Chapter 35
"Was it Damien?" Cole's quiet question pierced the air like a blade, freezing the blood in my veins.
My mouth went dry as I stared at him, paralyzed by the accuracy of his guess.
The room seemed to shrink around me, the walls closing in as memories of my last punishment flashed through my mind, three Regents using my body to teach me a lesson about loyalty, leaving me broken and humiliated on the floor.
The colour drained from my face so quickly I felt lightheaded. Ryder's grip in my hair tightened fractionally, his blue eyes narrowing as he studied my reaction.
"Poison," he said, his voice dangerously soft, "answer the question." I tried to pull away from him, panic clawing up my throat.
"Please, I, it wasn't my fault. He approached me.
I didn't seek him out, I swear." My words tumbled out in a desperate rush, tears welling in my eyes.
The more I spoke, the tighter my chest became, until each breath was a struggle.
I could feel it building, the crushing weight of anxiety pressing down on me, the edges of my vision beginning to blur.
"Breathe," Ryder commanded, his tone shifting from seductive to authoritative. He released my hair and moved his hands to my shoulders, steadying me. "Look at me, Cade. Focus on my face." I tried, but the room was spinning, my lungs refusing to cooperate.
"I can't, " I gasped, clawing at my chest.
"Yes, you can," Ryder said firmly. He took one of my hands and pressed it against his chest. "Feel that?
Match it. In... and out." His chest rose and fell in an exaggerated rhythm beneath my palm.
Somewhere in the background, I was vaguely aware of Cole moving closer, hovering just at the edge of my peripheral vision, his mismatched eyes filled with concern.
"That's it," Ryder encouraged as I struggled to follow his breathing pattern. "Just like that, Poison. You're doing so fucking well."
Gradually, the vise around my chest loosened. The room stopped spinning, and I could focus on Ryder's face again, the unusual gentleness in his expression a stark contrast to his earlier predatory intensity.
"Better?" he asked quietly. I nodded, embarrassed by my breakdown but grateful for the momentary reprieve.
"Good girl," he murmured, tucking a strand of purple hair behind my ear. "Now, tell us what happened with Damien." I swallowed hard, knowing I had to give them something. Just not everything.
"After English class," I began, my voice still shaky, "Damien caught me alone. He asked to talk, and I agreed, just for a few minutes." Ryder's jaw tightened, but he remained silent, allowing me to continue.
“He led me between two buildings, away from everyone else. At first, he was talking about getting me away from you,” I glanced over at Cole, his face was devoid of emotion, impassive, but I swear for a moment I saw hurt,
“Poison,” Ryder said, guiding me to face him again. “Keep going.” I nodded, trying to control my breathing.
“I-I told him I couldn’t leave you guys, that I…” I looked at Cole again, “... that I didn't want to…” I turned back to Ryder, a tear escaping down my cheek, “He got angry.” I touched my throat gingerly, the memory of Damien's fingers crushing my windpipe making me flinch.
"He called me... names. Said I was turning into one of you, that I was just a slut for the Regents." My cheeks burned with humiliation. "When I tried to leave, he stopped me." I saw Cole's expression darkened dangerously, his hands curling into fists at his sides.
"Luce found us," I continued quickly. "She distracted him enough that I could knee him in the balls.
Then we ran." I fell silent, praying they wouldn't press for more.
I couldn't tell them about my previous collaboration with Damien, about the months I'd spent trying to find a way to break my contract and escape them, not after everything that had changed between us.
"Is that everything?" Ryder asked, his voice deceptively casual. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak the lie aloud.
"You're sure there's nothing else we should know?" he pressed, studying my face intently.
"Yes," I whispered, dropping my gaze. "That's everything."
A loaded silence fell between us. I could feel the weight of their scrutiny, the silent communication passing between them.
I was sure they wouldn’t believe me, that they would drag me to my knees and punish me, humiliate me.
Or what felt like so much worse now, leave me.
When I dared to look up, Ryder and Cole were exchanging a look I couldn't quite decipher, suspicion, perhaps, or calculation.
Finally, Ryder's attention returned to me. He leant in close, his lips brushing the shell of my ear. I tensed, waiting for him to tell me he knew I was lying. But instead I felt his breath, before he spoke.
"You did well, Poison," he whispered, sending a shiver down my spine.
"Good girl. Now, it's time for your reward.
" My breath caught in my throat. Despite everything, the fear, the guilt, the lingering shadow of my panic attack, heat pooled low between my legs at his words.
My body's response to him was automatic, Pavlovian, and I hated how easily he could ignite my desire.
"R-Reward?" I echoed, my voice small. Ryder's answering smile was pure sin.
"For telling us the truth. Or at least, as much of it as you're willing to share." His hand slid up my thigh, fingers teasing the hem of my shorts. I glanced nervously at Cole, still sitting in the chair, watching us with an intensity that made my skin prickle with awareness.
"Shouldn't he..." I gestured vaguely toward the door.
"Cole?" Ryder chuckled, low and dark. "Oh no, Poison. Cole stays." His hand moved higher, tracing patterns on my inner thigh, dangerously close to where I was already embarrassingly wet.
"Did you know," Ryder continued conversationally, "that Cole likes to watch almost as much as I do?
That we've both dreamt of sharing you? Could you imagine what it would be like to share us?
To have both of our cocks inside you, fucking you, together?
" My eyes widened, darting between them.
Cole's gaze had darkened, his breathing visibly quickening as he tracked Ryder's hand on my body.
"The thought turns you on, doesn't it?" Ryder murmured, his fingers finally brushing against my pussy through my shorts. I bit my lip to stifle a moan. "I can feel how wet you are already." He pressed harder, circling my clit through the fabric, making me squirm.
"Look at Cole," Ryder commanded softly. "Don't take your eyes off him." I obeyed, meeting Cole's gaze. What I saw there, hunger, desire, a barely leashed need, sent a fresh wave of arousal coursing through me.
"Good girl," Ryder praised, his free hand tugging at my shorts. "Lift your hips." I hesitated for just a moment before complying, allowing him to slide my shorts and underwear down my legs, leaving me exposed from the waist down. The cool air against my heated skin made me shiver.
"On your hands and knees," Ryder instructed, guiding me into position, facing Cole.
"Remember, don't stop looking at him, or I'll stop.
Understand?" I nodded, unable to tear my eyes away from Cole as Ryder's hands gripped my hips, positioning me.
I felt exposed, vulnerable, on display for both of them, and the thought sent a confusing mix of embarrassment and arousal through me.
Ryder's fingers found my entrance, tracing the wetness there before sliding inside me with practised ease. I gasped, my back arching involuntarily.
“Oh fuck,” I moaned, as he began slowly moving them in and out of me.
"She's soaked," Ryder informed Cole, his voice thick with satisfaction. "I think our Poison likes being watched." Cole shifted in his chair, his erection straining against his jeans.
"Touch yourself," Ryder told him. "Let her see how much you want her.
" Cole didn't hesitate. He unbuttoned his jeans and freed his cock, wrapping his hand around it.
My mouth went dry at the sight, and I couldn't help the whimper that escaped me as Ryder added another finger inside me, stretching me deliciously.
“Good boy.” I knew he wasn’t talking to me, but the words combined with the look on Cole’s face sent a rush of heat through me, centring on my pussy, and I felt myself clamp down on Ryder’s fingers, much to his amusement.
“Trust me?” Ryder asked, his thumb circling my clit as his fingers curled inside me, finding that spot that made my thighs tremble.
"Yes," I breathed, surprised by how much I meant it.
"That’s my good girl." Ryder withdrew his fingers, leaving me aching and empty. I heard the rustle of clothing as he undressed behind me, then felt the bed dip as he lay back against my pillows.
"Come here," he said, guiding me to straddle him, my back to him but still facing Cole.
"That's it. Take me deep." The head of his cock pressed against my entrance, and I sank down onto him with a moan, taking him inch by inch until he was fully seated inside me.
The stretch was exquisite, filling me completely.
"Fuck me," Ryder hissed, his hands gripping my hips. "You feel so fucking good, Poison." He began to move me, lifting me up and pulling me back down in a slow, torturous rhythm. I couldn't look away from Cole, whose hand worked his cock in time with our movements, his eyes dark with desire.
"Cole," Ryder called, his voice strained with pleasure. “Take off your clothes.” I couldn’t take my eyes off Cole as he undressed himself quickly. “Good, now come here.”
Cole approached the bed with predatory grace. He knelt between our spread legs, his gaze travelling over our joined bodies with hungry appreciation.
"Eat her," Ryder commanded. "Taste her clit while I fuck her." My eyes widened in shock.
"Ryder, I don't-"
"Shh," he soothed, stilling my hips. "If you don't want it, all you have to do is say no. Cole will wait for your permission. Won't you, Cole?" Cole nodded, his expression intense but patient.
"Only if you want it, Cade." The thought of Cole's mouth on me while Ryder filled me was overwhelmingly erotic. My clit throbbed with need, and I found myself teetering on the edge of surrender.
"She's thinking about it," Ryder murmured, his cock pulsing inside me.
"Look at her face, Cole. She wants it, doesn’t she, but she's afraid to admit how much.
" I bit my lip, torn between desire and the last vestiges of resistance.
Cole watched me, waiting, his cock still in his hand, pre-cum glistening at the tip.
The silence stretched, heavy with anticipation, until finally, I gave a single, almost imperceptible nod.
That was all Cole needed. He leant forward, his hot breath ghosting over my sensitised flesh for a heartbeat before his tongue found my clit. I cried out, my body jerking at the dual sensation of Ryder's cock inside me and Cole's mouth on my clit.
“Oh fuck, oh fuck,” I panted. I tried to move away, the sensation overwhelming, but Ryder held me firm by the hips, keeping so still inside me.
“Feel him baby,” he whispered. “Does his tongue feel good?”
“Oh god, yes,” I whimpered, and Ryder chuckled darkly, sending another shiver through my body.
"Fuck, that's hot," Ryder groaned as my pussy clamped down again, and began resuming his thrusts.
"Look at him, Poison. Look at how much he wants you.
" I couldn't look away if I tried. Cole's eyes remained locked with mine as he devoured me, his tongue circling my clit before flicking across it in quick, precise strokes.
Occasionally, his tongue would dip lower, licking along Ryder's shaft as it slid in and out of me, causing Ryder to groan behind me, the sight so obscenely erotic it made my head spin.
"Add your fingers," Ryder instructed Cole, his voice strained. "I want to feel them alongside my cock." Cole obeyed, sliding one finger inside me alongside Ryder's thick length. The added stretch made me gasp, my inner walls clenching around them both.
"Another," Ryder demanded, his voice thick with lust, and Cole complied, working a second finger into my stretched entrance.
It was tight, and I could feel the burn as he slowly worked the two fingers inside me.
The sensation was overwhelming: Ryder's cock, Cole's fingers, both moving inside me, while Cole's tongue continued its relentless assault on my clit.
I was rapidly approaching the edge, my thighs trembling, my breathing ragged.
"You're going to come for us, aren't you, Poison?" Ryder purred, his thrusts becoming more forceful. "Going to come with both of us inside you."
"Yes," I moaned, beyond shame, beyond anything but the pleasure building to an unbearable crescendo.
That's when I saw him, Logan, standing in the doorway, watching us with an unreadable expression. Our eyes met across the room, and I felt a pang of something like guilt twist in my chest.
"He wants to join us," Ryder whispered in my ear, having noticed Logan's presence.
"All you have to do is invite him in. Imagine what it would be like for all three of us to worship you at the same time.
" For a moment, I was tempted. Despite everything, the fight, his hand around my throat, the cruel words we'd exchanged, part of me wanted him here, wanted to be surrounded by all three of them, completely claimed.
But the hurt was still too fresh, the anger still simmering beneath the surface.
I turned my head away, a silent rejection that felt more significant than any words could have been.
When I looked back, Logan was gone, the doorway empty.
A strange emptiness settled in my chest, quickly overwhelmed by the mounting pleasure as Cole curled his fingers inside me, hitting that perfect spot while his tongue flicked rapidly over my clit.
"Come for us," Ryder commanded, his cock pulsing inside me.
"Now, Cadence." The sound of my actual name on his lips, not "Poison" or "Princess," pushed me over the edge.
I came with a scream, my body convulsing around them both, waves of pleasure crashing over me with such intensity that tears sprang to my eyes.
Cole didn't stop, his fingers and tongue working me through my orgasm, prolonging it until I was sobbing with overstimulation, my body wracked with aftershocks that seemed to go on forever.