Page 24 of Cherished by the Sinners (Sinners Never Die #4)

Darlene

V ampires might not be magic, but Mason and Magnus’s lips were performing some kind of sexual sorcery on her. Despite all her years of walking the streets, she’d only kissed a handful of men.

All of them had promised to look after her and take care of her.

All of them had used her instead.

All of them had hurt her in ways that cut deeper than the slashes still healing on her back.

Words meant little, but Mason and Magnus had made and kept promises with their actions. Even now, their desire barely leashed by growls, they were so careful with her. She didn’t have to protect herself from them.

The realization struck her then, sharp and clear and straight through her heart.

In the warehouse, surrounded by death and horror, she hadn’t been afraid for a single moment that they wouldn’t come for her.

She had trusted them. Utterly. That unshakable certainty, that deep-seated faith that they were her safety, wasn’t just gratitude. It was more.

She loved them.

Love ?

The thought rolled through her with the strength of a tsunami. It filled up all the dark, sad, scary places of her soul until it overflowed into her mind and body.

It should scare her.

Instead... it set her free.

Free .

She pulled back from Mason, tears trickling down her face. “I love you,” she whispered to him.

His eyes went wide.

She turned to Magnus and cupped his face. “I love you.”

He swallowed hard.

Loud pounding pulled her attention to the doorway. “Is someone at the door?”

“Yes,” Mason said, staring at her with adoration shining in his gaze. “And if he doesn’t go away, I will eviscerate him.”

The grumpy expression on his face made her laugh. “It’s okay. Go answer the door.”

“I don’t want to,” he said, one shaking hand coming up to wipe away her tears. “I don’t ever want to leave this bed.”

A tear rolled down his face.

“Magnus?”

“I love you, too,” he said, answering all the questions she’d posed in his name.

She turned to Mason.

He pulled her to him and kissed her with soft, gentle lips. “I love you,” he whispered.

The pounding got louder.

“Go answer the door,” Mason growled at his brother. “Before I do it and kill the asshole.”

Magnus grunted and rolled off the bed. “We don’t need any more blood stains on the carpet.”

Darlene laughed. “I happen to know someone who can get those out for you.”

He stopped in the doorway to stare at her. A slow grin transformed his face from grumpy to gorgeous. “If it makes you happy, you can do any damn thing you want.”

She turned back to Mason and he rested his forehead against hers.

“Your smile does things to me,” he said quietly. “It makes me feel... young again.”

“Stop saying things like that, you’re going to give me a swelled head.”

His smile was slow and sneaky. He leaned in so he could say in her ear, “That’s what he said.”

She burst out laughing, and he joined her.

Magnus appeared in the doorway. “Brian is here. He needs to speak to all of us.”

The spell broke. Darlene sat up, instinctively smoothing the front of her shirt as she pulled away from their warmth.

With a short, understanding nod, Magnus turned.

She followed him into the suite.

Brian was standing just inside the doorway, the door wide open. He bounced on his feet a little and gave her a nervous smile when he met her gaze.

Mason stood beside her, one of her hands in his. Magnus stood in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest.

“What?”

The way Magnus said the word made it more of a threat than a question.

“Baz would like all three of you to attend a meeting in a couple of hours,” he said.

“Who will be there?” Magnus asked.

“All of our international guests, hotel management, and some of those government and military friends of Evan and Anna’s.”

“Will Baz be back in time for this meeting?”

“Yes, I just talked to him.” Brian hesitated, then took a step backward toward the doorway. “Yvgeny and Sam will be there too, and a few people from Slovenia.”

Magnus nodded. “Understood. We’ll be there.”

Brian let out a deep breath and muttered, “I’m glad someone understands, because I sure don’t.”

“You’ll understand eventually,” Magnus said.

“Yeah? Well, I’m supposed to get everything ready, but I have no idea how to prepare the conference room.” He threw his hands up in the air. “I mean, do I need to make sure there are snacks? Should I prepare donuts or... what?”

“Ah, you’re wondering if you need to cater to our dietary restrictions.”

“Yes.”

“Plan for any other meeting. Coffee, tea, pastries. Sweep the room for recording equipment, and bring a healthy dose of I don’t give a fuck .”

“What?” Brian asked, a frown making him look about thirteen years old. “What does that mean?”

“If you look too interested, other people will notice, and they might interpret it as a threat.”

Brian’s shoulders dropped and he hunched himself over so fast it looked like someone had popped his self-esteem balloon. “I’m not sure that’s going to work. I’m not a very good actor.”

Darlene cleared her throat.

All three men looked at her.

“It’s all in your mind-set,” she said. “I’ve seen you look very I don’t give a fuck . Usually when someone directly threatens the hotel or its staff. Walk into the situation assuming that everyone is a threat.”

“She’s right,” Mason said. “Because the reality is, everyone who shows up will be a threat.”

Brian’s confused gaze smoothed out as he stared at her. “Huh, okay, I’ll do that.” He smiled. “Thanks, Darlene. You’re a good student of human nature.”

“Yeah,” she said on a humorless chuckle. “Dealing with the worst kind of people will do that.”

Brian’s face fell and he winced. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean... that is to say, I didn’t intend to bring up bad memories.” He rubbed the back of his head, looking like he wanted the floor to open up and swallow him whole.

“It’s okay,” she said, squeezing Mason’s stiff hand. “I took your comment like you meant it.”

He nodded. “Thanks.” And shut the door.

“He’s probably sprinting to the elevators,” she said with a chuckle.

Magnus turned around and prowled up to her. “We have an hour and a half before we have to leave this suite and get to that meeting.” He tilted his head. “Would you be interested in a few orgasms?”

“Now?” she asked.

He nodded.

Mason pulled her to him so she was plastered against his side.

She blew out a breath. “I would love that, but... I’m exhausted.

Could we just, sleep together? I mean...

sleep sleep? I need a nap before this big meeting, and I’d like to go slow with the sex stuff.

I’ve never had time to figure out what I like.

I also don’t know what all my stress triggers are, so. ..”

Magnus’s fingers shook as he cupped her face. “You are in charge in the bedroom. You will tell us what you want, and if you’re not sure, we’ll explore things with you. Slowly and carefully.”

“Our goal is to make you happy,” Mason said in her ear. “Would having a nap with us make you happy?”

“Yes.” She paused, thinking about it. “Yes, that sounds really good.” She swallowed hard. “Before I came to work here, I couldn’t remember when the last time anyone touched me because they cared about me.”

The two men drew her back into the bedroom, and over to the bed.

They moved to get on the bed, but she stopped them. “Take off... your clothes. I want to feel your skin against my skin.”

The two very large, very muscular men looked frightened.

“All of our clothes?” Magnus asked.

“We don’t want to scare you,” Mason added.

“All of us will leave our underwear on. We’re having a nap, that’s all.” She pulled off her clothes except for her panties, and slid onto the bed.

Magnus and Mason finished undressing, except for their black boxer briefs, which did nothing to hide their massive erections.

She stared and tried to remember how to breathe as they climbed onto the bed with her, one on each side of her. “Wow, you two are huge.”

They paused.

“Do we frighten you?” Magnus asked.

“No.” She laughed. “I should have guessed that you’d be built large everywhere.”

When they didn’t move, she waved her hands at them to come closer.

Their bodies were muscular and honed, and beautiful to look at, but now that they were nearer, she saw scars. All kinds of gouges, slashes, stab marks. So many of them, on their chests and shoulders and arms, and on their backs too. Their clothing had hidden it all.

Like the ones on her back.

She traced over a pattern of scars on Magnus’s side, covered mostly by an intricate Viking-like spiral tattoo. “How did you get this?”

“Most of my scars I’ve gotten in battle.” His eyes followed her fingertips as she traced one scar after another.

“I’m not the only one with scars,” she said softly. She looked over her shoulder at Mason and found that he too had scars. His were scattered across him in a completely unique pattern.

They’d both suffered the same kind of pain as she had gone through. Something inside her, deep in her gut, unwound.

“Put your hand on my back,” she asked Mason.

He didn’t move. “You had a bad reaction the last time I did that.”

“I know something now that I didn’t then.”

“What?”

She smiled at him. “That in all the ways that count, we’re the same.”

He stared at her for a couple of seconds before sliding his hand slowly up her back. This time, her body didn’t throw her back into an awful memory. His touch was real, warm skin on hers, and an answering throb of desire pulsed through her body.

His fingers didn’t just rest there; they began to trace the raised lines of her scars with a reverence that made her breath catch. He wasn’t recoiling from them. He was learning them.

“They’re beautiful,” he murmured, his voice thick. Magnus shifted, his gaze following his brother’s touch. He reached out, his own hand joining Mason’s, his touch just as gentle, just as worshipful.

“They are not marks of shame, Darlene,” Magnus said, his voice a low rumble. “They are the script of a warrior. Proof that you fought and survived.”