Page 70 of Hymns of the Broken

Riot stiffens, all playfulness gone, his hand coming down on Blake’s wrist—hard. “I could ask you the same thing, man. You have a problem?”

Blake glares at him, chest puffing up. “Who the fuck are you? Her bodyguard?”

Riot’s voice is lazy, but there’s a threat underneath. “Call me whatever you want. You need to let go of her.”

The air changes, thickens. Jasper’s there, silent, eyes black and cutting through Blake like he’s not even real. “You want to tell him, Sawyer? Or should I?”

Blake’s eyes flare. “What the fuck is this, Sawyer? You letting these guys pass you around?”

My eyes dart back and forth among all three of them.

Jasper’s voice cuts through, cruel and lethal. “You want to know what you heard last night? That was me. And you’d better get used to it, because she doesn’t belong to you. She never did.”

Blake’sjaw drops, red with rage, but before he can fire back, Riot’s mouth twists into a wicked grin. He leans in, casual and reckless, voice just loud enough for everyone to hear. “And so what if we were passing her around between us? She deserves more than one boring little man, anyway.”

The words hang in the air, filthy and unapologetic. Jasper bristles—eyes on fire, jaw set—like he might take Riot out for even suggesting it.

Jasper’s jaw ticks; the look he throws Riot would turn most people to ash. But Riot just grins wider, like he wants Jasper to come for him. The air between them is thick enough to choke on—violence and need and something almost like a challenge, all twisted together.

Blake turns to me, desperate now. “Really, Sawyer? You’re just gonna let them talk for you?”

Jasper’s voice is pure ice. “She doesn’t owe you shit. And if you touch her again, you’re done.”

Blake sputters, “You’re all fucking insane—Sawyer, you’re not like this. You don’t let people use you—”

Riot snorts, stepping even closer, his body practically shielding me from Blake. “Nobody’s using her, man. She’s right where she wants to be.”

Jasper’s hand finds the small of my back, fingers digging—possessive, lethal. “You don’t get to talk about what she wants. Not anymore. You lost that privilege the second you laid a hand on her. I don’t take from her. I protect her. That’s the difference between us.”

Blake always spoke for me like I was a sentence he could finish. Jasper’s words don’t steal my voice—they clear the room so I can use it. It’s a different kind of gravity, one that asks instead of demands, even when it sounds like a threat.

My heart’s beating hard enough to bruise. I can feel Riot’s heat at my side, Jasper’s certainty at my back, but this part is mine. No one gets to say it for me. No one gets to own the ending.

“It’s over, Blake. I should’ve said it sooner, but I’m saying it now. I’m not yours. I haven’t been for a long time.”

He staresat me, all red-rimmed fury and heartbreak. Riot’s touch is steady on my shoulder, Jasper’s presence an iron wall at my back. For the first time, I feel freedom blooming inside my chest.

Blake’s eyes dart between the two of them, searching for backup, for any sign that he’s not completely outnumbered. But all he finds is Riot’s shit-eating grin and Jasper’s eyes—black and bottomless, fixed on me like I’m the only thing that matters.

Jasper leans in, his voice low against my ear. “You want us to stop, Sawyer? Say the word.”

Riot’s eyes flick to mine as he leans in on my other side, almost teasing. “Tell us, Hellcat. We’ll back off…if that’s what you want.”

My heart hammers. Jasper’s words sink in, and I realize—he’s really not going to stop Riot. He’s not pulling away, not staking his claim alone. For a second, I’m stunned. I never thought he’d share anything, least of all, me. The fact that he lets Riot touch me, here, now, is almost as shocking as Blake’s rage. It feels dangerous. It feels wicked. It feels…so fucking hot.

Riot’s hand settles low on my hip, thumb drawing lazy circles. Jasper’s grip tightens at my waist, heat searing through my shirt, making it clear I’m not going anywhere. It’s like being split in two—caught between their hands, their egos, their eyes. The way Blake is looking at me should humiliate me. But all I feel is wild and alive. I want him to see. I want him to know exactly what he lost.

They’re playing a game, but this time I’m in on it.

I tip my chin up, meeting Blake’s furious gaze dead-on. My voice is steady. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”

I expect shame to come roaring back. It doesn’t. What rushes in is quieter, steadier—like standing in my own skin for the first time and finding it fits.

Jasper leans in, lips brushing the shell of my ear, voice dark and taunting for Blake’s benefit. “You hear that? She’s not yours. Never was.” Then he licks up the side of my neck, and I shiver.

Riot’s grin turns wicked as he slides his palm a little lower, eyes never leaving Blake’s. “Maybe you should watch a little longer. Could teach you a thing or two.”

Riot’sfingers flex against my hip, the touch openly possessive, almost daring Jasper to stop him. My body is burning; my nerves are sparking everywhere they touch me. For one wild heartbeat, I’d let them do anything. Here. Now. With Blake watching.