47. Chapter 42
Moonlight slants across the herb garden, making the frost on the mint leaves shine like crystalline stars. I pluck a half-dead leaf from the stem and bring it to my nose, crushing it to make the scent bloom between my fingers.
A light gust of wind sends a shiver through my shoulders. I tug Breaker’s black peacoat closed, and I’m glad he never took it back. He’s let me wear it every day since he first put it over my shoulders.
I think that small gesture solidified what I had already guessed. They took us, intending to keep us. But they were prepared to send me away, like all the threats of being owned by them, all the sweetness that bled out of them when they pretended to be mean, meant nothing.
Because of a fucking order.
While I understand being forced to do things you don’t want to, I can’t help the anger rippling through me now that my mind has settled.
Reaperwas going to send me back. The other men I know didn’t want to. I could tell by the way they acted when they told me. But Reaper was prepared to follow orders, knowing what I was returning to.
They’ve been saying this entire time, Rune is bad, evil, sick. I already know just how evil he is. Seems they know too, and it’s something worse than getting his kicks from hurting me. There’s something else. Something darker.
He knew. And still…
God. What would Delly have done without me? She’d have lost her mind being here by herself.
And yet, he was still going to send me back and keep her.
He’s weirdly obsessed with her. All of them are, and I can’t wrap my head around why they’d send me, knowing she’d be so upset. I can’t help but think—part of me hates the thought—that they didn’t send me back solely because she’d be upset.
They took her, after all.
They wanted Delly. Not me.
I was just a bonus.
The reality of that slams into my gut, making my eyes sting.
Maybe I’m thinking too much.
Breaker’s deadly glare and Viper’s whispers, telling me I was safe, that I wasn’t returning, that no one could hurt me now, crash through my thoughts.
Maybe I’m important too.
No. That line of thinking will get me in trouble.
Stupid girl and her stupid thoughts. Always pretending to be more important than she really is.
My mother’s words cut through me. My stomach roils, hating that her voice still lingers in my head all these years later.
You’re a terrible little girl who can’t listen. An obedient daughter wouldn’t defy her mommy, would she? I was cursed with a bad daughter.
She’s right. I was a bad daughter. I was glad she died and even happier to know that she was murdered.
The crunch of boots on the gravel behind me sends a jolt down my spine, and I’m brought from my memories. I drop the leaf and gather the black jacket around my shoulders.
“It’s cold out here,” Viper says, his voice making lights spark in my veins. “Come inside.”
We spent two weeks barely seeing them, and suddenly they’re everywhere. All muscles and power and Striker’s handsome face. I have yet to decide how I feel about the drastic change that’s just occurred between us all, but it seems my body already has with the way heat builds in my core from Viper just being close.
“I like the cold,” I say, turning my head slightly to look at him over my shoulder. His eyes glow eerily from the little light by the back door. “It makes the bad stuff harder to feel.”
He doesn’t respond as I turn back around, picking another mint leaf. The poor plant is mostly stems now. I’ve spent so many days out here replanting the sprigs of herbs, trying to get them to grow again, but I always pick the mint leaves. Like it’s the one thing I’m willing to sacrifice simply because I like the way it reminds me of things that are clean.
Unlike me.
I’ve fucked Rune and his daughter.
Gravel crunches, and his leather boots come into view. I look up from my seat on the edge of the planter box. He’s so big. Somehow, with not seeing him up close every day, I forget his intimidating size. How broad his chest and thick his thighs.
“Why Striker and not you?” I ask, pressing the tips of my fingers to my lips. Viper watches my tongue dart out to taste my skin. “How come you’re still wearing a mask?”
When he doesn’t answer, my eyes fall back to his boots.
“You don’t trust me,” I say for him.
“Why should I?”
“Why should I trust you guys?” I ask. “You were sending me back.”
“We had orders.”
“So I’ve heard.” Shifting, I pluck another leaf. I feel him watching me like he did that weeks I spent with them. I can’t say I don’t like it. In fact, I like it too much. I like him. Them. I like the idea that they were somewhere in this mansion looking over us. Keeping us tucked away from bad things. Watching Delly and I fuck. Maybe they got so turned on, Breaker shoved his huge dick in Viper’s mouth again.
I wonder if they do that a lot.
“What’s with you and Breaker?” I ask, tearing the little leaf apart. I pop the mint into my mouth, liking the way Viper tracks each of my movements. How his eyes gleam beautifully, the color washed out. I wonder what he looks like. I bet he’s pretty. Or maybe his features are as sharp and brutal as his personality.
“He’s my brother,” he says.
My nose scrunches. “Brother seems like a strange word choice since you suck his dick.”
He sucks in a deep breath, letting me know I’ve riled him. Strange how he’s not necessarily protective of their sexual encounter that night, but… uncomfortable? It makes me think maybe they don’t fuck one another like they made us believe.
“We’re all brothers,” he says quietly.
My gaze slides down his black shirt, the black pants, the military look, and feel of him. Yeah. Okay. Brothers in arms, I suppose. I know so little about him. So little in general.
“Tell me a secret and I’ll tell you one,” I say, offering him the tiny pinch of green leaf remaining. His eyes snap down to my fingers and he takes it. He’s removed his gloves, and I’m glad. He may not let me see his face, but at least he’s not covering every inch of skin like I don’t know his touch.
He holds the leaf to his masked nose. “I have a name.”
My brows knit, unsure what he means. But I remember him saying he got his name because he was fast and mean. The way his confession leaves his chest makes my fingers curl into fists. Like he’s handing me something heavy I need to hold on to.
“Other than Viper?” I guess.
“Yes.”
I lick my lips, tasting mint and the cool night air, silently wishing it was his taste on my tongue. “Do the others not have….” I sit upright, suddenly fully aware that he’s telling me something important. My heart hammers as pieces knit together with the snippets I’ve learned over the last few weeks. “You’re the only one with an actual name?”
“I’m the only one who was old enough to remember before I was Viper. Except Reaper. But I think he’s always been Death trapped in a man’s body.”
I nod, like I understand, which I don’t, my blood zinging with an electric current. “And your names were given?”
“At the school.”
My stomach drops. Images of a military style boarding school flood my mind and I wonder how far off I am. “School?”
“No,” he says, the single word a command. A period. An end to this conversation and my questions.
“Then tell me why,” I ask. “Why us? Why all of this? Why do you hate Rune?”
“Rune killed our brother.”
I nod. I think I already knew it was something like this. Men seek revenge for damaged pride or because they thirst to make someone hurt as much as they do. It’s rarely ever as simple or as meaningless as money.
“He didn’t want to send you away,” Viper says suddenly.
“But you were prepared to,” I remind him, knowing he means Reaper. Knowing too that they all seem to follow his orders. “You all were.”
Bending down, he places his large hands on his thighs, looking me in the eye. “We’re defying an order right now to keep you from him.”
I swallow.
Viper grabs my hand and pulls me up. My jacket slips down my back, but he snatches it before it can fall to the ground. Dipping low, he hooks an arm under my butt, around my thighs, and he hoists me up with one arm like I’m a defiant child. A harsh gasp slips from me as he adjusts my weight and I grip around his neck to keep from slipping down his chest.
“What are you doing?” I ask, feeling small and mildly alarmed, but kind of liking it. His brutish behavior isn’t coated with violence. It never has been. But he doesn’t hold back or treat me delicately either. Like he knows I can handle him.
Not bothering to answer, he carries me into the house as I cling to him, my fingers slipping under his balaclava, feeling his warm skin at the back of his neck. Using his boot, he slams the back door shut, then strides to the counter and places me on top, but doesn’t back away. He stays right there, between my thighs, glaring at me from behind his fanged-skull mask as the tips of my fingers draw little circles on his skin.
“I said I liked it outside,” I say. “I don’t want to be in here.”
“And I said it’s too cold outside,” Viper says, his arm still around my waist. “Our little Vixen needs to learn to behave.”
Ours.
They’ve said this since we woke up. Ours. Our girls.
Maybe they wanted me too.
His breath kisses my face, so hot through the mask I don’t know how he can stand wearing it. “Are you going to be a good girl and listen to us?” Viper says, still inches away.
My breath comes out shaky and my thighs squeeze involuntarily around his hips. “I’ve always been told I’m not good at listening.”
He makes a seductive rumbling sound in his throat. It reverberates through his body, so I feel it between my legs. “Maybe I should show you how to be a good girl for us.”
“And how does one go about that?” I ask, too breathless. Too aware of him.
His hand slips up my thigh, inching up my dress. As his fingers move higher and higher, he watches my face, waiting for my reaction. To see if I’m going to stop him.
I wonder if he even would.
Part of me thinks Viper wouldn’t. He’s the type to force you to admit you want something rather than wait for you to decide.
My fingers dig into his skin. His eyes darken to the color of a stormy sea.
This is why I like him. Them.
They listened to me tell them what I’ve allowed Rune to do, and he’s not treating me differently. He’s not shying away from this animalistic attraction. Viper’s not treating me like I’m damaged or broken, or worse, dirty from the things that have been done to me.
Things I’ve done to survive a dirty man.
He’s still touching me, wanting me.
Like I’m clean and pretty and desirable.
When his fingers slip under the seam of my panties, my head falls back and hits the cabinets. Dishes and glasses rattle from the impact.
I spread my legs for him.
“Seems you already want to be my good girl,” he whispers. A finger flicks on my clit and I arch into him.
“I like being a good girl,” I say, but am reminded of Rune and I look away, my chest squeezing.
“Then be my sweet little girl and let me see your pretty eyes as I make you come.” Viper grips my chin, forcing me to look at him. My eyes meet his, then he drives two fingers into me so hard, I gasp, my legs stiffening. Then they move, dragging my slickness in and out and my lips part, fingernails clawing into his skin at his neck.
Viper angles his head, studying my mouth as I breathe out harshly. My hand slips around to the side of his neck, still under his mask, feeling stubble. I stop when my fingers are wrapped around his throat like he did with me that day in my old room, my thumb skimming along his pulse. His eyes snap from my mouth up to mine, waiting to see what I’m going to do.
When he doesn’t stop, when he doesn’t remove my hand, I shift my grip, fingers sliding up under his mask, feeling his strong jaw, his thick neck, letting my fingers stroke the skin behind his ear. His eyes dip to my mouth as my hips tilt, meeting his hand, a desperate hunger gnawing at my belly, wanting more. He angles his palm up, hooking his fingers so they hit that place that makes my thighs tighten around his hips. He leans forward, pressing his masked mouth to my neck as I throw my head back, rocking into his rough touch.
“Please,” I whisper, desperate to go over the edge. Desperate for him. To be wanted.
I’ve wanted him to touch me again for weeks, been so starved for him, for all of them, I can’t care about what happened earlier. I can’t care about anything other than his hand driving me closer and closer.
“Come for me, Vixen,” he whispers against my pulse. “Come all over my fingers.”
When he takes a deep breath, I slide my hand at his neck up, dragging his mask upward until his mouth is exposed. I press my fingers to his lips. He sucks them in, teeth nipping.
Faintly, I’m aware he’s letting me lead this. Take control of my pleasure in this moment until I’m the one with the power. He’s handing me his, his control, his everything, letting me know I am safe to seek this comfort.
That clawing hunger grows more starved at the thought, and I hook my fingers into his mouth and drag him to meet mine. My lips enclose over his. I breathe out into his parted lips, slipping my tongue in, savoring his familiar feel and taste.
“Deeper,” I rasp, mindless with need. My chest feels tight. I keep trying to be angry at them and I can’t. Not him. Not Breaker.
Not Striker. His darkness smiles at the demons living in my head. We’re drawn together, all our darkness seeking the other out, needing to feel seen and heard.
Viper gave me a secret to hold and Breaker’s given me a gentleness I’ve never felt before.
“Madadh-ruadh,” Viper purrs against my lips. “Pretty red fox, come for me, please.”
The beg makes my breath hitch. His fingers drive in hard as he swipes his thumb over my clit.
My release bursts out of me like an exploding star, all brilliant light and blinding darkness. Viper sucks my bottom lip between his teeth, biting down on the flesh as the world shatters. The rough bite adds to the pleasure, a cry scraping up my throat.
“So fucking beautiful.” His words settle as I come down, collapsing forward. “I want to watch you come over and over, whimpering my name until it’s all you can taste.”
My forehead hits his shoulder as he slips his fingers from between my thighs. Leaning up, I watch as he brings his fingers covered in my slickness to his lips, painting them with my essence before sucking them hungrily into his mouth.
They pop out with a slick sound as he sucks them clean, his gaze never leaving my face. “Next time you”ll come on my cock as you’re choking on my brother”s cock, so deep in your throat you”ll never again forget your ours.” He pulls his mask down and backs away.
I slip off the counter, landing on shaky legs as he steps back lazily, dragging his feet. Even though I can’t see his mouth anymore, I can picture his satisfied smirk.
“Next time?” I ask. My hands tremble as I adjust my dress.
He stops in the doorway. “Next time.” Viper grips his hard dick through his fatigues. “You’ve only had a taste of us, Madadh-ruadh. And now you’re ours. So next time will be the time you finally accept that you will never escape us.”