Page 41 of All Your Deadly Truths (The Filthy Duet #2)
After he lowers my leg, he slips from inside of me before roughly rolling me onto my back. My chest heaves and I take a full breath for the first time since he initially entered me.
He spreads my legs gently, settling his weight on top of me. One hand comes to rest against the side of my head, his fingers brushing my hair aside as he tilts my face to meet his gaze. His eyes search mine, intense and unwavering, as though trying to unearth the words I’m struggling to say.
But he doesn’t need to worry. Not tonight.
“I’m fine,” I whisper, my voice soft but steady, the words carrying more reassurance than I feel.
Maybe I’m not fine—not yet. But with him, like this, I know I will be.
“I wasn’t going to come inside of you unless you told me to.” He leans forward and presses his lips against mine, briefly holding them there before moving back. “Do you want me to suck out my cum, you know, just in case?”
Heat floods my face, and I can’t help but chuckle. I’ll be okay.
“That isn’t how that works, I know you aren’t that stupid.”
That rumbling laugh I love rolls straight through his handsome smirk. “Oh, I know.”
“But it’s hot.” I take a breath and return his smile, one that speaks volumes without a single word—emotions that could remain unspoken for eternity but are felt just as deeply.
Kai knows how hard it will be for me to say those three words, even if I already feel them.
I do love him—beyond my life and my revenge.
But feeling it and saying it aloud are two very different hurdles I’ll have to overcome.
I nearly said it when Tali took me from him, but that was desperation—a fear that I’d never see him again.
That he might believe I could feel anything other than love for him.
But now, with him here in front of me, I’m ready to feel it come to me naturally. This isn’t that moment, and as he draws his lips down my chin and chuckles, it’s like he knows it, too.
“My complicated little demon.”
“My obsessed monster.” His eyes lift as if sensing my gaze. “Go ahead and clean up your mess before I tend to the one I made.”
We fell asleep together on the bench, me sprawled on top of him, with blood, sweat, and cum everywhere.
When the sun rose, it stirred us both. I wouldn’t have cared if someone had found us, but I’m grateful no one did as we put on the same clothes from the day before—just a T-shirt for me and shorts for Kairhyse.
My body hasn’t returned to its Mundane form, which is mildly concerning, though Kairhyse couldn’t be more thrilled. He’s been begging me to keep my tail out, and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve had to remind him that I have no idea how to control it.
I can’t magically say, “Hey, tail. Stay out, will ya?”
A few hours passed with just us, and we sat mostly in silence. It’s where I am most comfortable, even if I know he would rather we talk more about the events over the past several weeks. I will, in pieces, tell him about all the things they did to me.
This wasn’t like last time, and I’m not sure if it’s because I understand why they did it, or because my own mother was involved. Either way, I’m still processing the trauma internally.
The only major topic of conversation was Mister. Kai told me he hadn’t been able to find him when he returned to his apartment. He thinks the feline got out, and was likely looking for me as they had been.
I can’t lie, I nearly started crying. Imagining Mister out there searching for me… The safest place for him is away from me, even if that does hurt. I’ll make it my mission to find him when I kill that bitch, Tali.
“Morning.” Niyla cuts into our silence, making her way up the stairs toward the navigation system. She has her eyes trained down, or straight at the captain’s chair, can’t really tell, but they are anywhere except at me.
“Good morning,” Kairhyse says as he places a kiss against my temple. “Be right back, going to grab you some water.”
He leaps over the backside, down to the hull, and I can’t help but roll my eyes. For a man of so-called patience, he really has none in certain situations.
Can’t take the stairs.
Ripping clothes off.
I groan but inwardly laugh to myself. It’s cute, I’ll admit it.
Niyla’s red eyes flick to me, I suppose expecting me to say something to her.
I cross my legs, take a deep breath, and gaze out into the distance. According to the coordinates, we’ll make it back to land a full day earlier than expected. I couldn’t be more grateful for that.
I’ll likely need to be carried once we make landfall—just standing on this boat has me wobbling like one of those inflatable tube men.
“Had an eventful evening…” she comments, while taking a seat in front of the navigation system.
Silence hangs between us, her eyes drifting away from mine to the space around us. It’s a mess up here, but I’m too far beyond caring. From what Kairhyse has said, Alaric has no shortage of funds. He can afford to lose the deposit.
“I'm not one to judge,” she continues, and I stare at her with an unyielding gaze, unsure why she keeps talking to me.
It’s possible that whatever expression I’m wearing, coupled with my body leaning slightly forward, causes her to backtrack. “Never mind.”
“No, please, go for it.”
Her shoulders square backward. “Your mother just tried to have you breed for her, does that not?—”
“Make me shy away from sex?” I interrupt.
“Let me check with my ancestors to see if we’ve ever had a choice with our means to keep us alive.
” I think the way I phrase it makes her realize just how dumb the question she was about to ask really was—judging by the horrified look on her face.
“Did I make you uncomfortable last night?”
Her eyes round and lips part as if searching for the words to speak. “I don’t really want to answer that question.” She jerks her head away and messes with some random buttons.
“Must be nice to just be able to bite into someone, feed, and you are satisfied,” I say nonchalantly.
“I hear your Mark can feed you without sex.”
A laugh falls from my lips. “One, have I—within the last twenty-four hours— given you space to question anything that I do? If this has to do with your master, Alaric, I’ve made it very clear he can fuck off. Actually, all three of you can fuck right off the moment we get onto land.”
She bares her teeth and seethes, “He is not my master. That has nothing to do with this. I don’t give a fuck what he wants with you.”
“Two.” I ignore her little outburst. “What I do is none of your business.”
Her hands twitch in her lap. “I just… want to know how you can get past it. I…”
I narrow my eyes now, my head slightly tilting as I assess the smell of embarrassment sweating out of her. It’s an aroma that is slightly metallic, with a fleeting sour undertone, reminiscent of blood but not as potent.
I’m not mentally stable, that’s the truth. I’ll never claim to have everything figured out, nor am I the poster woman of trauma healing.
I’m not healed, and I’ll probably never be, but so what? What good would it do for me when I’ve got a trail of pain following me? What’s the point of mending a wound that’s bound to be reopened?
The answer is there is no point. None.
“Don’t compare trauma with trauma.” I hear footsteps coming from below deck, and I peek over my shoulder, seeing Kai returning. “Don’t compare healing to healing.”
Shifting back in her direction, she’s giving me a look of comprehension.
“I’m not the one to seek healing understanding from.
They did things to me that killed me, Niyla, and unlike you and nearly all Dylox, I unfortunately came back.
I have no choice but to move on. It’s a mercy you have that I don’t: death.
Rebirth and ultimately… forgetting everything you went through.
I will never forget what they did to me. ”
There’s a pause as Kai comes back up holding a glass of water, his eyes trained on the back of Niyla’s head. She’s dragging her braided locks across her shoulder, keeping her eyes fixed on mine.
“As my therapist liked to remind me, there is no one size fits all when it comes to this shit. Deal with it in the way that helps mend what you can, and throw away what you can’t.” I take the drink from him and draw a deep breath through my nose. “And stay the fuck out of my business.”
“Don’t be so loud,” she counters, and the pop of the corner of her lip indicates she’s joking. Just as I’m taking a sip, she continues, “We aren’t going to fuck off when we get to shore.”
I groan, tossing back another large gulp.
“We don’t need you anymore,” Kairhyse says as he sits beside me, his arm draping over my shoulders. “Truthfully, we barely needed you in the first place. ”
She releases a heavy winded sigh. “It isn’t really your call.” She turns to look at me. “Your mother will come for you. Guess you’ll decide if more bodies to fight her is worth it to keep everyone safe.”
Damn them… My heart slows and an ear-piercing ring soars around in my skull.
Unfortunately, she’s right, and as I look at Kai, his gaze is fixed on me. There’s a silent message in his eyes— ‘we can handle it’ —even if he doesn’t truly believe that.
I don’t, and I’m terrified of that woman getting anywhere near him. I’d sacrifice every soul in the world to keep him and Sydni safe.
That’s all that matters.
No… They are all that matter.