Epilogue
TARA
“Shadow, you’ve got a guy running on your six,” Lena said over the comms.
“On it,” I said.
“Not you,” Lena mumbled. “Your Shadow.”
Knox’s elbow jabbed at my side. “She’s talking about me, little Panther.”
“I remember now. That tends to happen when someone steals half your code name.” I rolled my eyes, making a run for the target hiding behind a dumpster under an overhead bridge, while Knox took care of his buddy, covering my back.
My target shrieked as I jumped on him, kicking him in the head and knocking him unconscious.
Knox came over to my side. “You love my code name. And nice kick, baby.”
He lifted the guy over his shoulder, and we made our way out from under the bridge to the large van waiting for us in the alley beside the road. Arya and Sophie had the other guy, who fought with Knox, already tied up.
As soon as the two of us climbed into the back of the van, Ruby started the vehicle, getting us out of there.
“Golden Lioness,” I said in the comms, “targets secured. We’ll be there in twenty.”
“Good work, everyone.”
Today was a quick and easy mission. Our client was raped by these two men, and they walked free because of the lack of evidence. Getting these two was a piece of cake. Finishing these two off would be interesting. Samaira was training the few Wildcats who were interested in doing the dirty work.
In these small cases where the targets weren’t high-profile and were more thugs, they became the perfect candidates for practice, since no one was looking for them.
We had started using one of the floors under the headquarters to keep these men.
We also had a kill area now, since going to the safe house every time we had to kill a target was getting slightly tiring.
The cleanup crew also appreciated the new killing location, considering they didn’t have to drive all the way out of the city to reach us.
“We’re late,” I told Knox as we rode the elevator to our apartment, once Sophie, Arya, and Ruby got out at the headquarters floor.
“Relax, baby. I told Mom and Hugh to arrive a little late before we left for the mission.”
“And you couldn’t have told me that?” I scowled, but it immediately turned into a giggle as my Shadow baby jumped at me, right as I opened the door to the apartment.
“I missed you too, baby,” I cooed, pulling him inside and letting Knox through the door.
I quickly gave some treats to Shadow before grabbing Knox’s hand and pulling him into the shower with me. “I want to look fresh when we meet your family.”
“You do know they already like you more than they like me, right?” He grabbed the washcloth, poured a heavy dollop of my body wash, and started scrubbing me, while I pressed kisses along his throat.
“Why’d you have to be so fucking hot?” I mumbled, wrapping my fingers around his cock, and stroking it just the way he liked it.
He grunted and lifted me into his arms before slamming his mouth on mine. The hot water raining down on us, combined with Knox’s filthy, delicious kiss, created an inferno inside me. An aching want bloomed in my core, and the need to feel Knox inside me made me lose my mind.
“Please,” I moaned, rolling my hips along his cock, sucking at his neck, nipping his ear.
He growled and thrust inside me, rendering me speechless. My body arched, and I pushed him in deeper by the heels of my feet. “More, Knox.”
“I thought we were late.” His thrusts were punishing, the dark pools of desire burning in his eyes. He watched me as he fucked me. The way he looked at me, as if he could never get enough of me, brought me just as much pleasure as the way his cock stretched me.
Knox’s arms around me were bands of steel as his lips moved down my throat. The moment his teeth bit into the junction between my neck and shoulder, I shattered under him, squeezing around him tightly, extending the earth-shattering pleasure coursing through my body.
Once I was done, Knox grabbed my throat and started thrusting inside me with a wild abandon.
He was a mindless beast fueled by his dark passion, his hips rolling and snapping uncontrollably, his animalistic grunts pulling even more pleasure out of my body, until his neck arched and his cock jerked inside me.
Once. Twice. Three times before he slumped in my arms.
He tried to kiss me lazily, but I quickly jumped out of his arms and washed us. “C’mon, we’re extremely late now. Lena is going to kill us.”
His groan followed me out of the bathroom as we quickly jumped into the best clothes that we could muster right now. A purple sweatshirt and black jeans for me, a black dressy T-shirt and pants for him.
We made our way downstairs to the Den. The moment we walked in, the delicious aroma of Thai food enveloped me. While Sami and I were great at Indian cooking—Sami more so than me—Lena and Naomi cooked about everything. Sloane refused to learn just because she felt pampered when we cooked for her.
Several pairs of eyes moved to us. Knox’s mom, Terry, and Hugh had already arrived and were chatting with Dominic and his parents. While I moved to greet them, I noticed Sophie, Arya, Sameer, Sami’s brother, and Sami talking to Sami’s parents.
“Terry, how are you?” I asked, hugging her.
“I’m wonderful, darling. Knox not giving you trouble, is he?” she asked, shooting Knox a sharp look that had him pulling his arms around me.
“I would never, Mom. I’m the love of her life.”
Hugh playfully rolled his eyes. “You’re ridiculous, that’s what you are.”
Right then, Lena’s son, Callum, slammed into my leg. “Auntie Tara. You removed your mask.”
He was six years old and growing up so fast. He was just one when I first saw him. With an “oomph,” I picked him up in my arms. “I did, Callum. Hope that’s okay.”
He had seen my scars multiple times, considering I’d stop wearing the mask in front of the Wildcats and their family, especially Lena’s family, since they’ve known me since I joined the Wildcats. But he still pointed at my scars and asked, “Does it hurt?”
I gave him a warm smile and shook my head. “Only sometimes.”
My gaze turned to Knox and found him looking at me, a riveted smile on his face. I turned to Callum and asked, “Have you met my friend, Knox?”
Callum turned to look at the hulking figure that Knox made as he stood tall over me. “Hi, Callum,” Knox said, extending his hand forward.
Callum, being the best protective buddy to exist, narrowed his eyes at Knox. “Are you a good friend of Auntie Tara?”
Knox’s eyes widened. “Of course I am.”
“You won’t hurt her?”
Knox gasped dramatically. “I would never. She is mine.”
As if he totally understood what Knox was saying, Callum placed his little hand in Knox’s large one, the contrast squeezing my heart tightly in my chest, and shook his hand. “Fine. You can be Uncle Knox. Just like Uncle Dominic.”
Dominic’s eyes snapped to us the moment he heard his name. He waved at Callum, making him giggle.
Knox, having seen the exchange, turned conspiratory eyes at Callum and asked, “But you definitely like Uncle Knox more than Uncle Dominic, right?”
Callum laughed. “No. I love Uncle Dominic. He gives me candies.”
Knox groaned loudly. “What if I bring you toys?”
Right then, Dominic stepped between Knox and me. “Then Uncle Dominic will bring him even more toys, right, buddy?”
Callum laughed and moved into Dominic’s arms. Dominic had a knack for befriending people quickly.
Knox gave Dominic a challenging look, and Hugh muttered, “Here we go.”
“I’m going to become Callum’s best buddy,” Knox said, giving a ridiculous smile to Callum.
Dominic looked at me, raising his eyebrows. “Really, Tara? Him?” And with an over-the-top expression, he moved his finger in a circular motion at his head, and mouthed right in front of Knox, “He’s crazy.”
Knox chuckled and pulled me into his arms. “Crazy for my girl.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at the two of them. I nudged Dominic’s side with my elbow. “Don’t worry, Dominic. You will always be the Wildcats’ first-ever boy member.”
Dominic groaned loudly. “Oh God, let’s not get started with that, shall we?”
“Everyone.” Lena’s voice rang in the room. “The food is ready. It’s a buffet style, so feel free to grab whatever you like.”
Callum quickly dropped to his feet and ran to his mother. Lena quickly picked him up and pulled him into her arms, walking to where she had prepared plates for them.
Sami and Dominic led their families to where Lena and Naomi had arranged all the food. Sloane laughed and chatted with the Wildcat girls, who were hanging out in their own little huddle.
Hugh and Terry also walked to get some food, leaving Knox and me behind.
Knox rubbed his hand along my back softly. “What’s going on inside that head, little beauty?”
I leaned my head on his chest and looked at him.
“Just looking at how happy everyone is. How lucky we are to have found each other. To be a part of this big, beautiful family. So many groups of people, all in one room, who would’ve never crossed paths had it not been for the tragedies, the attacks, and the trauma that the five of us went through. ”
He pressed a kiss to my head. “I would’ve never met you had you not been a Wildcat, hunting down men, serving up justice.”
“I’m so glad you decided to hunt us. Hunt me.”
“I’ll always hunt you. Chase you. Stalk you. Obsess over you.”
My heart melted every time he said that.
Knox came into my life with the intention to destroy everything that I stood for, to capture my friends and me.
His little cat-and-mouse games, his stalking, his maddening obsession, and his constant need to be close to me healed that young Tara’s abandoned heart.
His sheer commitment to never leave my side, to be my personal Shadow, instilled a self-confidence in me that I didn’t even have before my attack.
The young Tara was starved for attention, hungry for even a hint of love. Lack of love and care from parents, the two most important people in a child’s life, would do that to someone. Make them soak up attention and obsession from even the worst of men. But that young Tara didn’t know any better.
If I told that young girl that a dark beast would arrive in her life, that he would love her with a passion so intense, that he’d fill her heart with so much warmth, that all his attention, his desires, his focus would be her, she’d happily suffer through the past five years of agony just to meet him.
I would never let anyone steal my dark beast from me.
Knox Steele had filled my life with unbridled happiness, unparalleled excitement, and sinfully filthy desires. He was my dark and devious monster, always having my back, protecting me like I was precious. Like I was his, and he was mine. Forever.