Chapter 29 Conrad #2
He turned, eyes meeting mine. Dark, steady, stripped bare of the usual arrogance. “But I’m done being afraid. Done letting guilt run me. I’m stuck with you two, like it or not, because it’s what she needs. I see that now.”
A slow breath escaped him, and his shoulders dropped.
“Right now, she needs to see that we’re choosing her, all of us, no matter what.
If putting up with you idiots helps her believe it, then fine.
I’ll take it. I’ll do whatever needs to be done to make her happy, and you two, for some reason, make her happy. ”
And just like that, he was gone, the door swinging shut behind him.
I stared after him for a long moment, the room too quiet. Deslen shifted beside me, that big, gentle grin creeping along his face.
“Guess he’s not wrong,” I muttered, reaching for my coat. “You ready, Des?”
He nodded and followed me. I locked the office behind us, the two of us heading out after Zeth.
I hated that he was right. I could see the pieces they filled for Nova. I saw it when we were on the couch just lazing about. Deslen's soothing calmness and complete devotion, right from the jump. Zeth’s steadfast loyalty and ability to anticipate her needs.
They were all-in on her, just like I was, but, for once, the thought of sharing her didn’t burn quite as much.
Nova was waiting at the door before we even pulled up, her silhouette framed by the porch light.
This time, her eyes weren’t hollow. Those molten-pink irises burned again, fierce and alive, with the same fire I’d seen the night we met.
Hope flickered in my chest. Maybe, just maybe, the three of us could be enough to stitch her heart back together.
She led us inside, straight to the dining table. The air was heavy with tension that rippled off her. Nova didn’t waste time. She dove into everything—her meeting with the family, the news rippling across continents, why turned supes were being targeted by this madman, this “doctor.”
“And this filth got into my territory.” Her words lashed out, sharp enough to strike. The veins in her neck stood out as she slammed her fists against the table so hard it shook. “Mine!”
Zeth reached for her hand. “Nov, it’s not—”
“No, Zeth. This is my job.” She grabbed the edge of the table, exhaling before rolling her shoulders up, looking at each of us. “My family. My people. I protect them, or I don’t deserve the title of Boss Rossey.”
Her eyes went back to the table, narrowing as she searched the surface like it had answers. “I gotta find him.” Her voice was half a promise, half a demand. “I have to do it quickly.” Her hands turned into fists. “I need to make an example out of him.”
Her whole body buzzed, her wolf waiting just beneath her skin, ready to shift, to unleash her power on the world. One wrong word, and she’d be gone, storming the streets, ready to draw blood.
We couldn’t let her burn herself out like that.
Before I could think twice, I moved. The world blurred around me, and then I was in front of her. One hand slid behind her back, the other to the nape of her neck, steady but firm.
“Nova,” I breathed.
She barely had time to blink before my mouth found hers.
She stiffened, shock flashing through her body, then melted. The tremor in her breath turned into a soft gasp against my lips as my fingers trailed lower, grounding her, reminding her to feel instead of fight.
Her lips parted, an invitation. Acceptance. Heat surged between us, wild and unrelenting, the world narrowing to just the two of us and the sound of our uneven breathing.
When we finally broke apart, her forehead rested on my shoulder, chest heaving.
Behind her, Zeth stood motionless, turquoise eyes sharp with jealousy that he didn’t bother to hide. Deslen leaned back in his chair, eyes gleaming, watching like a man studying a storm.
I smiled at them, then let my lips brush the edge of Nova’s throat. My voice dropped to a whisper meant for her alone.
“You know, the other day, I read that a stressful mind and body produce forty percent less than what they’re capable of,” I murmured, letting my hands roam her tight frame. “Let us help you, Boss.”
A shiver rippled through her. Her fingers caught the bottom of my shirt and tugged it free before tracing those warm fingers along my stomach, slowly and deliberately.
It took everything in me not to groan.
Not one to waste time, I flicked the button of her pants and stuck my hand in, rubbing her clit just to watch her pupils dilate. The golden edge to her rosy irises caught the overhead lights like cut gemstones.
"Con—" she tried to get out, but I swooped in and captured her lips with mine, stopping her from talking.
I swallowed the moan that worked its way out of her as I moved my fingers lower.
The sticky wetness that pooled between my fingers had me aching for her, my tongue pressing against my fangs at the thought of tasting her and the image of her back arching off whatever surface I could pin her to.
"Con.” She pulled away just enough to talk. “Seriously. We need to figure out—"
Using my vampire speed, I yanked her pants down and propped her on the table. Kneeling underneath her, I slowly peeled the pants down inch by inch, pressing my lips to newly exposed skin—the curve of her knee, the soft flesh of her calf—as I tugged them off completely.
“What was that, Boss? I don't think I can hear you.” Her breath caught in her throat as I kissed my way up her leg, not paying much mind to the sound of a chair scraping against the floor.
Her chest rose and fell in rapid succession as she looked down, watching me suck hard on her inner thigh. These small noises escaped her throat as her hips thrust forward, seeking friction.
"I said—"
Zeth was at her side, grabbing her chin and yanking her face toward him before he devoured her.
I couldn't help but watch as her spine curved under his touch, her shoulders rolling back.
Where my kiss was controlled and methodical, coaxing her out, his was fast and all-consuming, demanding her attention.
I vaguely noticed the sound of another chair scraping, but all of that was shoved into the background as soon as that honeydew smell intensified.
My eyes shifted down to her glistening pussy, and I licked my lips.
That scent called to something primal in my soul.
I could feel my heart beat in my ears as my focus zeroed in, and a rumble built in my chest. How wolfish of me.
Just as her noises took on a deeper edge, I slammed my fang into her thigh and slid two fingers inside of her, moving them in time with my long, deep pulls of her sweet blood.
Her gasps were music to my ears. Her blood rushed through my body, heating up every inch of me until sweat beaded at my temples.
My dick strained painfully, begging to be released from its fabric prison.
"I don't think we need this," I heard from the other side of her.
A loud ripping sound caught my attention just in time to watch Deslen tear her shirt in half.
"There…" His hand traveled up her taut stomach.
She trembled, goosebumps rising in the wake of his touch.
"Now, that’s a thing of beauty." He cupped her breast, lips circling her nipple as he ran his other hand up and down his dick.
Feeling my fingers drenched in her sticky, hot pleasure, I drove a third finger in while licking at her clit. She tore away from Zeth, gasping for breath as she cried out, "Holy. Fuck. That feels good."
She looked down at Deslen, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as her eyes found his cock bobbing for her attention. Her hand pushed his away, and he moaned against her breast as she began stroking him.
Zeth yanked her head back, using his thumb to press down on her tongue and open her mouth.
His mouth was so close to hers you would think he was giving her the air she needed to breathe.
"You're going to have to take all three of us, Nov.
Can you handle that?" Somehow, all of his clothes were already off, his hips moving as he rubbed his fully erect cock on her thigh.
"Yes," she choked out.
He removed his thumb from her mouth and let go of her hair. She looked around at all three of us, and with the most beautiful, breathless words, she said, “I’ll always be able to handle all of my mates, however you want me.”
Those words sent heat flooding through my chest, and my muscles tensed, releasing in waves.
My fingers tightened on her thigh, my other hand gripping the edge of the table hard enough that the wood groaned.
The tightness that had lived in my shoulders for months suddenly released.
Lungs expanded like I'd been holding my breath underwater and finally broke the surface.
Her sweet scent intensified, making a round of growled moans circle her.
There was something so fucking beautiful about having this strong, powerful mate, her body honed like a weapon, smelling like a fresh wildflower dipped in honey. She was ready and simply waiting for us to pluck it.
When I shoved in a fourth finger, her eyes rolled into her head as her thighs trembled, then she began thrusting against my hand like all reason had abandoned her.
“Yes. Fuck. Yes,” she cried.
Apparently, Zeth couldn't take it anymore because he hopped on the table and stood behind her, facing me.
"This is for you, my Nova, my love." Power burst out of him, stronger than the power he’d used when we fought in the cave.
This time, it flowed into me, racing up and down in a cycle, and my vision sharpened.
Every color became more vivid, every sound amplified.
My heart raced too loudly, saliva flooding my mouth like a beast. Every thought, every inch, every cell of my body was consumed with the thought of making her come. My hands shook with it. My jaw clenched. My body ached for it, muscles coiled tight and eager.