51. The Volunteer
THE VOLUNTEER
Before I let Austin whisk me away, I took care of a few things.
One, I touched base with all my villains, so they stopped tearing apart the city to find me. I also let them know that the check-ins were no longer necessary—and by I, I mean Austin told them to leave me the fuck alone while I recovered. Everyone was pleased to know both Avalanche and I were alive.
Two, I let the hospitals know that I was okay. I didn’t tell them exactly what happened, only that someone tried to use me to get to the villains, and I was going to take some time away. They were incredibly understanding and told me to take as much time as I needed.
Three, I called all the girls from the hospitals—even Jessica—and told them I was okay but I’d be taking an extended leave. A few fussed to see me in person, which I made time to do, but mostly they were just relieved to hear from me.
Four, I started the process of legally changing my last name.
I hadn’t done it before because it would be hard to explain, but at this point I just wanted our last name—officially.
I was sure people would still have questions, but I’d been missing for four weeks so they’d probably chalk it up to trauma or something.
Five, I asked Austin to take us up to the cottage.
I’d hidden my engagement ring and wedding band in a loose floorboard before I’d tried to sneak out.
I knew there was a good chance I was going to be taken, and I’d wanted to make sure no one got ahold of it.
For the first time since our courthouse elopement, I wore my rings out in public.
Six, I stopped by the police station to give a statement and hand over all the evidence Officer Castle had collected and given to Austin before he left the city.
The mountain collapsing made international headlines.
I knew it would come back to me, so I got proactive.
I gave them a very detailed—mostly true—statement.
I told them all about a group of people who were trying to take over the world.
That I’d been taken and held against my will by members of the Senate, HoC, and their very own police force.
Then I followed it up with the fact that I was leaving the country for an unknown amount of time.
They’d tried to make me stay, but my girl Vivian tore them a new asshole.
She also started a lawsuit on my behalf.
Would it go anywhere? Who knows, but it didn’t hurt to try.
Seven, I gave everything I knew to the media so the police couldn’t sweep this under the rug. I was going to make damn sure every single person related to New Dawn was going to hang for this.
On April 21st, I was sitting first class on a plane destined for Bora Bora with my husband. You know, I really loved being a strong, independent woman, but marrying a rich man definitely had its perks. Sipping mimosas on a plane headed for my dream vacation spot, being the main one.
On April 22nd, we were walking into the villa Austin reserved.
I barely took half a second to look around before I was trying to get him into the bedroom.
I was too busy running around trying to get all my shit done to make good on my promise, but now we were here and I was going to love the fuck out of my husband.
He dropped our bags at the door and picked me up instead. He pressed me against the nearest wall so he could tug at the string behind my neck holding my shirt on. I double-knotted it, which caused him a great deal of frustration until he decided to rip it off instead.
“Before you yell at me, I’ll buy you a new one, scout’s honour,” he mumbled, kissing his way down my neck and chest.
“Don’t bother, I double knotted it on purpose—already bought myself six identical ones.”
He groaned. “She-demon. You’re going to be the death of me.”
“So I shouldn’t tell you I snuck into the bathroom before we got on the shuttle and removed my underwear so I’d be ready for you?”
His hands slid under my skirt and he let out another low groan when he found I wasn’t lying.
“Fuck.” He put me down and pulled back. “Bedroom. Now.”
He didn’t have to tell me twice, I was down the hall and jumping on the bed five seconds later. He trailed slower behind me, bringing our bags in too. I’d slid out of my skirt by the time he joined me.
“Jesus Christ, you really are trying to kill me,” he muttered under his breath.
“No, I’m trying to get my husband to fuck me. Is it working?”
“Yes.”
He strolled to the edge of the bed and wrapped his hand around my ankle, tugging me to him.
I squealed. “Hey! That wasn’t nice.”
He dropped to his knees and looked up at me. “Forgive me, I got ahead of myself.”
“Beg me,” I teased.
“Forgive me.” He kissed the inside of my knee. “Please.” He kissed his way up my inner thigh. “Please,” he whispered, voice cracking slightly, and I knew he didn’t mean for this.
I pulled him onto the bed with me.
“Aus, look at me,” I said softly when he wouldn’t meet my gaze.
Instead, he kissed me. Cheek, neck, shoulder, jaw.
“I don’t deserve you.”
“Stop that.” I grabbed his chin and forced his eyes on mine. “I love you, whether you think you deserve it or not. You didn’t let this happen to me, Niko showed me what happened in the forest and how hard you tried to get back to me. It’s not your fault.”
He kissed me softly, pulling me closer. My hands went to the hem of his shirt so I could pull it over his head. He tried to go right back to kissing me but I stopped him, getting misty eyed as I looked at his chest. He looked down at himself, a little smirk growing on his face.
“Do you like it?”
He got a nightshade tattoo—his only tattoo. The stem sat between his pecks, four small leaves decorated the empty space between each flower. The nightshade flowers themselves weren’t in bloom, designed in black and white—except one. Directly over his heart the flower was mostly bloomed and purple.
I ran my fingers over it. “I love it. When did you get it? Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“A few days after they took you, I needed to have a piece of you with me. As for not telling you… I wanted a dramatic reveal, like you did.” He grinned.
I smiled, tracing every detail. “I hadn’t planned to tell you this, but when I got my dragon, I put it over my heart because you already had it—my heart, I mean—even back then.”
He pulled me into his lap, lips going right to the dragon’s tail. “You’ve had my heart the moment I learned you’d been stalking me for two months.”
I laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”
I felt him smile.
“Only for you. Now, I seem to remember you wanting to be fucked. Is that still the case?”
“Yes.”
He flipped me onto my back, kneeling between my legs so he could get his belt undone and slip out of his shorts. He laid back down on top of me, and kissed me again. He didn’t line himself up yet, opting to grind on me instead.
He was going slow, not to tease me or torture me, but to make sure I was really okay. To let me know he would wait if I needed him to. Because less than seventy-two hours ago I was trapped in a mountain and he would understand if I needed more time.
I didn’t. I wanted this the second I saw him appear in my cell. But I loved him more because of his hesitation, his unwillingness to do literally anything to hurt me. He was perfect.
“Please Aus, I need you.”
He pulled back, taking a second to study my face before he finally adjusted himself and slid in. I moaned, he groaned.
“Fuck. I’m going to last negative two seconds, you feel so fucking good.”
I chuckled, causing my walls to clench around him. He hissed in a breath.
“Violet, don’t do that.”
“Or what?”
“I’m going to break my promise.”
“The one where I come first? Oh good; I love when you do. You always work so hard to make it up to me.”
He groaned again.
“Fuck it,” he mumbled, pulling out and slamming back in again and again and again until his breathing began to labour and his whole body shuttered. “Fuck, I missed you,” he whispered, kissing me anywhere he could reach without moving.
I giggled, twirling the hair at his nape around my finger.
“I missed you too.”
“I don’t know about you but I’d like to get the twenty-two hours of flying washed off before we continue.”
“That sounds like a really great idea, I think I got a little ahead of myself there.”
He chuckled, picking me up to walk to the bathroom.
“Fine by me, I love that you can’t resist me.”
He flashed me a cocky smirk before setting me down on the bathroom counter. I pushed him playfully with my foot.
“I think you need an ego check, Mr. Winterhayes.”
He hummed, turning the water on. “I think Mrs. Winterhayes needs to be reminded why my ego is in perfect working order.”
“You’re right, I think she does too.”
He grinned and pulled me into the shower with him. He spent a few minutes making sure I was thoroughly soaped. I spent a bit longer working on him, until he got fed up, dropped to his knees, tossed my legs over his shoulders, and devoured me like I was his last meal.
“I don’t think that reminder was good enough, you’ll have to do better next time.”
“As you wish, my love.”
And he did.