looks around the room, finding Xavier. “You hear that, X? I’m the most virile—”
“Bullshit,” Xavier calls from across the room, Mira still in his lap. “Mira’s already pregnant.”
A few heads in the room turn toward them.
Mira’s face flushes crimson as she shoots Xavier a glare. “Shhh, we weren’t telling anyone yet.” She pauses, then adds softly, “I’m six weeks, too.”
Xavier releases Mira from his lap, and I feel Vane’s arms loosen around me as both women stand. We meet in the middle of the room, stepping over tangled limbs and around coupled bodies still lost in their pleasure.
Mira’s eyes are bright when she reaches me, her smile trembling with emotion. “Six weeks?”
“Yes.” I laugh, the sound catching in my throat. “God, this is insane.”
We embrace, and something warm settles in my chest. After everything—the Hunt, learning about their world, accepting the darkness that comes with loving these men—having someone going through this with me feels like a gift.
“Our babies are going to be the same age,” Mira whispers against my shoulder.
“They’ll grow up together.” The thought fills me with unexpected joy.
When we pull apart, Bianca appears beside us, her expression knowing. “You two look like you’re planning a nursery already.”
Mira wipes at her eyes, laughing. “Maybe we are.”
“Well, if you think they’re possessive now—” Bianca gestures toward the brothers, who watch us with varying degrees of smugness and wonder, “—god help us all when you two are carrying their spawn. They’re already insufferable about keeping us safe.”
Around us, the orgy continues its relentless rhythm. Tyson’s deep groans mix with Sofia’s cries. The wet sounds of bodies joining fill the air alongside desperate moans and the slap of flesh on flesh.
But in this small pocket of space, the three of us create a moment of stillness.
“They’re going to be insufferable,” Mira says, glancing at Xavier.
“Already are,” I agree, catching Vane’s heated gaze.
Bianca smirks. “Good luck with that.”
We dissolve into laughter, and the sound feels foreign in this den of carnal pleasure—light and genuine, untouched by the darkness surrounding us.
Keira joins us, Sadie following close behind. Soon, we’re a circle of women, being congratulated, sharing knowing looks about the men who claimed us.
Somewhere behind me, I hear Vane and Xavier arguing about whose sperm is more potent. Knox joins in, defending his own virility.
“Idiots,” Bianca mutters fondly.
But there’s love in her voice. In all our voices.
Vane catches my hand as the crowd’s energy shifts from carnal to conversational. Bodies disentangle, couples reaching for discarded clothing or settling into post-coital embraces. The intensity has mellowed into something warmer, more social.
“Come with me.”
He doesn’t wait for an answer, pulling me through a side door I hadn’t noticed before. The hallway beyond is quiet, lit by soft amber sconces. My legs shake slightly as I follow him, still unsteady from everything—the sex, the revelation, the rush of adrenaline.