Chapter 29
ZAHARA
I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Larry’s face. The blood. The way his body just dropped. The sound his head made when it hit that counter. I killed someone. The thought kept circling. Relentless. Suffocating.
“You up?” Yusef’s voice came from the hallway.
I forced myself to sit up, wiping my face quickly. “Yeah, baby. I’m up.”
He appeared in my doorway, already dressed in his school uniform. The bruise on his face had darkened overnight. His cracked glasses sat crooked on his nose.
Guilt crashed over me. I’d been so consumed with my own crisis, I hadn’t even taken care of getting him new glasses.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’ll get you new glasses today. I promise.”
“It’s okay. I can see fine.” He couldn’t, but he was trying to make it easier on me.
“Yusef—”
“I gotta go, or I’ll be late.” But he was looking at me weird. Studying my face.
“You okay? You look…”
“I’m fine, baby. Just tired.” I stood, moving to the kitchen even though my hands were shaking. “Come eat something before you go.”
“I’m not really hungry.”
“Yusef, you need to eat—”
“I said I’m not hungry!” He snapped, then immediately looked guilty. “Sorry. I just… can I go? I need to catch up with Nigel before school starts.”
“Okay. But I’m serious about switching you to a different school. After this year, we’re moving somewhere better.”
“You keep saying that.” His voice was flat.
“I mean it. I promise.”
He nodded but didn’t look convinced. Just grabbed his backpack and headed for the door.
“I love you,” I called after him.
“Love you too.”
The door closed and I was alone.
And then I broke.
Slid down the kitchen cabinet, buried my face in my hands, and sobbed. Deep, ugly, terrified sobs that I’d been holding back since Prime sent me home.
What if someone found out? What if they traced Larry back to me? What if Prime couldn’t really fix this, and I ended up in prison, and Yusef ended up in foster care or worse?
I couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think past the panic.
Three hard knocks on my door made me jump.
I froze. Heart pounding. Police?
“Open the door, Zahara.”
Prime.
I scrambled up, wiping my face even though it was useless. Opened the door.
He stood there looking like he hadn’t slept either. Eyes bloodshot. Jaw tight. Still wearing the same clothes from last night.
“Why you crying?” His voice was rough. Demanding.
“I just—I can’t stop thinking about—”
He walked in, not waiting for an invitation, and kicked the door shut behind him. His hands gripped my face, his eyes boring into mine.
“What did I tell you last night?”
“That you’d handle it.”
“So why the fuck you in here falling apart?” His grip tightened. Not painful, but firm. Possessive. “Why you not trusting me?”
“I do trust you, but—”
“But nothing. Either you trust me or you don’t. Which is it?”
“I trust you,” I whispered.
“Then act like it.” He pulled me against his chest, one hand fisting in my hair.
“You think I spent all night cleaning up that kitchen, disposing of a body, scrubbing blood off tile just so you could sit here crying? Worried about shit I already took care of?”
“I’m sorry, I just—”
“Stop apologizing.” His hand tightened in my hair, pulling my head back so I had to look at him. “You’re mine now, Zahara. That means when something happens to you, I handle it. That means you don’t worry. You don’t stress. You don’t do shit except trust me to take care of it. You understand?”
“Yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Good.” But he didn’t let go. Just kept staring at me like he was trying to see inside my head.
“I ain’t been able to think about nothing but you since last night.
Couldn’t focus. Just kept seeing your face when you called me.
Kept thinking about what would’ve happened if you hadn’t grabbed that knife. ”
His jaw clenched, rage flashing in his eyes.
“I wanted to bring that nigga back to life just so I could kill him again. Slower this time. Make him suffer for what he tried to do to you.”
“Prime—”
“You don’t go nowhere at night alone no more.
You hear me? Nowhere. You need to go to the store, you call me.
You need to go to Grits, you call me. You need to go to the damn bathroom in a public place, you text me first. I don’t give a fuck if you think you’re being a burden.
You’re mine to protect and I take that shit seriously.
Actually, I’d tell you to quit Grits if it wasn’t so hot right now. ”
“That’s too much. I can’t ask you to—”
“You’re not asking. I’m telling you.” His eyes went darker. More intense. “From now on, you don’t make moves without me knowing. You understand?”
It should’ve scared me. Should’ve felt controlling and suffocating.
Instead, it made me feel safe in a way I hadn’t ever felt.
“I understand,” I said softly.
“Say it back to me. Say you won’t go nowhere without telling me.”
“I won’t go anywhere without telling you.”
“Again.”
“I won’t go anywhere without telling you, Prime.”
“Good.” He released my hair but didn’t step back. Just cupped my face, his thumbs brushing away the tears still on my cheeks. “You’re still scared though. Still tense. I can feel it.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Shh.” He set me on the bed, then knelt in front of me. His hands went to my sweatpants. “I’m gonna make you feel better, Goddess. Gonna make you forget everything except me.”
“I don’t think—”
“I’m not asking.” His voice dropped to that alpha tone that made my pussy clench. “I’m telling you. You’re gonna let me take care of you. Let me ease your mind. You understand?”
I should’ve argued. Should’ve said I wasn’t in the mood. But the way he was looking at me—like he knew exactly what I needed even when I didn’t—made me nod.
“That’s my good girl.” He pulled my sweatpants down, along with my panties, leaving me bare from the waist down. “Now lay back.”
I obeyed, my heart racing.
He spread my thighs, positioning himself between them. His eyes locked on mine as his hands ran up the inside of my legs.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said, his voice rough. “Even scared. Even crying. Still the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.”
“Prime—”
“And you’re mine now. You understand that?” His fingers traced through my folds, teasing. “This pussy. This body. This fear you’re carrying. It’s all mine to handle.”
“Yes,” I breathed.
“Yes, what?”
“I’m yours.”
“Damn right you are.” He leaned down, his breath hot against my core. “Now let me show you what that means.”
His tongue slid through my folds, and I gasped, my back arching off the bed.
“That’s it, Goddess,” he murmured against me. “Let it out. Let me hear you.”
He licked me slowly. Deliberately. Like he had all the time in the world. Like making me come apart was the only thing that mattered.
His tongue circled my clit, then flicked it just right, making my thighs shake.
“Prime, oh God—”
“Not God, baby. Just me.” He slid two fingers inside me, curling them while his tongue worked my clit. “Just Prime taking care of what’s his.”
I couldn’t think. Couldn’t worry. Couldn’t do anything except feel.
Every lick. Every thrust of his fingers. Every vibration when he groaned against me like I was the best thing he’d ever tasted.
“You taste so fucking good,” he said, pulling back just enough to speak. “Could eat this pussy all day and never get tired of it.”
Then he dove back in, sucking my clit into his mouth while his fingers moved faster, hitting that spot that made me see stars.
“Prime, I’m—I’m gonna—”
“Then come. Come all over my face, Goddess. Give it to me.”
The orgasm hit me like a wave. Crashing over me, drowning out every thought, every fear, every worry. There was only sensation. Only pleasure. Only him.
He didn’t stop. Just kept working me through it, his tongue and fingers drawing out every last tremor until I was gasping, boneless, completely wrecked.
Finally, he pulled back, his face glistening with my arousal, his eyes dark with satisfaction.
“Better?” he asked, his voice smug.
“I…” I couldn’t form words. Could barely remember my own name.
“That’s what I thought.” He stood, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, then leaned over me. Kissed me deep so I could taste myself on his tongue. “You’re mine, Zahara. Your fear. Your stress. Your pleasure. All of it belongs to me now. And I take care of what’s mine.”
“I know,” I whispered.
“Good.” He kissed my forehead. Tender despite everything. “Now get some rest. I got shit to handle, but I’ll check on you later.”
“Where are you going?”
“Don’t worry about it. Just trust me, remember?”
“I trust you.”
“Then close your eyes and sleep. You’re safe. I promise.”
He pulled a blanket over me, kissed me one more time, then left.
I lay there in the aftermath, my body still buzzing my mind finally quiet.
He was right. I did feel better. The fear was still there, hovering at the edges, but it wasn’t consuming me anymore.
Because Prime had it handled.
More than that—Prime had claimed me in a way that felt permanent. Final. Like I was his now, and nothing could change that.
And despite everything—the lies, the secrets, the danger—I wanted to be his.
Even knowing it was only a matter of time before everything fell apart.