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SETH | EKEZ

“ F uck,” Thorin gripes under his breath so that Aurelia won’t hear. “She’s an even worse cook than Khalil.”

Khalil sucks his teeth at the jab. “Man, fuck you.” He makes a face like he’s chewing glass as he tries to stomach the slop Aurelia served us for dinner.

I can’t even begin to tell you what it is.

It’s bad.

Like eating animal dung would be better bad.

Me? I find it hilarious .

Aurelia literally made Thorin eat his words by serving up the worst dish known to man. I don’t know what it is, but I wouldn’t feed it to my dogs if I had some. I inhale it anyway to keep from laughing at these two miserable fucks.

And because Zeke will wake up soon.

I’ll need my strength to keep him suppressed for a little while longer. He won’t like what we’re doing to Aurelia. He’ll try to come to her rescue, and while I’m happy to cheer and encourage her rebellion, I can’t help but want to steal a piece of her for myself—to take with me when I sleep. It could be years before Zeke loses his shit enough to let me take over.

His time out here in the wilds, away from people who can hurt him, has been good for him.

The more he heals, the less he needs me.

The more I…fade.

Thorin’s gagging interrupts my depressing thoughts. “I can’t do it. This shit is worse than the slop they served us in DFAC.”

“There’s a fifty percent chance I’m going to wake up with food poisoning,” Khalil complains.

“I’ve got a hundred percent chance of dying if I eat another bite of this.” Thorin pushes his plate away.

Aurelia notices and abandons her sorry attempt at cleaning the kitchen to walk over. “Problem, fellas?”

“No problem,” Thorin lies easily. “Thanks for dinner. That was…something.”

Aurelia’s gaze falls to his plate, which is still full. “You didn’t finish.”

“I’m full.”

“No. You have to eat it all,” Aurelia says deceptively softly while pushing Thorin’s plate back in front of him. “You were so hungry, remember? It was imperative that I feed you against my will, and now I have.” Thorin glares at her while an unfazed Aurelia smiles sweetly down at him. “No dessert or getting up from the table until you clean your plate, boys.”

Khalil huffs then holds his nose and starts shoveling as much as he can fit in his mouth so he can get it over with.

It’s fucking hilarious.

“What about me? I’m finished.” My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I sit back in my chair and eye the inner curve of her tit peeking through the flannel. This girl is more broken than I thought, letting Thorin feel her up after handling her the way he did. “Can I have dessert?”

“Of course you can. You’re such a good boy.” She pats my head like I’m a dog, and even though I know she’s being condescending, it doesn’t work. I take the opportunity to show her why I’m better than those two boneheads. I roll out Zeke’s freakishly long tongue and let it hang while panting heavily like one.

Aurelia chokes on a shocked laugh, slapping a hand over her mouth when she realizes her slip. The sound is so carefree and genuine that Khalil and Thorin gape from their sides of the table like they have eggs on their faces.

Did I mention how much I adore Aurelia George?

She tries to get away, but I snake my arm out and pull her into my lap before she can get more than a step. “What?” I ask when her amusement fades, and she wears an uncomfortable look. “You said I could have dessert.”

“I meant like pie or ice cream.”

“Do we have ice cream?”

“No.”

“Did you make pie?”

Realizing I have her cornered, she grumbles, “No.”

“Mmm,” I hum as I smell her neck. “Then I guess I’ll have to eat yours.”

While Aurelia’s skin becomes cold and clammy at the thought of me touching her again, I wonder what she’ll taste like. Apple? Cherry? Lemon Meringue?

Our girl is sweet and tangy, so my money is on the latter.

I’ve been hard for her all day, but right now, there’s something else I want more. She’s tense as fuck in my lap, though, so I don’t think she’d go for me eating her pussy.

Damn.

I would have made it so good for her.

Probably.

I could take it, but I’d rather she give it to me. I know despite all their huffing and puffing, Khalil and Thorin feel the same. They’ll wait for Aurelia to come around for as long as they can stand before taking what they’re owed.

I figure she’s got a couple more days before one of them cracks.

“Actually, I’m pretty full,” I say, letting her off the hook. “Maybe next time.”

Aurelia’s still rigid as fuck, but her relief is palpable.

She doesn’t thank me, though, and I don’t expect her to. Since I’m not a good guy and I can’t have her thinking I am, I tighten my hand on her hip when she tries to rise.

“What do you say?” I prod.

“About what?”

“Skipping dessert.”

“You want me to thank you for not assaulting me?”

“Have you ever had your pussy eaten before?” Aurelia looks almost ashamed when she gives a small shake of her head. “Then trust me, Sunshine. The last thing you would have felt was put out.”

“I’m not thanking you,” is all she says.

“You’re so fucking sexy. I could fuck you right now,” I offer while thrusting my hips up so she can feel how hard I am for her. “Would you like that, Sunshine? Can I bend you over this table? I won’t be quick, but I’ll make you scream. Promise.”

“No, I—Please don’t.”

“Then what do you say, Aurelia?”

The dining room is taut with tension as the three of us collectively hold our breath, waiting to see if our prideful princess will bend.

“Th-thank you.” Her hands ball around the hem of the flannel, and she looks like she wants to stab me with the knife I have embedded in the wooden surface of the table. She’s eyeing it hard, so Khalil cautiously reaches out and removes the weapon before changing the subject.

“How are you not a virgin, but you’ve never had your pussy eaten?” he blurts in delayed astonishment.

“You’d have to ask the whopping four men I’ve fucked.”

Khalil gapes and then just shakes his head like he’s disappointed in our girl for not choosing better partners.

“You’ve only had sex with four men, and two of them were for revenge?” Thorin remarks.

“I’ve been busy,” she says simply.

“Head should be fucking mandatory,” Khalil grumbles while staring thoughtfully at the wall. He’s really upset about this.

Aurelia perks a brow. She thinks we don’t see the interest she’s trying so hard to hide in her eyes. “Are you decreeing so as the giver or receiver?”

His heated gaze snaps back to her as he says, “Be a good girl for us, and you’ll find out.” The three of us wait for Aurelia to deny that she’s not picturing Khalil’s head between her thighs even now. Surprisingly, she doesn’t. Her gaze is a little unfocused as she stares at his mouth, and Khalil shifts in his seat while I grow a little harder under Aurelia’s plump ass. “You didn’t eat,” he points out. “Why?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“That’s not what you said when you demanded we feed you,” Thorin reminds her. He can never let anything go. Asshole still hasn’t forgiven me for trying to burn him alive that one time.

My gaze narrows as it shifts between Zeke’s friends.

Or was that Khalil I tried to torch?

“I’ve lost my appetite,” Aurelia answers, snapping me out of my thoughts and my favorite subject—murder.

Khalil’s gaze flicks to me when I start grinning like a maniac, but he doesn’t remark on it. He probably already knows she’s the reason.

Aurelia.

No matter how many times we try to break Sunshine, she dares us to push harder.

“Come here.”

I roll my eyes because Thorin giving a shit whether she eats is obviously a ruse to get her out of my lap and into his. Along with holding a grudge, Thorin also has a problem with sharing. We all do, which is how I know this will never work.

I, for one, can’t wait for it to blow up in our faces.

Jealously, I hope Thorin gets maimed the most when Aurelia stands and slowly rounds the table. Thorin doesn’t speak or touch her, yet Aurelia lowers herself onto his leg without being told to.

Thorin pulls his half-eaten plate closer to himself before using his fork to pierce the tough-as-Teflon deer meat that Aurelia butchered worse than Thorin did when he killed it.

He brings the fork to her lips, but she stubbornly turns her head away.

Khalil reaches across the short distance from his spot at the head of the table and grips her jaw. He squeezes until Aurelia whimpers and turns her head back toward Thorin. The two share a look that ends with Aurelia opening her mouth the tiniest bit.

Thorin feeds her the venison.

Aurelia makes a face at the awful taste as she chews. The next portion is even larger. Having already made his point, Thorin takes one for the team and eats it.

Bite after bite, he feeds them both—with his portions considerably larger—until the plate is empty and Aurelia looks ready to hurl.

“The winters can be brutal, so we don’t waste food,” Thorin tells her as he hands her his water glass. Aurelia takes it from him and guzzles half of it down to wash the taste of dinner from her mouth. “There are some cookbooks on the bookshelves. It helped us; it can help you.”

Aurelia pauses her slow slips to ask, “So, why didn’t one of you make dinner?”

“Because we have you to take care of us now.”

“Cabin rule number five,” I say casually, and she glares at me. “Have our dinner on the table every night, or we’ll have you instead.”

“Oh, so you’re cannibals too?” she says, purposely misunderstanding my meaning. “Wow, I’m so surprised.”

None of us bother to correct her. Our grins just grow sharper as if we might truly devour her.

“And it’s not just dinner,” Khalil amends. “There’s breakfast and lunch too. We’re gone most of the day, so you don’t need to go overboard for lunch. We won’t always make it back before the sun sets.”

Aurelia looks surprised at that. “You really trust me to stay here alone?”

Khalil shrugs. “Whether you live or die is entirely your choice, Goldilocks.”

“And make no mistake, if you try to leave this mountain on your own, you won’t survive,” Thorin adds. “We don’t care about you, Aurelia. Run, and we will let you die. Feel free to consider that cabin rule number six.”

“But take it as a warning above all because we’re not fucking around,” I say gravely. “It’s cleaner for us to let you perish from exposure or the impact of falling from a cliff because you can’t see more than five feet in front of you.”

“It looked pretty clear outside to me,” Aurelia retorts.

“Wait a while,” Khalil tells her.

“Today was the first time we’ve seen the sky since we found you,” Thorin informs. “The weather here can turn in an instant.”

“I can still be rescued,” she argues. “I found this cabin. Search and rescue will, too.”

“That’s true,” I say with a sniff while stretching my legs under the table. Thorin and Khalil glare daggers at me, but I ignore them.

I mean, goddamn.

This girl is clinging to the tiniest scrap of hope that her old life isn’t lost. Why not let her have it? Why not give her something to fight for? The three of us being willingly stuck on this mountain is depressing enough without her adding to it.

“They’re looking for you, you know. The Canadian Armed Forces is all over it, coordinating with the local authorities and search and rescue team. It’s been dicey with the storms, but they’re out there day and night. You didn’t leave a lot of tracks when you fled the crash sight on account of the storms, but the men leading the teams, telling them exactly where to look, know these mountains better than anyone. They’ll find you no matter where you go.”

Aurelia’s gaze brightens as she leans forward, completely unaware that she’s flashing us her gorgeous tits. “Really? How do you know this?”

She’s practically panting for the answer, so I give it to her.

“Oh, because we are search and rescue.”

I get the sense that I fucked up monumentally.

Khalil leaves no room for doubt when he hits me with a mean right hook that has me tasting my own blood and stumbling to stay on my feet. Laughing, I spit the blood into the snow before wiping my mouth as I face them. Khalil and Thorin stood shoulder to shoulder, armed with twin glowers.

I should be used to it by now. The two of them standing against me instead of with me. Thorin and Khalil are Zeke’s friends. I’m just the freak show with a high threshold for pain and no memories that exist outside of it.

Oh, boo-hoo.

The three of us came outside to “talk” after Aurelia tired herself out from screaming and throwing shit at us. Namely me. Once she passed out on the couch, Khalil carried her to his bed, and we hadn’t heard a peep from her since.

Huh…

I guess I hadn’t brought her hope after all. I think I just made it worse.

Well, she hurt my feelings, too, when she called me emotionally stunted. Actually, I guess that’s a fair assessment.

Thorin grabs my coat in both fists and gets in my face. “You’re done. Wake Ezekiel up. Now.”

“Fuck you.” I shove him away. “We both know neither of you wants him awake right now. Can you imagine how far it will set him back once he finds out what you’re doing to that girl?” I laugh again. “Shit’s going to hit the fan, and you know it, so yeah, I think I’ll stay a while longer.”

“Cut the shit, Seth. Why did you do it?”

I shrug a little petulantly as I stare out into the wilds, drowning in darkness. The darkness never seems to end. Even way out here.

“I get the feeling that Aurelia is all alone in this world.”

She’s like me.

She doesn’t have anyone who cares enough to risk their own neck to save her. Not like Zeke did. She needs to accept that now so she can move on.”

Khalil latches on to what I let slip and inches closer. “You’re not alone, Seth.”

“Fuck you!” I explode while stepping back to keep the distance between us. I can’t let them confuse me like Isaac did—like they’re trying to do to Sunshine. “You’re Zeke’s friends, not mine. You don’t give a shit about me. You keep trying to make him better .”

“Because you keep trying to kill him!”

“So? What’s the big deal? He wants to die,” I tell them. Thorin and Khalil both look so pathetically heartbroken over it. Disgusting feeling creatures.

“You’re supposed to protect him, Seth.”

“I am .” When they just shake their heads, I feel myself getting defensive. “None of you know him like I do. You’re not in his head. You see it, but you don’t feel it. It hurts . More than any of the shit they did to us.”

“Then stop fighting us, and let us help you, Seth. Both of you.”

I scoff and look away. “Whatever.”

It’s quiet for a while, and then Thorin asks, “What makes you think Aurelia is alone? She has her uncle.”

We’d grilled Sheriff Kelly for as much information on Aurelia as we could without seeming suspicious.

Orphan.

Raised by her father’s brother.

Won over the world with her voice at the tender age of fourteen.

And from the looks of it, she’s been under her uncle’s control ever since.

“Take it from someone whose own brother tried to kill him. Marston George doesn’t give a fuck about his niece.”

“You don’t know that.”

“She was a danger to everything he’d built. I wouldn’t be surprised if he fucked with the plane, and it wasn’t the storm at all.”

Thorin blows out a breath. “That’s a little far-fetched.”

“Yeah? Well, what would you do for complete control of a billion-dollar fortune?”

You heard right.

Our girl wasn’t kidding when she said she had the power to crush us. She’s filthy fucking rich, and it’s not even in the top fifty reasons why I’m obsessed with her.

Thorin grunts, jarring me back to this side of sanity where it’s so fucking boring. “If she dies, he probably inherits it all,” he grumbles.

“You really think she has no one? What about that kid we found? He kept saying her name when we radioed for a med-evac and choppered him out. Maybe he’s her boyfriend.”

Ah, yes.

Tyler whatever.

Fuck that guy.

The pussy was too busy dying in the snow with a leg half gone to frostbite while our girl made it all the way here and found shelter.

Found us.

No. Tyler won’t do at all. He’s not good enough for her.

“He was her boyfriend. Someone ought to tell him that, like his leg, he’s never getting his bitch back.”

I chuckle at my own dark humor.

“You just focus on keeping your mouth shut,” Thorin orders. “Now is not the time to stir up trouble for the hell of it.”

My gaze drops to the snow when I remember the lost look in Aurelia’s eyes. “I didn’t mean to make her sad.”

“Maybe this is a good thing,” Khalil says. “It’s out in the open now. We don’t have to worry about it blowing up in our faces later.”

I frown at that since the last thing I want is to make things easier for these assholes.

Team Sunshine all the way.

A low growl interrupts whatever bullshit excuse Thorin is about to make to continue torturing that girl. Pivoting slowly, I search the tree line thirty feet away, and at first, I don’t see a thing.

And then I see two things.

Glowing eyes piercing a solid wall of black.

A lone wolf with tawny fur steps into the opening with its head low to the ground and wary eyes shifting between Khalil, Thorin, and me. There’s a snarl on its lips as it slowly closes in, but the three of us hold our ground. We don’t look away, and neither does the tawny wolf. It stops five feet away, lips pulling back to bare its teeth as it gives another menacing growl.

Awww, she looks just like Sunshine.

“What’s the matter, girl? Where’s your pack?”

The wolf snarls and rears back as if she understood me. Her pack must be a sore subject. It’s then I notice her rounded belly and battle scars.

No pack, then.

Pregnant as fuck, though.

“Seth,” Khalil exhales my name with a quiet breath when I reach out with my palm up.

The wolf gives a low warning growl, but I don’t draw my hand back.

I wait her out.

She sniffs the air, looks away, and then sniffs the air again before inching forward. Her hackles are still raised, but she’s curious, too.

Just like Aurelia.

The wolf sniffs my palm, and I can see Thorin and Khalil from my peripheral moving into position just in case this inevitably goes south and I lose my hand. If I do, I’ll make sure to gift it to Sunshine as an apology for hurting her that night and all the ones that will no doubt follow.

The wolf is still scenting me when I sign my death wish by moving my hand through the fur under her jaw. I keep it there, admiring the untamable wildness in her gaze as she watches me back.

“It’s okay, girl. Go back to your den. We won’t bother you,” I promise.

With one last warning growl, the wolf turns and jots off into the trees. I guess it was too much to hope for a few palm licks before she went.

Looking over my shoulder, I smirk at those cowering pussies when I see Khalil and Thorin looking at me like I’d lost my mind.

The joke’s on them. I never had it.

“She’s getting ready to whelp those pups, so her den must be nearby,” Khalil remarks.

“I’ll track her down tomorrow. Make sure she doesn’t come back,” Thorin says.

I’m still watching the tree line when I answer. “Don’t bother.”

“And if it’s Aurelia out here the next time she comes?” Thorin retorts.

“Maybe she’ll learn to stay her ass in the cabin,” Khalil mumbles.

I roll my eyes at them both. “The wolf won’t be back. She’s not interested in us. She was just checking out the competition.”

I don’t give either a chance to argue. Unzipping my jeans, I pull out my dick and watch the steam from my warm piss hitting the frozen ground rise and curl in the air.

“What the fuck, Seth?”

I look over my shoulder to see Khalil pinching the bridge of his nose and looking exasperated. “ Why ?”

“Marking our territory,” I explain. “Why else? If you don’t want the wolf coming back…” I let my point hang since they’re smart boys and continue draining the hose along the outer edges of our turf.

There’s a beat of contemplative silence, and then the sound of zippers lowering as Khalil and Thorin join me.

Anything for Sunshine.