1. Barrett
BARRETT
“ E yes on me,” I said through gritted teeth as I wrapped my fingers around the throat of a female—one whose name I hadn’t cared to learn. She rode my cock in a steady rhythm, her skirts bunched around her hips and fuck did it feel good to be inside a female again.
Her eyes fell to me; they were a flat gray, glazed over in her drunkenness and barely catching the light of the single candle resting on the nearby shelf.
What the hell was I searching for in them?
She moaned as I tightened my grip, restricting her flow of oxygen as my other hand grabbed her hip, and I lifted mine to meet her in a thrust. Her back arched as she tightened around me.
I pulled her off before she could come and rolled her onto her stomach as I rose to my knees and grabbed her hips.
In one, smooth motion, I plunged into her from behind, slamming into her without hesitation or care.
Her back arched as she gasped, and I worked my hips, sinking myself deeper and deeper until I was fully seated.
I shouldn’t have cared if she finished, shouldn’t have cared if she enjoyed it, but perhaps there was still something good in me, something that…cared? Fuck. What was I thinking? Why did I care? Why should I care? I didn’t owe this female anything; not my name, my thoughts, my?—
She’s using you just as much as you’re using her. They only want you for what you can give them. It’s all they ever want. She’ll use you and throw you away.
My fangs lengthened as the hunger crawled up my throat, and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d fed.
No, I wouldn’t take from her, didn’t want to feel her in my system after we were done.
I ground my teeth together and ignored the hunger as I slammed into her, her body jerking against me.
“You like it rough, don’t you? Want me to ruin this little cunt? ”
“Yes... please .” I planted my hand on her shoulder and pushed her chest into the stone floor as I thrusted deeper, harder. “Mark me as yours.”
The flames raged within me at the command, the claim, and I pulled myself from her as I shoved her forward onto the dirty floor.
She collapsed in a panting mess before she pushed herself up on unstable arms. “What are you?—”
“I’m not yours, and I won’t be claiming you,” I said through clenched teeth as I rose to my feet and pulled my trousers on.
She pushed herself up, her hair disheveled, her dress bunched and wrinkled, her sleeve sliding off her shoulder. “W-what?”
I didn’t respond as I checked my chest, ensuring she hadn’t left any marks when she’d kissed me earlier before going down on me.
None.
Good.
She seemed to realize the best orgasm of her life was about to walk out the door, and I honestly didn’t give two shits that I was still hard. I turned from her as I pulled my shirt on, eager to find someone else to finish what we’d started.
“Wait, you can’t—" She reached for me, her fingers catching on the delicate gold chain on my wrist.
I stiffened as she tugged on the bracelet in an attempt to draw me back to her. My heart plummeted at the thought of the bracelet breaking. Something snapped, and heat flared beneath my skin, the candle’s flame growing larger on the shelf, the wax melting at an alarming rate.
Before I could think, my hand wrapped around her throat and I slammed her up against the nearby wall. She gasped, and her eyes popped wide as I pinned her in place, lowering my face to hers.
“I am not yours ,” I growled, enunciating every word, my fangs bared. “You are nothing but a quick fuck.”
My fingers trembled against her skin, the flame pressing against the cage of my body, eager to devour her. “Put your hands on me again, and I’ll snap your fucking neck.”
Tears welled in her eyes, her hands fumbling at my arms. The last words I’d heard from the bracelet’s owner rang out through my mind, and the flames raging within me shuddered and diminished, something pulling me away.
Please... Stop... I can’t brea ? —
I released her as I stepped back, my hands shaking. The female collapsed to the floor, her hand shooting up to her throat where a red outline of my hand marked her skin.
No… I’m not him.
I hesitated, guilt dousing the flames as she shook on the floor before me. I should comfort her, apologize. Fuck.
“Stay the fuck away from me,” I growled and turned, leaving her in the storage closet of the pub.
A sharp knock at my door jolted me from sleep, and the room spun as I sat up with a groan.
I blinked; my head was pounding, my mouth bone dry.
Gods, how much had I drank last night? I’d managed to find another female; she’d been a decent fuck, but based on the lingering burning in my throat and stomach, I’d neglected to feed.
Beyond that, I couldn’t remember much else.
The sun leaked through the window of the small room, burning my eyes, and I rubbed my hands over my face. I didn’t remember finding my way back from the pub last night, nor what time I’d collapsed in my bed. My jaw ached, my muscles tight and sore, knuckles red. Had I gotten into a fight?
The knock came again, followed by a familiar female voice. “Barrett? Are you awake?”
Fuck, what time was it? Was I late to training? She was going to kill me.
“I’m up,” I croaked, rubbing my hands over my face again, as if they could wipe every bit of what happened the night before from existence. “It’s unlocked. Come in.”
The door creaked open, revealing the female I was still unsure of yet owed everything to.
Her long, curly black hair was already tied into a braid that tumbled over her shoulder.
Her pale silver eyes roamed the room she’d set me up in, which was now a mess of the few objects I possessed and little else.
She donned the black training attire of The Order, her loose black top tucked into her black trousers that hugged her legs until they were swallowed by her tall black boots.
I’d once worn that uniform, before...
“Lucia,” I muttered in acknowledgment, but it came out a bit more annoyed than I intended .
“Good morning, Barrett,” she said, her voice soft, patient, a little cheerful. She tossed a sack onto the foot of my bed. “I brought your training uniforms. You never came by to get them yesterday. I figured you might have been a bit preoccupied exploring the town.”
“Shit,” I groaned, pushing myself up, but I froze as the blanket slipped down to my hips and the cold air kissed my naked skin. I pulled the blanket back over myself. “Fuck—sorry.”
She huffed a laugh and seemed to pay me no mind as she turned to the nearby window. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
Sunlight flooded the small room as she drew back the curtains. I grimaced, shielding my eyes. What part of the underworld did morning people crawl out of, and why was their first instinct at sunrise to fucking blind themselves?
“Sounded like you enjoyed your first night of freedom,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her tone. Why was she so fucking cheerful? “Glad you didn’t take off on me.”
I cringed. What had Semele told her? Had the female run her mouth?
Something twisted in my chest, and irritation at the thought of the pub owner turned to guilt.
Lucia approached the bed and leaned down to my level.
Before I could pull away, she lifted my chin to examine my face, and her other hand rose.
Every instinct went on high alert, my body tensing of its own accord, as if preparing to be struck.
But she didn’t hit me.
Her fingers brushed my brow tenderly, and I winced.
“Get into a fight last night?”
I didn’t answer—not because I didn’t want to, but because I couldn’t remember.
Semele stocked ambrosia liquor in her pub.
The shit hit hard if you didn’t have a tolerance for it, and it had been decades since my last drink.
I hadn’t even realized how drunk I was until I found myself in a storage closet with that female.
Something icy crawled over my skin as I wondered if I’d left a mark on her throat.
She reached into a pouch affixed to her belt, retrieving a small, amber glass bottle.
“I don’t care if you have a good time, but please try to stay out of trouble—for my sake.
” She removed the lid and ran her fingers through the creamy contents before reaching out to my forehead.
I flinched, my hand shooting up to grab her wrist. She didn’t react, didn’t draw back, and that stupid warm expression remained on her face.
“It’s all right. It’s a healing salve I made. ”
I eyed her wearily but eased my grip, and she spread the solution over the wound. It almost immediately soothed the sting, and my shoulders eased.
A soft smile curved the corner of her lips, as if she was enjoying tending to me, and her gaze drifted over my face, likely checking for other wounds. “I may have gotten you out of the dungeons once, but that doesn’t mean I will be able to keep you out if you do something stupid. ”
My eyes dropped from her, the truth of her words leaving smoldering irritation in my chest like a wyvern who’d held back their flame.
I wanted to argue, but for the first time in my life.
..I couldn’t. Shit, I should be grateful for what she’d done.
I owed her everything. By every right, I should be rotting in a cell right now—for the rest of my life—after what I did.
“Here,” she said, replacing the lid on the container before handing it to me. “In case you find yourself with any more of these mysterious injuries. Promise me next time that you make sure it’s someone who deserves it.”
I eyed her wearily but took the glass jar she offered before looking down at it.
The light caught on the delicate gold chain on my wrist, the one that had nearly broken the night before.
It was the only thing I had left of her, and I’d thought it lost when I was locked away.
Fuck, I couldn’t believe I’d snapped on that female the way I had last night.
“You all right?” Lucia asked, the inner corners of her black brows curving upward.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” I lied, grabbing the clothes.
Her silver gaze lingered on me a moment, as if assessing whether I was telling the truth or not, but then she drew a deep breath and turned for the door. “Get dressed and meet me in the hall. We have some things to do before you start training tomorrow.”