“You piss me off you can guarantee I’ll have my foot up your ass, but on the other note. “You were right.”

  I admitted to what he said just hours ago when he fucked me for the first time.

  “And what happens when I break you one time too many? Say the wrong thing and can’t make it better?” I clasped my arms around his neck, situating my pussy right over his cock.

  “I’m not some fragile thing, Z. You’ve placed a gun to my head. That’s the worst of your offenses. I can handle your rough. I can handle your dominance. I can handle you being an asshole. You know what hurt more than anything? When you didn’t take my goddamn hand.”

  He laughed an actual full belly laugh, tightening his grip on me.

  “Tell me again how what I said was fucked up? Because the shit that just came out your mouth wasn’t any better.”

  I slipped my hands down to the hem of his shirt, lifting it up as I pressed myself down onto him.

  “See. We’re both fucked up. So let’s just live every day fucked up together.” I tossed his shirt to the side, helping him remove mine, followed by my bra.

  “Together huh?” he questioned, placing a kiss on each of my breasts.

  I ground my hips against down on the bulge in his jeans, suppressing a moan at how good it felt.

  “Tell me what you need, princess.” His calloused fingers trailed up my spine to grip the back of my neck, leaving a blaze in their path.

  His breath fanned over my budding nipples, lips nibbled on my neck.

  “I need you…” He gently sunk his teeth into my lobe, throwing me off kilter.

  Placing my hands on his solid chest, I leaned back so I could see his face.

  “I need you to let me fuck you.”

  He didn’t look at all surprised by my request. I expected some objection at least, not him to lift me and help me out of my boots and pants.

  When I was completely naked in front of him, he spread his legs and grinned. “By all means, ride me your fucking heart out.”

  I didn’t feel as if he were taking me seriously.

  I climbed back onto his lap, not allowing myself to think about where we were right then.

  I held onto his shoulder and dropped one hand to the zipper of his jeans, dragging it down.

  He lifted his hips to help me shove the denim down just enough free his gorgeous cock.

  I stared down, smiling at his hiss as I ran a thumb over the smooth tip, thighs clenching at the sight of his barbell.

  “Put my dick inside you, princess.” The abrasion of his voice and the look in his eyes had me desperate to do just that.

  I gripped him firmly in my hand, feeling a throb against my skin. My pussy was already wet; I ached to feel him stretch me again.

  Hovering above him, my heart beating at a wild tempo, I curled my fingers into his shoulder, and sank down, easing him into me.

  I held still breathing through the feel of him stretching me and lingering soreness from earlier to subside.

  He watched me closely, letting me figure out.

  I rolled my hips once, eliciting a groan from him and a moan from me.

  “You feel so good,” I practically whispered, beginning to move in earnest. It took me a minute to find a rhythm, when I did it all came naturally. I shoved his chest until he was flat on his back and began rocking into him, taking him deeper, fucking myself on his dick harder.

  “Goddamn, Addy,” he breathed, digging his fingertips into my hips. “Zane,” I whimpered, dropping down, so my chest was smashed against his, capturing his mouth in a kiss.

  Feeling myself growing close I sat back up and rode him faster.

  The sheer look of torturous desire written all over his face had my pussy growing slicker around him, my juices dripping down to his balls.

  My goddamn calves started to burn, but I didn’t stop. Sweat beaded between my heaving breasts and curled the end of my usually straight hair. My moans became pleasure-filled gasps.

  “That’s it, princess. Fuck me just like that,” He reached down and pressed the pad of his thumb to my clit, beginning to work it in a circular motion.

  My lower stomach began to tighten, my pussy started to tighten up around him. Without warning, he placed one swift smack to my clit. Warmth shot through my veins, my muscles going taut. I collapsed onto his chest, the pleasure momentarily debilitating.

  He kissed my face and my neck, holding me through the climax and as I caught my breath.

  When I was done, I laid with my head over his heart, comforted by the steady thud.

  Slowly sitting up, I took one look in his napalm eyes and my face caught on fire. “Why are you grinning like that?”

  “Because that was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen, princess.”

  I tucked my chin to my chest trying to hide.

  He sat up as if he were doing a crunch, wrapping an arm around my back to keep me securely on his lap. “So gorgeous,” he murmured, kissing my forehead.

  “Guess Ace was right about you.”

  I whipped my head up, brows slamming together.

  “What the hell does that mean?”

  “Nothing.”

  Before I reached down and grabbed my Kambit from its holster, I studied his face, smacking his chest when I realized he was screwing with me.

  “You’re such an ass.” I looked between us seeing he’d pulled out, and that he was still hard. “You didn’t finish…”

  “I held back,” he casually replied.

  Do people do that?

  “Why?”

  The smirk should have been answer enough. “For my turn.”

  He stood in one fluid motion, wrapping my legs around his waist as he carried me across the room, placing my back against the door.

  “What are you doing?”

  No response give, he leaned in and kissed me—brutally. Our teeth clashed, his tongue intertwining with mine.

  The head of his cock wedged against my tender entrance, but I wasn’t prepared when he pushed up into me with one solid thrust.

  I screamed so loud I choked on my next breath.

  “Fuck!” He cursed, gripping my thighs so tight I knew they’d be even more bruised. He never stopped burying himself to the hilt, filling me with him entirely over and over again.

  “Goddamn, princess, your pussy’s fucking perfect; you’re fucking perfect.”

  He slid his hands to my ass, grabbing a globe in each hand. “Now tell me your mine,” he commanded, his voice taking on the dark tone I loved.

  “Yours,” I managed to breathe out as he began drilling into me.

  I thread my fingers through his hair and pulled. He shoved a finger into my ass.

  I dropped my mouth to his shoulder and bit down.

  He leaned in; thrust so deep I thought his dick was inside my stomach and bit the top of my breasts, bringing forth a squeal.

  I wound up digging my nails into his back, locking my legs beneath his perfect ass as he fucked me for everything I was worth.

  It was becoming a contest. Who could fuck the other insane first?

  When he finally finished, I felt as if I’d become one with the door. I held onto him when he moved us back to the bed, burying my face in his sweaty neck.

  “You good, baby?” he asked, laughing beneath his breath.

  “Is it always like this?”

  His lips touched my shoulder, and then my cheek. “For you and me? Always. We haven’t gotten started yet.”

  A sound of distress rifled up my throat, causing him to laugh again.

  “I need to go check on the car. Don’t think I’m running out on you. I would hold you all night, cuddle you too. But not in this fucking bed—ours.”

  I would have pointed out he just let me bounce on his cock on this very bed not forty minutes ago, but I found myself giggling about his word choices.

  “You’re going to cuddle me?”

  He huffed and lifted me off of him, gently; though I’m sure he wanted to launch me across the room.

  “You want me to wait for you?”

  “Nope. Go check for the car and then come back. I’m going to try and get myself presentable,” I replied, sliding my boots back on.

  When he continued to linger, pretending he was so infatuated with a cheap ass painting, I smothered a laugh.

  “I’m gonna go into the bathroom now, okay?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be right back.” He placed a chaste kiss on my lips and then was walking out of the room looking as put together as ever.

  I exhaled a deep breath to gather my bearings and then headed for the bathroom.

  Chapter Twenty

  Viginti

  I didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone—especially in a shit hole like this one.

  Reminding myself Addy could handle herself didn’t make me feel any better. That phone call I made, Luce didn’t sound right, and even through the distortion, I sensed a feeling of distress.

  I wasn’t going to mention that to Addy. She had enough shit circulating in that pretty head of hers without adding that.

  This would be over soon.

  The kids would be back.

  She and I would be home.

  Life would go on as always, only I had her now, so I guess it wouldn’t because some major adjustments would need to be made.

  I’d worry about that bridge when I reached it.

  I took the stairs quickly, doing my damnedest to ignore how slick my dick still was from my Addie’s pussy. That made me think of being inside her, and I’d done that nonstop since the first time she let me in.

  I didn’t want her thinking all I cared about was her pussy. It wasn’t. Being with her was addictive—indescribable simply based off the surrealism I was touching her, to begin with.

  And listen to me—already sounding as if I were going to hand over my balls.

  Entering the lobby, I immediately spotted Ace and Cam now engaged in a game of pool. Nyx and Maliki were sat at one of the tables in the ‘diner.’

  They weren’t talking or so much as looking at one another. They were sitting together watching the room. Those two had some weird vibe shit going on.

  I gave Maliki a chin nod, going straight for the front desk. Alfred looked up from whatever he was doing and seemed torn between pissing himself and telling me to go fuck myself.

  “So,” I placed my palms flat on the faded marble. “About that car?”

  “Yes,” he cleared his throat and reached for a fat yellow keychain wedged beneath some papers.

  “Has that been here the entire time?”

  My voice was calm, showing no sign that I wanted to reach across the desk and rip this old motherfuckers’ head off.

  He froze a fraction of a second, but it was just long enough to let me know that the keys had been here this whole time.

  “You said you’d have pay…here you go.” He shoved the key across the desk. “This was the largest thing I could find. It’s ready to go. Don’t know where you’re going or how far it’ll get ya though.”

  I took the key without another word to him and then went on my way.

  I’d already discussed compensation; I wouldn’t have the same conversation twice.

  On my way back through the lobby I just the yellow ring to Maliki.

  “Get loaded up, and pull whatever this is to the front. We’re leaving.”

  Outside, the night air was still muggy, but now there was a slight coolness to it too.

  I returned to the floor our temporary room was on, damn near passing the one I was looking for because of the cracked door.

  It should have been shut.

  I listened closely.

  There was the sound of a running sink, and just then, there was the sound of a man in pain.

  I slipped inside and shut the door, locking it behind me.

  “Now what did you think you were gonna sneak in here and do to me?” Addy’s voice floated above the water.

  The bathroom door was only partially open, but I had a clear view of the motherfucker from the lobby.

  I’d seen him staring at each of my girls like they were fresh pieces of meat.

  They were better than anything they served in that shitty ass diner. He had no right to be anywhere near Addy.

  Without warning, I shoved the door open. I took in the living corpse on the floor, the small smear of blood on the wall, and Addy.

  She looked semi back to normal again. Her chest was heaving, and a stain of irritation marred her face, but I could understand that.

  “Zane.”

  I loved when she said that.

  “What is going on in here?” I kept my tone light and moved up behind him, wrapping a forearm around his throat, locking him into a choke-hold as I forced him to his feet.

  “He was trying to steal,” Addy stated.

  “Is that right? Did you come in here to steal?”

  He sputtered around my hold on his neck, a strained, “no,” slipping out.

  “Are you calling me a liar?”

  She pretended to be offended, placing her hands on her hips.

  I gave him some leeway so he could speak.

  “I’m sorry,” we’re his winning first words.

  “He came in here and tried to steal what’s yours,” she pouted with a face full of innocence we both know was bullshit.

  Her words, on the other hand, she could repeat that day in and day out. The mine part, not that some giant motherfucker with an uneven beard tried to take what wasn’t his.

  She didn’t seem all that shaken up. And she was standing while our mutual friend was on the ground holding the back of his head.

  “Is that true?” I asked him. “I gotta tell you I don’t appreciate when other people touch my shit.”

  Another apology.

  “Why do people always want to apologize, after? You sure as fuck weren’t sorry when you first crept in here.”

  I let go of him altogether, for just a second. As long as it took me to grab his right arm, bring it behind his back, and start snapping his fucking fingers.

  It was a simple task, as easy as breaking a twig in half. He screamed with each one and tried to get away.

  The room sounded almost as if a mini-array of fireworks were going off with each pop and break.

  When his right hand looked like nothing more than flesh covered puzzle pieces, I moved to the left.

  I kicked his legs out from beneath him in the process.

  “All done,” I announced with the snapping of his pinky.

  He fell to the side, groaning in agony, a bit of drool coming out of his mouth.

  “Sorry,” he moaned like a broken record.

  “What do you think? This good enough?” I looked to Addy, who’d silently watched me break every finger this motherfucker had.

  She reached behind her back and walked to where he was lying on the floor. Using the toe of her boot, she forced him from his side to his back.

  In one quick motion, she was damn near straddling and slamming her dagger into the center of his chest. A loud gasp came from his mouth, eyes going wide as fucking saucers.

  “Piece of shit,” she spewed, dragging the blade straight down the center of him until she got to his stomach.

  It was beautiful, the way she immersed herself in her kills.

  The movement was jerky, the tearing of flesh ten times louder in the bathroom. Blood stained his shirt and seeped from the wounds. His every breath now had an odd croak at the end as he died.

  “You good, princess?”

  “Peachy. Now let’s get the hell out of here.” She wiped her dagger clean on the untainted part of the man’s shirt and, then headed for the door, grabbing my hand on her way out.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Viginti Unus

  I shifted on the seat, opening my eyes to blinding sunlight. Calloused fingers gently massaged my scalp and petted my hair.

  “Were there, princess.”

  “And so are they,” Nyx added.

  Placing a hand on Zane’s denim-clad thigh, I pushed myself into a sitting position, rubbing the kink from my neck.

  We’d been driving for who knows how long—the minivan faithfully chugging along.

  “Did you sleep any?” I asked Zane.

  “For a bit, I’m good.”

  I looked at the seat in the back where Nyx, Cam, and Trix had been dozing. All were now wide awake.

  “Check out the sign,” Maliki implored.

  We all looked to the right, seeing a body similar to the one back at the school—all four limbs gone, including the head and chained to what would have been the Windmill city sign, blood still not all the way dry.

  This one was female. Her breasts had been removed along with her appendages, leaving behind gaping holes that crows were already pecking at.

  “Why do they do that?” I thought aloud.

  “I think it’s a ritual,” Ace replied. “I remember reading about something like this at my Dad’s.”

  “I told you those cult fuckers were strange,” Zane stated, grunting when I elbowed him.

  “Maybe we shouldn’t drive all the way in,” Cam suggested.

  “He’s right. If we need to draw back, we want to be able to do it cleanly. Pull over here,” Zane commanded, pointing to a spot a yard or two away from the Windmill sign.

  Maliki did as instructed, killing the engine but not removing the keys form the ignition.

  “Are we ready for this?” Trix inquired.

  “We were born for shit like this,” Cam flippantly responded.

  Zane’s lips touched the side of my face a moment before he was reaching for the van door and sliding it open.

  All the cool air was immediately swept away by the heat. I followed after him once he hopped down.

  “Ace hop in the driver’s seat. Run the air only if your dick starts to melt. Keep the doors locked, crack the windows, and if we aren’t back in two hours get the fuck out of here.”

  He moved along with everyone else, taking the seat as they all piled out of the van. I reached beneath where Zane and I had been sitting and grabbed Annie’s gun, and the shell casings.

  I didn’t want to take it with me due to my slow reload time. I was nowhere near as skilled as Annie was. I fingered the cool metal, ignoring the pang in my chest. I missed her.