Page 45

CHAPTER 44

H eading away from Shamus and the crowd around us, I keep my eyes on my monsters. I ignore the congratulations and the fact that those who were looking at me with suspicion now look at me with awe. Humans are truly fickle creatures.

It’s always like this with hunters. They respect strength, not knowledge, and you earn loyalty through blood, sweat, and gritted teeth. Shamus gave me that opportunity, so I should probably thank him for that and the fact I finally got to smack his pretty face.

It was satisfying as hell to see him bleed. The shock in his gaze when I landed that hit, yeah, I’ll admit it made me wet as hell.

There’s something about taking a man down a peg that does that to me.

Watching the realisation setting in that they might have been the top of the food chain before, but with me, they aren’t is addicting. Since I was brought back and embraced the darkness to hunt down Black, I’ve noticed these thoughts a lot more. It’s as if whatever restrained me previously doesn’t now.

Maybe I lost my morality or soul along the way, but I can’t seem to care as my monsters grin and cheer for me as I walk their way. The gym is filled with so much excitement, people even chatter near my monsters without throwing them dirty looks.

My eyes narrow, however, when a hunter gets too close to Fang where she sits on top of a bench by a weight press. She eyes him disdainfully and looks away, her eyes meeting mine as I head towards her. Uncaring about her reaction, he leans closer, gripping her hair and jerking her head around. Her eyes widen in fear as his other hand reaches for her shoulder to pull her towards him, and I lose it.

I see red. His hands are on her, on what’s mine, and a male is touching her when I know she hates it. I appear next to them, and the gym goes quiet, no doubt sensing my change in mood—all but him.

The cheers die down as he leans closer, his gaze on her lips. “Want to have some fun? Maybe all monsters aren’t bad?—”

I grab his hand before it can make contact with her shoulder. She jerks back, tugging her hair free with a wince. Her eyes are wide in anger and fear, but I step in front of her, blocking his view of her and forcing him back. His eyes narrow as he twists his wrist, trying to free himself from my grip.

“Shit, Havelock, you scared me,” he grumbles, still trying to look past me.

This dumb fuck does not get it.

I snap his hand back, breaking his wrist. His scream fills the air as I keep my eyes on him. When I release his mangled wrist, he stumbles back a step, his face pale as he holds it to his chest while I circle him. Once I’m behind him, I kick the back of his knee, and he crumples to the floor. Reaching over him, I grab his other hand as my mouth meets his ear. “You touched her with both hands.” Lifting his other hand, I hold it for her and everyone else to see.

“No, no, no,” he chants as I grip his thick fingers in both hands and then snap them all sideways. His howls of agony fill the air as I meet Fang’s gaze, her eyes filled with desire as she watches me.

Squeezing his ruined fingers, I listen to his screams of pain crescendo before I release him and grab his chin, tilting his head back until his eyes meet mine. “Do not ever touch what is mine, understood?” He nods rapidly, his eyes wide and bloodshot. I release him and let him fall prone before I step over his body and gently lift Fang’s chin. “Are you okay?” I murmur.

“Yes, babe, I’m fine,” she replies, her tongue darting out to lick her lips. “That was hot as fuck. Feel free to claim me anytime.”

“You’re right, I should.” I turn and face the stunned crowd as I lay my foot on the hunter’s back when he tries to crawl away. “Let me make one thing very fucking clear. Any attack on my team is an attack on me. If you try to hurt one of them, I will repay the favour tenfold. They are behaving and holding back, otherwise you would all be dead, but I will not. Any scrape or, hell, even a fucking bruise and I will make you wish you were dead. Every single one of them is mine in every way, and I do not fucking share or allow what is mine to be hurt. Is that understood?” There’s not much noise, and I narrow my eyes. “Any slight on them is a slight on me, even emotionally. You will treat them with respect and dignity or I will make you wish you had.”

I look back at my monsters, and without a word, I head towards the crowd. They part for us, my monsters following like I knew they would. I’m pissed as we ride the lift up to our rooms so I can shower.

When we reach our floor, I let them file out first. They eye me worriedly, but I lift my arm and block Fang’s exit. Her eyes swing to me. “Go ahead,” I tell the others as I pluck my dagger and wedge it at the base of the door so it won’t shut. The elevator pings a warning. Taking my sweaty shirt from my shoulder, I reach up and cover the camera calmly before I turn to her.

Her eyes are wide as she watches me worriedly. “Tate?—”

I slam my hand into the wall, and she hits the metal with her back as I tilt my head and run my gaze over her. “You let him touch what’s mine.”

“I didn’t want to cause trouble?—”

I cover her mouth with my hand. “Next time, break every bone in their body before they touch you, understand? I know their touch makes you uncomfortable. Do not hold back on my account. I would allow you to murder them before I let you feel uneasy.” Sliding my hand from her mouth, I grip her chin. “Tell me you understand.”

“I understand,” she whispers, glancing between my eyes and lips.

“I do not share, Fang. Let me make that very clear.” I watch her swallow as I lean in and lick her juicy, perfect lips. “And he touched you. You stink of him.”

“I’m sorry.” She gapes as I pull back and drop to my knees before her. “Tate, what are you doing?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? I’m making you smell like me again. I’m reminding you whom you belong to.” My bloodstained hands grip her perfect, unmarred thighs, knowing it will bruise, and desire flames in her eyes. She loves when I’m mean with her, and I like it too. I love the feel of her soft, supple flesh denting under my touch, easy to tame and tease.

I throw her up the wall, and she gasps as I hook her legs over my shoulders and shove my face into her cunt, inhaling through the fabric of her shorts.

“People could see,” she says, but she drags me closer, her hand in my hair.

“Then I’ll pluck out their eyeballs,” I murmur as I kiss her cunt through her shorts. “Only I get to see you like this.”

Holding her there with one arm, I unsheathe a hidden dagger from my side and slide it up the side of her shorts, tugging away as I lean back. She jerks, her eyes narrowing.

“I liked those,” she grumbles.

“They were mine anyway. I’ll buy a hundred more so I can cut them off,” I reply as I lay a kiss over her mound. “Unless you want me to stop?”

She shakes her head, her thighs clenching around my ears, and I chuckle as I run my nose down her pussy and back up, her scent invading every atom of my being. Gripping her ass, I force her higher, ignoring the ache in my knees as I part her lips and look at her glistening, pink cunt.

“Looks like somebody is feeling needy. Is this for me?” I ask as I lick her cunt, taking the path I did with my nose. Her moan echoes around us, but I pull back and wait.

“Yes, yes, okay? Fuck, Tate, please,” she begs.

Chuckling, I drag my tongue up her cunt and circle her throbbing bundle of nerves before I flick it with my tongue. She jerks in my hold, rolling her hips to push her cunt closer until I feel her desire smear across my face. I lick it up as I move down to her greedy hole and thrust my tongue inside her.

She cries out, clamping her thighs around my head as I fuck her with it.

“Tate, oh gods,” she pants, her chest thrusting out as she grips me. I love how needy she is and how I can feel her feeding even as I force her pleasure higher. Her soft, pretty cunt is so warm against my tongue and face. Her delicious cream covers every inch of my mouth as I juggle her, holding her with one hand and sliding my other down so I can slip my fingers inside her. Her tight channel clenches around them as she cries out, her clit pressing to my tongue as I lap at her, fucking her hard with my fingers.

She’s so hot and tight, but I force a third into her, and she drips around my knuckles, her hips moving restlessly as I lash her clit, feeling how close she is.

Pulling back a little, I lick my lips, tasting her cream. “You know what’s good about being with a woman? We know exactly how we want to be touched, don’t we? I could have you coming within a minute, and you’d love it and beg for more, so remember that the next time someone else tries to touch what I own.”

My own desire is growing, and I know she’s feeding as I fuck her. I don’t mind. I actually like knowing she can taste how much I love this. Her pretty pink tongue darts out as her chest heaves, her full breasts straining against her stolen shirt.

“Lift your shirt,” I order as I look up at her. “Let me see your pretty tits bouncing while I fuck you.”

Groaning, she fumbles with her shirt, ripping it up and exposing her flushed chest and perfect tits, her nipples tight and ripe. She grips them, playing with them as they bounce with the force of my touch.

Fuck, the sight makes my cunt hot and slick, but I ignore my own wants as I fuck her with my fingers and tongue. Her cries fill the elevator as my own need fills my panties, but it’s her desire I focus on.

Curling my fingers, I force her tight cunt wider, even as I suck her clit, creating a pressure that has her panting above me as she reaches for her release—one I deny her as I stop.

Her whine fills the air, and I release her clit, kissing it. “Say you’re mine, Fang, and I’ll let you come. Say that you belong to Tate Havelock and you will let no one else touch you.”

“Tate,” she begs.

“Speak or I’ll stop,” I counter.

Her eyes narrow in anger, her power rising to stoke my own desire, but I ignore it and wait. “I could find someone else to get me off,” she snaps in annoyance.

I blow my breath over her wet cunt, and she shudders. “You could try, but I’d kill them as soon as they looked at you, and we would be right back here. Now say it and you can get what you want . . . what we both want.”

Her nostrils flare, her stubbornness fighting her desperation, until her voice comes, quick and annoyed. “I belong to Tate Havelock and I will never let anyone else touch me. Happy?”

“Yes, very,” I purr as I seal my lips around her clit and fuck her with my fingers. I set a quick pace, feeling her clench around me, and I know she’s close.

Smirking against her wet flesh, I bite down on her clit, and she screams.

Her eyes roll into the back of her head as she holds me to her cunt, winding her hips as she rides my face through her release.

I fuck her through it, and when she slumps back into the wall, I kiss her pretty cunt and pull my fingers out. As I suck them clean, I let her shaking legs lower to the floor, and then I stand up, catching her before she falls. Her eyes open, clashing with mine as I grin at her.

“That’s better, isn’t it, my good girl?” I murmur as I lean into her.

“I’m an entity of sexual pleasure and desire. I am immortal and the embodiment of beauty,” she grumbles.

“Yes, you are.” I smirk as I rub my thumb across her smudged lips. “You’re also my good girl.”

Her lips part, and then she pouts. “Fine, I want chocolate.”

“Okay, let’s get you some chocolate, babe.” Holding her hand, I tug her from the elevator, kicking my knife up and catching it one-handed before sliding it back in its sheath as she gapes at me. I wink, and she blushes.

Everyone is sleeping, but I can’t, so I climb from the puppy pile. I know they sense me leaving, but they let me go, knowing better than to stop me.

I find myself in front of his door, and before my hand is even raised to knock, it opens. He leans into the doorframe in some low-slung pyjama pants and nothing more. I run my eyes across his bruised abs before bringing my gaze up to his injured face to see him grinning.

“Is this a booty call, angel?” he teases.

My eyes catch on his split lip and black eye, and I snort as I push past him. “You wish,” I say as I head into his apartment.

I swear I hear him say, “Damn right I do,” but I ignore it as I turn to face him, crossing my arms as he shuts the door and follows me into his living room. He looks tired, and the bruises and cuts are not helping, but if he didn’t want to get hurt, then he shouldn’t have stepped into the ring with me. He knew what would happen.

I have no doubt about why he did it, but there is one thing I don’t understand. “I know you let me win at the end. Why?” I ask.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he hedges, an annoying smile curling his lips and driving me crazy. I hate the fact I notice and remember how they feel.

“Yes, you do. You let me win,” I snap. “I want to know why.”

“No one else suspected I let us draw,” he starts, and I narrow my eyes as I press my finger into his chest.

“They do not matter to me. Why you did it bothers me. Why did you let me win?” I hiss.

He wraps his hand around my finger and presses my palm to his chest, and I swear I feel his heart racing. “I didn’t let you win, angel.” When I go to pull away, he circles his arm around me, stopping my movements, and my eyes jerk back to his. “I didn’t. We could have kept fighting, and you would have won, but the message had been sent, so I just let the inevitable outcome happen. You think I would be able to kill you?” he murmurs, frustration in his tone. “That is what it would have come down to. You would kill me to win, I know that, but I would never be able to kill you, not even to win. So yes, I stepped back. I let you have the win instead of the draw.”

“Why?” I murmur.

“Don’t you see, angel? Everyone else does. You’re my fucking weakness, my soft spot, and always have been.”

I stare into his eyes for a moment, reading the stark truth there. “You’re such a liar, Shamus. You just let me win.” I tug away, feeling annoyance as well as something else I don’t want to look at.

I try to turn away, but I’m slammed back to the sofa, and he’s above me with his hands on either side of my head, pinning me. My eyes widen as he leans in. “I have never and will never lie to you, angel. You are the only person in this world who could ask anything of me and I would do it without thinking. Not even Ronan can say that, and he has been with me all my life. You’re my weakness, Tate Havelock, in every sense of the word. How do you not see that? One look from you and I’m weak. One word from you and I’m running to your side. My life and blade are yours. I’d give you this entire organisation if you asked. I’d let you kill all of them if it would make you feel better. If that isn’t weakness, then what is?”

“Why? Why am I your weakness? I’m just a hunter,” I press.

“You were never just a hunter, and you know it, so stop lying to yourself. From the moment you stepped foot in my office, you became mine.” My eyes narrow at that, and he grins. “In more ways than one. I would do anything for you, angel. I would break truces, risk death, face torture and punishment, make deals for weapons, and fight my own people. When will you see what is right in front of you?”

I don’t know what to say to that, so I remain silent, staring up into his dark eyes and finally seeing the truth in them, the one I never wanted to see.

The devotion.

The obsession.

He broke the fae’s truce to save my life.

He made his best friend haunt me to keep me safe.

He made a deal to give me a blade to end my enemies’ lives.

He kneeled before his people for me.

He let me beat him, surrendering when he never has before.

I think back on all our arguments over the years, the push and shove and the way I would force myself to hate him because it was easier to do than admit I wanted him. I might have hated him as well, but somewhere along the way, that hate changed.

He trusts me, values my input, respects my strength, and has never held me back.

How could I not want him?

I couldn’t let myself, though, so I buried it so deep down I would never act on it, hidden in dreams and veiled arguments, and he waited. He never pushed, but now he’s above me, telling me everything I didn’t know I wanted to hear, making me look at myself.

I was reborn because of him. Can I finally allow myself to take what I want?

Him?

“Do you want me to believe you came here for answers? No, you can lie to yourself, but you can’t lie to me. You know why I did it. You just wanted an excuse to come here, didn’t you?”

“Fuck off!” I go to push him, but his hand grips me tighter and jerks my chin back to him.

“Don’t lie, angel. It isn’t your strong suit. You’ve always been brutally honest, so why hide from it now? You want me. You came here to fuck me, to finish what we started. You’re letting me pin you now. You could get out of this if you really wanted to, but you don’t.” He lets go and sits astride me. His built chest rolls with the movement, mesmerising me for a moment.

Shamus really is a fucking machine. His brain is built for leading, but his body was built for fighting . . . and fucking.

He’s right, fuck.

I hate that he always sees through me.

“So what will it be, angel? Going to claim what you want, or are you too scared?”

“Nothing scares me,” I snap.

“Then prove it,” he growls.

Blowing out a breath, I jerk up and kick him off, and he rolls away. He was right. If I wanted to, I could have gotten out of it. We tumble to the floor, me on top of him, and before he can speak and piss me off more, I crush my lips to his.

He groans into my mouth, sliding his hand up my back and gripping my hair. Our kiss turns brutal, and I taste blood. I pull back, seeing his lip’s split open again. “You’re bleeding.”

“I don’t fucking care, but if you don’t kiss me again, I’ll fucking lose it,” he snarls below me.

Grinning, I lean down and lick the blood from his chin and soothe the cut on his lip with my tongue. Shamus isn’t below me anymore, it’s the stalker, and I love it. I want the being they all fear. I want his power, strength, and obsession.

If we are doing this, I want my equal, not someone to control.

As if he hears my thoughts, he spins us so I’m below him, his teeth sinking into my lip until my blood fills my mouth, and then he crushes his lips to mine, our blood mingling with our tongues. Our hands slide over each other’s bodies as we tumble across the floor, fighting for dominance just like last time, only this time neither of us has any intention of stopping.

I end up above him again, and I break away, ripping off my bra, and he sits up, sliding his hands up my back and dragging me to his lap as his mouth brushes over my breasts before he sucks my nipple. My head falls back in pleasure, desire rolling through me hard and strong. My need for him roars through me like a flame, burning me alive, and only his touch can cool it.

My moans fill the air as he turns his head and sucks my nipple, rolling it between his teeth. My clit throbs as his hands slide up into my loose shorts and grip my ass cheeks, his fingers digging in until I know it will bruise. He lifts me up, effortlessly standing, and drops me onto the sofa, my head falling back into the cushions. Gripping the waistband of my shorts, he tugs them off and kneels between my thighs.

His mouth comes down on my cunt like he’s a starving man. Lifting my head, I watch as he grips my thighs, forces them wider, and drags his tongue down my folds and then back up. He flicks my clit until I’m moaning and riding his tongue, and then his fingers slip inside me, finding me dripping wet. His eyes meet mine as he seals his lips around my clit and sucks, making my back bow as ecstasy courses through me.

Gripping the sofa cushion, I ride his face. Seeing my commander, the leader of the hunters, on his knees for me is a heady type of power, and it has me moving faster. I chase a release I have denied myself for so long, one he wants to claim. His face glistens with my desire as he brutally twists his fingers, stretching me as he sucks my clit harder, and it’s enough to throw me into an orgasm.

I cry out as I grind into his face, riding the waves of pleasure as he kisses and licks me through it until I slump. He finally pulls back, sucking his fingers as he watches me lie on his sofa before he gets to his feet. His eyes are filled with flames of lust so strong, I’m surprised he’s not burning in them. His chest and face are flushed and glistening with my cum.

He’s so fucking beautiful. I want him.

Standing before me, he grips the waistband of his pants, pushes them down slowly, and steps out of them, his huge, hard cock springing free. Shamus might be human compared to the others in my bed, but he is not lacking. Licking my lips, I eye his large cock, desperate to feel it inside me, but I see something that makes me sit up.

Above his cock, tattooed in black lettering, are two words.

ANGEL’S PROPERTY

My eyes jerk up to his as he smirks, his hand circling his cock as he watches me. “I got that the day we met. I knew you would be mine. I’ve been very fucking patient, angel. I think I deserve a reward.”

Leaping at him, I crush my lips to his as he catches me, and we stumble into his bedroom, falling into his sheets, naked and fighting to get closer. He stills above me, his features highlighted by shadows.

“I want you raw, angel. I want to feel every inch of your perfect cunt. Say yes.” He groans as I feel his cock between my thighs. “Say yes or I might fucking die.”

“Yes,” I answer without hesitation.

It unleashes the monster he hides deep within, one that echoes my own, and his hands grip me tightly.

He throws me across the bed and comes down on my back, pulling my hips up and back as he impales me on his cock. My face presses to the bedding as I fist the sheets and push back to take him.

My body is forced to adjust to his size, the slight pain disappearing as he takes me. The edge turns into nothing but pleasure as I flip my hair back, and he grabs it, using it as an anchor to drag me on and off his cock. The shadows steal our pleasured moans as he snarls behind me, the slapping of our skin loud as we come together. My heart pounds so fast in my chest, I struggle to breathe, and when he reaches between us and pinches my clit, I shatter once more.

Lifting me up onto my knees, he forces himself through my milking cunt, snarling in my ear. “You’re so fucking beautiful when you come for me, angel. The way you surrender to pleasure . . .” His lips drag along my pounding pulse. “I want to see it every moment of every day. I want to be buried this deep inside you at all times so there is no space between us.”

Panting, I lean back into him until I recover, and then I fall forward, dragging myself off him. He snarls, reaching for me, and I roll him onto his back and straddle his thighs. I look back over my shoulder at his narrowing eyes and reach down, grip his wet cock, and press him to my entrance before I sit down on his length once more. His groan fills the air as he reaches for my hips and helps me ride his length. His eyes are focused between my legs, where he’s thrusting in and out of my cunt.

My head falls back as I anchor my hands on his thighs, digging my nails in as I ride him, wanting to feel him come.

All this time, he’s touched me and made me feel pleasure, but I’ve never felt his, so when he speeds up, I know he’s close.

Lifting off his cock, I turn quickly and hold his jerking length to my mouth. I open my lips and roll my eyes up to him as he squirts across my tongue. He snarls, lifting his hips as he rides out his release, and when he collapses back, I swallow his release as he watches me through heavy-lidded eyes.

“I wanted to know how you taste too, commander,” I purr as I slide up his body and lie on his chest, sweaty and satisfied. “Next time, I want you to come down my throat.”

“Shit, angel,” he growls as he drags me closer. “You’ll be the death of me.”

“But what a way to go,” I tease.