Page 52 of Die for You

And me.

“He needs to stay away from you, Rory.” Knox’s arms squeeze me closer. “And we’ll make sure he does.”

“What kind of message?” I twist in his arms, scanning the faces nearby. “Where’s Finn?”

“Finn’s waiting for you.” Behind his mask, Damien’s voice drips with innuendo.

That fast, the stress and worry melt away, replaced with anticipation. “Waiting where?”

Without another word, Damien throws me over his shoulder like I’m weightless, knocking all the air out of my lungs as his hard muscle and bone dig into my abdomen. My dress rides up, exposing my panties to everyone at the party.

Laughter peels around us as I rain my fists down on his back, but I might as well be a fly for all the reaction I get out of him. “Hey! Put me down!”

Knox smacks my ass over my panties before tugging the hem of my dress down. He lifts his mask just long enough to smirk up at me. “No one gets to see that but us.”

As if everyone in the vicinity hasn’t already glimpsed a flash of my panties. Even though most of the people here are strangers, and in a few months, I won’t ever see any of them again, my cheeks heat.

“Have fun!” Juliet calls in a singsong.

Sienna gives me a double thumbs-up like my crush just asked me to prom, not like I’ve been thrown over the hockey captain’s shoulder so he can carry me through the throng of drunken college students and up to the second floor.

“Miss us, darling?” Knox calls as Damien carries me down a dimly lit hallway.

My pulse is thumping, cheeks still warm, but anticipation is curling deep in my belly, and I can’t deny it. All I can do is flip him off.

Knox chuckles beneath his mask, and the sound warms me down to my toes.

“Of course she did,” Damien answers for me, voice rumbling. “But we’ll make it up to her.”

Before I can open my mouth to ask what exactly they plan to do with me, Damien shoves a door that leads into a dark room. The only illumination trickles through the window from a blinking traffic light at a nearby intersection.

Knox follows us into the room, but it’s not him who slams the door behind us. The reverberations of the abrupt sound echoing in my ears.

I catch a glimpse of Finn’s long, lean figure, his dark hair blending in with our surroundings, his huge hand flat on the door, and his face hidden by an identical gas mask, before Damien drops me to my feet and flattens me against the wall with a massive hand on my chest.

The breath is driven out of my lungs for the second time this evening, but I don’t utter a single complaint. Against my back, the wall is unforgiving, and in front of me, the Devils are made of immovable concrete.

In the silence, the only sounds that fill my ears are the pounding of my heart and our eager breaths.

“How do you want us, angel?” Damien asks.

The three Devils surround me, blotting out the faint light behind their backs. They’re all I can see. Each of them in joggers and plain tees, nondescript clothing to go unnoticed, despite the gas masks that draw attention.

My heart hammers. This is really happening. Knox, Damien, and Finn surround me. Watching me, waiting.

“What do you mean?” I croak out.

Knox’s finger trails tenderly down my cheek, warm against my hot skin. He leans so close, his mask brushes my ear. “Do you want us to be gentle with you?” His finger slides to my jaw until it comes to the underside, where he pinches it with his forefinger and thumb. “Or do you want to get fucked?”

I gulp.

“We can take it easy on you.” Damien pulls off his mask, dropping it at his feet, and even now, I’m struck by his beauty. By the hard edges to his square jaw and the dark eyes that are almost black. “Or we can make sure you can’t walk tomorrow.”

My tongue is tied in a permanent knot. Finally, I manage to clear my throat and calm my racing heart enough to speak. “Who says I even want to fuck you? Any of you?”

I didn’t exactly come up here of my own free will. They just assume I’m willing to drop my panties and spread my legs for them.

They’reright, but?—