Page 64 of Haunted

“Don’t tell me what to—” A yawn cuts off her protest.

“You were saying?”

“Shut up.” She closes her eyes, already half-asleep. “Bossy asshole.”

“Sweet dreams, angel.”

Mira’s breathing evens out within minutes, surrendering to exhaustion. I lean back in the chair, watching the rise and fall of her chest beneath my shirt. She looks younger in sleep, the sharp edges of her determination softened by vulnerability.

The radio on my belt crackles to life, Knox’s voice cutting through the quiet.

“X, what the actual fuck are you doing?”

I grab the radio, keeping my voice low. “Hunting.”

“Bullshit. I’m watching the feeds. You carried your prey into the sanctuary like some kind of deranged white knight.”

Static fills the air before Vane’s voice joins in. “Did our big brother offer room service to his prey?”

“This is rich,” Landon adds, his tone dry as dust. “Xavier Blackwood, terror of Ravenwood, tucking his prey in with a bedtime story.”

I grip the radio tighter. “She needed rest. Unconscious prey isn’t entertaining.”

Knox’s laughter crackles through the speaker. “Right, because you’ve never fucked an unconscious woman before.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

I don’t have an answer to that. How do I explain thatwatching her collapse felt wrong in ways I can’t explain, not even to myself? That carrying her here had been necessary rather than optional?

“You’ve gone soft,” Vane observes. “Pussy-whipped before you’ve even properly claimed her.”

“I have claimed her.”

“In a pool, like some romantic bullshit,” Knox scoffs. “Where were the whips? The begging? The tears? You made love to her, didn’t you?”

The words hit harder than they should. “I don’t make love.”

“Could’ve fooled us,” Landon says. “Next, you’ll be bringing her breakfast in bed.”

“Or flowers,” Vane adds. “Maybe a nice candlelit dinner.”

“Fuck all of you.”

“No thanks,” Knox replies cheerfully. “We’re busy hunting like we’re supposed to be. You know, the point of this event?”

I look at Mira’s sleeping form. “She’s my prey. I’ll handle her however I see fit.”

“By playing nursemaid?” Vane asks.

“By breaking her properly. Sleep deprivation only works if they wake up first.”

“Sure,” Knox says, the inflection of his voice telling me he’s not buying it for a second. “Whatever you need to tell yourself, big brother. Try not to propose before the Hunt’s over.”

The radio falls silent, leaving me alone with thesound of Mira’s breathing and the uncomfortable truth my brothers forced me to confront.

They’re right. I’ve never brought prey to the sanctuary. Never cared if they needed rest.