14. Roman #2
He bends to kiss her cheek before I can move her and I tighten my hold like I can somehow stop it.
Do I know what they have is platonic? Yes.
Does that mean I like it? No. She is mine.
It is bad enough that she has that excuse with Felix, but I know Riggs, Atlas and Victor fall into that category too.
I groan internally at the pull between what is acceptable and what I want to do. I close my eyes and count to ten like Fae does.
Surprisingly, it works.
“How are you fairy?”
“Good…” she replies but something about it feels off. I frown down at her. What made her sound like that?
“Good,” he nods, but his voice sounds just as strange.
“What the fuck happened with you two?” I snap, stepping back and pulling her with me.
“Chill.” Felix says as Fae and Riggs both start laughing.
“It is not funny,” I bark. “If you have upset her, so help me God, Riggs, I am holding on to my sanity with a fucking shoestring right now.” I point at him. “Stop laughing and start talking.”
“Jesus,” Riggs laughs even more. “You’re insane.”
Fae pats my hand like I am some toddler she needs to calm.
“I snapped at them earlier, Ro.” She takes a breath and I count to ten while I wait. “I owe you all an apology.”
“You don’t owe them shit, Tink.” I squeeze her as the rest start chuckling again. Either I have a terrible sense of humour or they all just laugh too much. I have not decided which.
With everything going on, I forgot we had Jack tied up.
It is not until I shift my arms and squeeze her hips that I realise her clothes feel damp.
I push her forward to see what is wrong and as her body tips slightly, every decent thought about who is in the room disappears.
My cock hardens as her arse brushes against me.
I am just about to move her further away when I catch it; there is blood smeared across her clothes.
I cringe at my own carelessness, and my grip tightens without thinking.
The fury in me sharpens instantly when I realise I have marked her with another man’s blood.
Fae gasps at the sensation before she presses her body back into mine.
The movement is doing nothing to help the situation.
A low groan drags from my chest as I feel myself harden further under the contact.
“Roman.” Felix shouts, breaking the spell. “That’s still my fucking sister.”
I drag in a breath and step back, forcing my head to clear.
Heat creeps up Fae’s neck and I catch the flush spreading across her cheeks.
I have seen her angry, cold, untouchable…
but this? This is new. It does something I like far too much.
Her weight shifts and she leans closer without thinking, like instinct has taken over.
She quickly glances at me and I watch mesmerised as the way her tongue slips out to wet her lips.
I stare at her wet mouth.
Is it normal to be jealous of a person's tongue?
“Spoil sport.” I wink at her and she flushes even deeper.
Her eyes flick to mine and then away again, as she looks on flustered that she’s been caught. In that brief second I know she feels it too. Whatever the reason she keeps holding back and acting bashful, I will break it.
Jack coughs, dragging our attention back to him, and I see Fae stiffen out of the corner of my eye.
Does she know?
“Why do you have Mr Archer down here?” Fae asks, directing it at Felix. He rubs the back of his neck, looking between her and me, then Jack.
“I brought him here,” I say, cutting in to save her brother, then immediately regret not throwing him under the bus.
“Why?” she asks, more cautious now.
“Do you know who this is?” I fire back, ignoring her question.
“Yeah, he helps with body language and psychology.”
“And that’s all you know him from?” Atlas asks from the sink.
“Yeah… why?” It goes quiet as she looks at Victor. “Does this have to do with Robyn?”
The hope in her eyes makes my chest tighten.
“Maybe…” he says. I turn to him with a frown. Since when did Jack have anything to do with Robyn’s disappearance, unless—
“Oh shit,” I exhale. “You think the missing scholarship students are connected?”
“I think it’s stupid if we don’t consider it,” Victor replies.
Fuck.
Storming over to the cabinet, I grab the vial I need and a needle. I pull the cap off with my teeth and fill the syringe to five millilitres.
Vigilum is one of my own creations. A controlled blend of synthetic adrenergics and neuro-stimulatory stabilisers, designed to keep the body awake when it wants to shut down.
Pain still registers, that part mattered to me, but unconsciousness becomes almost impossible.
Too many times we have lost men before they gave us what we needed, but this fixes that.
The only limitation is time. After roughly an hour, the compound stabilises and the system starts to crash.
After that, even Vigilum cannot save them.
I make my way back to Jack. As I step closer, the chains creak softly before settling as I stop in front of him.
“This is new.” Victor says behind me in a calm but curious tone. It is a dangerous combination. Riggs shifts his weight as Atlas watches my hands instead of my face. I don’t look at Fae. I can’t. Not yet.
“I got tired of reports that men died before you could extract information,” I say, my voice flat. “Passing out is a mercy they shouldn’t be given.”
Jack barely reacts when I step in close. My fingers settle at his neck and I press hard into the trapezius, knowing it will hurt like a bitch. I push the needle into his skin and watch it disappear into his neck. Then I press the plunger down.
And then I wait.
One second.
Two.
Nothing.
Double fuck.
I backhand him across the face. His head snaps to the side with a wet sound and he drags in a sharp, startled breath like he has just surfaced from deep water. His eyes fly open, as his pupils swallow the colour of his iris.
Jack gasps, his chest heaving, and I can see his pulse slamming in his neck. Despite the state of his body, his alertness is the same as when I first brought him in. Adrenaline hits me hard as it clicks into place. I got it right. The rush is stronger than anything I have ever made.
God, nothing fucking beats this.
“What the fuck…” Riggs mutters.
“He should be out,” Felix says quietly.
“He wants to be,” I reply. “Well, his body does. His mind doesn’t get a vote.”
“What is it?” Atlas asks.
“Vigilum.” I let the word sit. “It keeps them in the present.”
Jack whimpers, a thin, broken sound. It’s not from fear this time, but realisation. I lean in until my mouth is level with his ear.
“Shh, don’t worry,” I murmur. “You won’t miss a second of this.”
I step back and nod to Victor. “Now we can talk.”