Page 3 of Always A Villain (Revenge Duet #2)

R ounding the corner to the house, I kick my pace up a notch as Kane sprints alongside me. The evening air bites at my skin, and my breath comes out in sharp puffs. After last week’s fall, I had to take it easy, but tomorrow’s the Red Arena, and there’s no way in hell I’m missing it.

I haven’t seen Axe much since the accident.

After his unexpected softness in the hospital, I’ve been trying to ignore how complicated he is.

We haven’t mentioned that car ride conversation, and I'm thankful for that. I have no clue how to deal with his mixed signals. So, I’ve decided I hate him—mostly for making me feel things I don't want to feel.

I finish my final lap, panting and sweaty. “Good boy,” I say to Kane, ruffling his ears as he wags his tail. I step into the house, and the first thing that hits me is the delicious aroma of food.

“Rory, come eat!” Griffen’s voice calls out from the kitchen.

He texted earlier that he was picking up teriyaki, and I can practically taste it already.

As I turn the corner, I see not just Griffen but also Axe, Kyla, and another Sovereign.

The Red Arena pulls in Sovereign members from all over.

Usually, I couldn’t care less about the Arena fights—I’ve never understood why they need to beat the hell out of each other when they’ve already earned their rank. What does it even prove?

But this year, I’m looking forward to it. Axe is repping the Generals, and I want to see him in action. See what all the hype’s about—what the Reaper is really capable of.

Kyla spots me and jumps up, wrapping me in a hug.

“I’m so excited! I heard the Siren show is going to be amazing!” She’s bright and bubbly as she drags me to the table. I plop down on the bench seat across from Axe, who’s deep in conversation with a dark-haired guy with a Russian accent. But the moment our eyes lock, everything else fades.

He’s wearing a tight t-shirt that shows off his tattoos and, damn, he looks good. His biceps bulge, and his hair is messy and slightly damp, like he just finished working out.

“Rory,” Griffen says, sliding a container of stir-fried vegetables and tofu my way. “I was embarrassed ordering that tofu shit,” he teases.

“Thanks, Griffen.” With a laugh, I pop a piece of steaming tofu into my mouth. I feel Axe’s gaze wandering over me, his eyes trailing from my face down to my cleavage and exposed stomach. He looks hungry, and a surge of heat rushes through me .

Griffen sits next to Kyla, and the chatter flows around me, but my focus keeps snapping back to Axe.

It's only been a few days since I last saw him, but it feels like ages.

Every time I glance his way, he's already watching me, his dark eyes full of that infuriating, knowing smirk.

He takes a slow drink, eyes locked on mine over the rim of his beer bottle.

The guy he’s talking to looks mean—naturally, if he’s one of Axe’s friends.

“I’m Arsen,” he says as he rakes a hand through his hair. I don’t know him, but I’ve seen him in meetings with Spencer and Dad before.

“Rory,” I reply, taking a sip of water.

“I know who you are.” His gaze lingers on me, heavy and unsettling. “ Everyone knows who you are.”

Before I can figure out how I feel about that, Axe’s voice cuts in, cold as ice. “Arseny.” The look they exchange is thick with unspoken tension.

“Nice to meet you, Rory.” Arsen flashes a grin that’s more of a threat than a greeting.

Dropping my gaze back to my plate, I decide not to engage in whatever alpha shit is going on. A moment later, the bench dips beside me, and Axe’s familiar scent wraps around me.

“Little siren,” he growls, leaning in so close I feel the heat radiating off him. His voice, rough and low, sends a shiver down my spine, and just like that, my body betrays me. It craves him—his hands, his mouth. God, his mouth. I want it on me.

“What?” I manage to ask, breathless. My heart's pounding, blood rushing in my ears, drowning out reason. Aren’t I mad at him?

His lips graze my ear, and I swallow a moan. Damn him for making me this worked up with so little effort.

I feel him inhale, ready to speak, when Griffen’s voice booms through the air, shattering the moment.

“Axe! When was the last time you even watched a fight at the Red Arena? It’s been fucking years.

” He’s speaking too loudly for the space, and the empty bottles next to him, along with the half-full one in his hand, tell me he’s already well on his way to drunk.

Axe releases a frustrated breath against my ear and shifts back on the bench.

“Fuck off, Griff.” Wrapping his arm around me, he pulls my ass against his dick.

“Arsen, did you attend the Red Arena a few years ago? I was trying to remember who was representing the Generals,” Griffen asks, ignoring Axe’s clear annoyance.

Axe’s body tenses, and the arm around me tightens.

“Fuck, I remember! Travis was the General in the ring!” Griffen slams his bottle down on the table, the crash echoing in the room.

“That was a good night.” Arsen chuckles, but his expression doesn’t match his tone. There’s a hint of something menacing lurking behind his smile.

“That fucker was good. He had a mean right hook.” Griffen laughs.

“I remember Travis,” Kyla says, taking a bite of her food. “Isn’t he MIA?” The father of Kyla's son is a General, so she’s got gossip on them.

“Travis was a fucking cunt,” Arsen cuts in .

“No, he was fucking a cunt.” Griffen snickers and throws a pointed glance my way. “Alicia—your step-bitch.”

My blood turns to ice. The room feels ten degrees colder in an instant.

“What?” I say, brow pinched.

“Believe it or not, your husband actually had a friend besides that ugly motherfucker,” Griffen tells me, nodding toward Arsen with a lazy grin.

I don’t know what word made Axe flinch—“husband” or “friend.” “Yeah, Travis and Axe were pretty tight. And that bitch Alicia was always hanging around like a stray dog.”

Everything clicks. All those snide comments Alicia kept making about a history with Axe.

“Shut your mouth, Griff,” Axe snarls, every muscle straining against mine. Griffen doesn’t catch the warning in his voice—or if he does, he’s too drunk to care.

“She used to hang around with Travis and Axe all the time,” he slurs. “Then Travis just ghosted Axe in the middle of a mission in Bogotá. Vanished. No word, nothing. Total dick move. No one has seen him since.”

“Griffen, shut the fuck up.” Axe’s grip on me is so tight it’s almost painful. His breaths leave him in short bursts.

“Dude, what’s your fucking problem?” Griffen scoffs, swinging his empty bottle toward Axe. “I’m just talking. No need to get all worked up.”

He leans in, his breath hot against my ear. “Go to your room. Wait for me.”

I know that tone, the one that says don't fucking argue with me . And like an obedient little attention-starved whore, my body obeys .

I shove down the disgust at how easily I submit, slipping upstairs while the sound of Kyla’s shrill screaming and the crash of punches echo behind me.

I’m barely waiting for the water to warm up when the door flies open, and Axe steps in, shirtless, wiping the blood dripping from his nose.

His scent hits me first, and damn it, the familiar heat pools low in my stomach.

His gaze drags over me, lingering on my hips, then my chest. There’s a smirk tugging at his lips, but it’s not playful.

He steps closer, fingers threading through my hair, yanking my head back just enough to meet his eyes before his mouth claims the soft skin of my neck.

“Axe, I need to shower,” I manage to protest weakly.

“No, you don’t.” He drags his tongue along the curve of my throat, trailing hot, wet kisses. His free hand slips beneath the hem of my sports bra. “You taste so fucking good.” The words vibrate through me as his fingers brush my bare skin. His grip tightens on my neck, just enough to make me moan.

“You’ve been avoiding me, Rory.”

“Have not.” My breath hitches his fingers find my nipple and roll it between them. “You’ve been avoiding me,” I shoot back, barely holding together.

“Is that so?”

Walking me backwards, his hands roam my body roughly. In one smooth move, he pushes me onto the bed and climbs over me.

“Did you miss me, little siren?”

I smile at the question he always asks when he returns.

“No,” I lie, my breath shaky, eyes trailing down his sculpted body .

Smirking, he yanks my sports bra over my head.

I lean back on my elbows, and he dives for my breast, swirling his tongue around my nipple.

A gasp escapes me as he sucks harder, teeth grazing just enough to make me tremble.

His fingers slide down, peeling my leggings away, leaving me in nothing but underwear.

He presses his hand against the wet fabric, his fingers slipping between my legs. “Well, that’s unfortunate. Because I fucking missed you.”

Before I can reply, his hands grip my hips, flipping me onto my stomach.

“Oh god,” I groan.

“God’s not here. Only me —the devil.” Reaching around in one swift motion, he rips my panties away, tossing the shredded fabric to the floor. His tongue traces a slow path along my skin, the roughness of his stubble teasing me.

“You’re not the devil. Just another monster.”

His chuckle rumbles against my back as he leans in closer, breath hot against my ear.

“You’ll worship me all the same.” My body shudders under his touch, on the verge of caving.

“Now, let me show you how much I missed you.

Show you how much you've been on my mind, every single fucking day—tormenting me.”

He grabs my hips, yanking me back so my ass is in the air. Before I can process what’s happening, he’s pulling my cheeks apart, his tongue licking my asshole, circling, teasing.

“Fuck, I want to devour you. Lick every fucking inch of you until you can’t think of anything else.”

“Axe,” I whimper, hating how desperate I sound, but I can’t help it. My body craves him, craves this .