Chapter 13
ELENA
Reeve pressed a quick kiss to my mouth, and I barely had time to catch my breath before he murmured, “Go with Wizard. He’ll be able to put your skills to the best use. I’ll check on you soon.”
Wizard jerked his head toward the door. “Come on.”
I followed him down a long hallway I hadn’t noticed last night. He stopped in front of a door and leaned forward to unlock it using a retinal scanner.
A soft beep sounded, and the lock released. The door swung open, and my jaw dropped.
The entire far wall was covered in screens. A half-circle desk dominated the room, multiple computers humming on top of it. There was also a tiny kitchenette, a couch, and a smaller desk. Scattered across many of the flat surfaces were gadgets that looked complicated and expensive.
I stepped inside slowly, overwhelmed. It was very different from the art studio and tattoo shop I was used to. I felt like I was walking into a completely different world.
Wizard nudged a rolling chair toward me. “Sit. You do what you do, and I’ll match your reconstructions to the syndicate database I’ve been building.”
I swallowed, forcing down the anxiety and pulling my sketchbook and tablet from my bag. This was my chance to fix my mess. Even if my hands shook a little, I couldn’t afford to back down.
I opened to a clean page and began sorting the fragments Wizard handed me. As the first lines formed beneath my pencil, the familiar rush of structure settled into place and calmed the frantic beat of my heart.
Overwhelmed or not, I knew how to do this. And I wasn’t about to let Jareth use my mind against me ever again. Instead, I’d turn it against him with the help of the Hounds of Hellfire MC.
Wizard handed me the first set of partial photos and blurred screenshots that meant nothing to most people. But the moment I looked at them, the familiar pressure pricked at the back of my eyes.
I started with a half-formed symbol carved into steel. My pencil moved before I fully understood what I was filling in, the structure revealing itself beneath my fingers.
Wizard leaned over my shoulder. “You don’t even hesitate.”
“I don’t need to,” I murmured, sketching the missing diagonal and a thinner connecting line. “It only fits one way.”
I flipped to the next page, sorting symbols into three groups without thinking. I only realized I’d done it automatically when Wizard whistled under his breath.
“Good work,” he muttered, typing furiously on one of his keyboards.
As we moved to a new set, my anger grew.
Every stroke of my pencil peeled back another lie Jareth had wrapped in praise.
He’d given me exercises that felt like challenges meant to improve my technique.
But all along, he’d been training me to break down and rebuild these symbols without ever letting me see what I was actually doing.
It was manipulation disguised as mentorship.
My jaw tightened, and I pressed harder on the next pencil stroke.
Wizard kept pace, assigning every variation I reconstructed to a criminal organization. But I felt no pride in what we were accomplishing.
Hours passed in a blur of lines and Wizard’s muttered curses. My hand flew across the page faster with each symbol.
The only times I snapped out of it were when Reeve came to check on me. He made sure I ate and stayed hydrated. His presence steadied the chaos swirling inside me. He didn’t say much, just squeezed my shoulder before moving behind Wizard to glare at the screens like he wanted to break something.
When he returned to check if my hand was cramping, the pressure building inside me finally boiled over.
“He marked me,” I choked out. “Like I was his.”
Reeve’s hand froze over mine, and the muscle in his jaw flexed so hard I thought it might crack.
I kept going. “Jareth used me. He shaped my brain as it belonged to him.” My breath hitched as my throat tightened. “He took advantage of the one thing that made me…me.”
Reeve’s breathing turned harsh, controlled only by sheer force of will.
Wizard pretended to be deeply engrossed in his monitors, but even he seemed to shrink a little at the tension pouring off Reeve.
I swiped at my cheek, furious when my fingers came away damp. “I hate the tattoo on my calf. That I walked around for months not knowing I’d been branded like property.”
Reeve moved before I could take another breath. He stepped between me and the desk, blocking everything else out. Then he leaned in, his eyes burning with something lethal. “You think he owns you?”
“No,” I whispered, shaking my head quickly. “I’m not his.”
“Damn straight you’re not.” He braced one hand on the desk beside my hip, the other curling lightly around the back of my neck. His touch was unmistakably possessive. “Because you’re mine.”
I swallowed hard, my voice barely audible. “Reeve.”
His thumb stroked the side of my throat, feeling my pulse hammer against it. His voice was strained like he was one second away from losing control. “You’re done here for tonight. Let’s go.”
Reeve didn’t say anything else as he scooped me up like I weighed nothing, my legs automatically wrapping around his waist while his big hands gripped my butt to hold me tightly against him.
My heart hammered as he carried me through the clubhouse and upstairs to his room, using his hip to shut the door behind us.
He set me on my feet just long enough for me to kick off my shoes and him to get his boots off. Then he fisted my hair gently and tipped my head back. When I licked my lips, he groaned low in his throat.
“Been dying to taste you again, baby,” he rasped before his mouth crashed against mine.
His tongue demanded entry, sweeping in deep to claim every inch. I melted against him, my fingers clutching his cut as I kissed him back just as desperately.
He broke away to yank the tee over my head in one rough motion. My bra barely contained my breasts. He tugged the cups down, his thumbs brushing my hard nipples until I whimpered.
“These perfect tits were made to fit my hands. And my mouth.” He dipped his head and sucked one rigid peak deep, his teeth grazing just enough to make me arch into him with a cry.
“Reeve,” I gasped, threading my fingers through his hair.
He switched to the other breast, sucking harder while his hands dropped to my butt. In one smooth lift, he boosted me up again. My legs locked around his waist as he stumbled toward the bed, never letting my nipple go until he dropped me onto the mattress with a bounce.
I giggled, breathless, but the sound died when his dark eyes raked over me. He hooked his fingers in the waistband of my borrowed sweatpants and stripped them off with my panties in a single yank.
“So fucking wet for me already, baby. Look at this pretty pussy.” He dropped to his knees, shoved my thighs wide, and slid his hands under my butt to lift me to his mouth.
One long lick up my slit, and he groaned like a starving man. “Tastes so goddamn good. Sweet as fuck. Gonna eat your pussy until you scream my name.”
His tongue circled my clit, then plunged inside with slow, deep strokes. I moaned, my hips bucking off the mattress. “Reeve, oh yes!”
“That’s it, baby. Ride my face. Come all over my tongue.” He feasted on me until I shattered twice, crying out his name.
When he finally let up, he ripped off his shirt and shoved his pants down. His dick sprang free, the head beaded with precome. Then he crawled over me and settled between my thighs. “Gonna stretch you so good. Fill you up until you feel every inch.”
He kissed me again while he nudged my legs wider. The broad tip of his dick bumped my entrance before he pushed in slowly, stretching me inch by inch.
“Fuck, you’re tight,” he grunted, pausing when he was finally balls deep. “Even after I filled this pussy last night.”
The reminder that we hadn’t used a single condom any of the times he’d taken me should’ve freaked me out, but I was too far gone to worry about the risks we were taking.
He pulled out, then slammed back in. Clutching his shoulders, I pleaded, “More. Harder, Reeve. Please.”
What remained of his control snapped. He gripped my hips and pounded into me, balls slapping my butt with every deep thrust. “Fuck, baby. Your perfect little pussy is milking my cock.”
He hooked my legs around his waist and grabbed the headboard for leverage. Then he slammed in hard and fast, hitting spots that made stars burst behind my eyes.
“Oh yeah. Fuck, you feel incredible. Squeeze that pussy. Just like that.” He shifted, grinding against my clit with every drive.
I clenched hard around him, teetering on the edge. “So close.”
“Come all over my dick while I fill you up.”
A pinch to my clit sent me flying. I screamed his name as I shattered, pulsing around him.
He thrust deep one last time, hot spurts splashing against my inner walls. “That’s it. Take it all, baby.”
Finally spent, he collapsed half on me, rolling us to our sides while staying buried deep. “Fuck, baby. You wrecked me.”
I caught my breath, smiling against his chest. “That was…”
“Perfect,” he finished, kissing my forehead. “Just like you.”
Almost as though he felt my thoughts drift to the tattoo on my leg, his thumb brushed over my calf. When he lifted his gaze to mine, something fierce and unguarded burned in his eyes. “I’m covering this.”
His tone brooked no argument, but it was also exactly what I wanted. So I just asked, “With what?”
“Come up with a design, and I’ll put it on you myself.”
That sounded perfect to me.