Page 13 of Ruin (Villains for Hire)

A rhythmic beeping sound drew Lira, very reluctantly, from sleep. Groaning, she burrowed deeper into Ruin’s chest. Blindly feeling around until she found his arm, she dragged the heavy thing over her head to block out the noise.

As soon as she did, the bed started shaking.

It took a couple of long, groggy seconds to realize it wasn’t the bed. It was him, shaking with laughter.

“Did I wear my little bird out?”

She could hear the smile in his voice, and her lips curled in reaction. Rather than answer, she tilted her head and sank her teeth into the hard muscle of his pec.

He sucked in a sharp breath, arms tightening around her until they were pressed chest to chest, hip to hip. The thick length of his cock surged free of its sheath to throb hotly against her thighs.

Arousal clenched low in her belly even as her eyes widened.

He liked being bitten.

Hauling her up higher, he nipped at her earlobe, and growled, “If Hush wasn’t pingin’ me, I’d wear you out all over again.”

“Mmm, I- wait, what did you say?” She lurched upright and quickly hid her nudity with the covering, inadvertently pulling it off of Ruin. “Someone’s here?”

He rolled over onto his back with a low chuckle and tucked his hands behind his head. “I told you I called for backup. Hush is the backup.”

That was probably the single most provocative pose she’d ever seen. Saliva pooled in her mouth and that clench of arousal turned into a torrent thrumming in her veins. What was he saying? Something about being quiet?

Her gaze drifted over his thickly muscled arms to his broad, tattooed chest, down farther and farther until… A whimper slipped free.

He was still half-hard, his cock still outside its sheath. From the corner of her eye, she saw him grin, all sharp teeth and wicked promise.

“See somethin' you like, little bird?”

Gods, yes.

Lira flushed, tearing her gaze away. “I… we should get dressed.”

“Mmm.” Quick as a serpent strike, he sat up, lifted her smoothly off the bed, and planted her in his lap. “Or we could make Hush wait.”

His lips found her neck. Her head fell back of its own accord to give him better access. Okay, maybe they could?—

Beep, beep, beep.

She startled a little at the unexpected alert. “I don’t think your friend likes waiting.”

Ruin sighed against her skin, then pulled back with a rueful smile. “Fuckin’ Drifters . Not a patient molecule in their bodies.”

Rather than set her down, he kept his hold on her as he climbed off the bed and only placed her on her feet after stealing a long, drugging kiss. Dazed and unsteady after that, she hurried to make herself presentable.

“Ready?”

“Mmhm. No, wait. Is he… kind?”

She trusted Ruin completely and knew he wouldn’t put her in danger by inviting a threat into their midst, but not being a threat and not being cruel were two entirely different things.

His expression softened, and he reached out to catch a lock of her hair, letting the strands glide between his fingertips. “Hush’s a good male. Loud an’ impatient. Disturbingly fond of hugs. But he isn’t callous.”

Releasing a breath, she nodded. Ruin pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then tapped something into his implant and turned just in time for the door to swish open.

Lira flipped up the hood of her cloak at the same moment that a tall, red-skinned figure burst through the doorway, moving so quickly she barely had time to register his presence before he collided with Ruin in a crushing embrace.

“Ruin!” the newcomer exclaimed. “My favorite best friend!”

Ruin sighed, expression a mix of amused exasperation and resignation. “I’m your only best friend.”

“That’s why you’re my favorite.” The male squeezed him tight enough to force a grunt out of him. “I missed you!”

“You're gonna break my ribs one of these days.”

“Tssh, nuh-uh! Well, not by accident, I wouldn’t.”

When the red-skinned male pulled away, she scanned him from head to toe with wide eyes, curious and more than a little intrigued by this boisterous person who claimed to be Ruin’s best friend.

Though his curling black horns gave the appearance of added height, he actually stood an inch or two shorter than Ruin and had more of a chiseled, rugged build.

His skin was a specific shade of crimson unique to Drifters, and covered in intricate black tattoos. Even the long tail swishing and flicking behind him was inked. Thick, jet black hair was cut, or maybe styled, in a roguishly mussed way that gave the appearance he’d just finished rolling in the sheets with someone.

Which… maybe he had.

Heavily pierced, pointed ears twitched a moment before he turned and leveled his gaze on her.

Lira was instantly transfixed.

His eyes were a swirling, iridescent gold, like liquid sunlight, and stood out in stark contrast with his red skin. Though they seemed to dance with mischief, there was a sharpness there, and unmistakable intelligence. She had the sense he missed very little.

High cheekbones led to a strong jawline and sculpted lips with four points on the upper instead of two like hers. Those lips were currently stretched in a broad grin that was both charming and slightly feral, exposing sharp white teeth.

“And who’s this little morsel?” He canted his head to the side. “It’s a bit undersized, but I could go for a snack.”

Ruin growled, the sound low and menacing, but beneath the concealment of her hood, she was smiling. She understood and treasured his protectiveness, but in this instance, it wasn’t necessary. There wasn’t any meanness in Hush’s eyes, only curiosity and appraisal.

Flipping her hood back, she offered a small smile. “Hello, Hush. I’m Lira, not food.”

At the sight of her, his dark brows shot up and his eyes went almost comically wide. But it was Ruin's reaction that really caught her attention. The corners of his mouth twitched upward, a rare smile softening his beautifully harsh features.

Pleasure swelled within her.

“Oh, fuck! Ruin, that’s a human!”

He snorted. “Yes, I’m aware.”

“Where in the hells did you find a human on the Outer Rim?”

“She was the slave of a Mogovian trader.”

“Ugh. Fuckin’ slavers. You killed ‘im, yeah?”

Ruin looked mildly insulted at the question. “Of course.”

“Good, good.” Hush paused, eyes bouncing back and forth between her and Ruin. “Sooo, you freed her and then just decided to keep ‘er?”

Lira tried to hide the sudden rush of apprehension at the question. What would he say? Would he declare he had no intention of keeping her? Would he?—

“She ain’t a pet, Hush. I’m not keepin’ her. She chose to stay with me.”

That… wasn’t quite what she’d been hoping for. Schooling her face, she pushed aside the ridiculous twinge of disappointment.

Hush raked his gaze over her once more. “Eh, you're right. She'd probably make a terrible pet.”

A sound of indignation escaped before she could stop it. Heat rushed to her cheeks as she realized how illogical the reaction was. She didn't actually want to be seen as a pet. But, still, if she did, she'd be a damn good one.

Hush's ears perked at the noise. “No affront intended, little morsel. It's just, you got no claws or fangs, so you wouldn't be any good at attackin’. And that tiny nose? Humans have a notoriously shit sense of smell, so trackin’ is out.”

“Some people have pets just as companions, you know,” she countered. “They're not meant to do anything but provide comfort and affection.”

He gave her a supremely skeptical glance, like that was one of the more absurd things he’d heard. “That doesn't sound like a real thing.”

She huffed, then cut a narrow-eyed look at Ruin when he chuckled under his breath.

Traitor.

“So… ” Hush started, drawing her attention back to him. “Are all humans as”—he brought a hand up, first finger and upper thumb stretched open wide before he pinched them till they were almost touching—“runty as you? Like, are you normal sized?”

“I’m not runty!”

That time, even Ruin made a skeptical face. Her mind flashed back to the males Vargot bought to breed her with. Okay, yes, they'd all been bigger than her, but not by a huge margin.

“I think I'm normal sized,” she replied with a shrug.

“Huh. Didn't know humans were so tiny. You're like a little miniature person. It's kinda cute.”

Cute? Lira blinked up at him. That was… unexpected. “Um, thank you?”

Hush grinned widely, tail swishing side to side. “You're welcome!”

Her own lips kicked up involuntarily. For all that most of what came out of his mouth was at least mildly insulting, there was something infectious about Hush's energy.

“You're very… ” What was the word? Animated? No. Excitable? Yes, but that wasn't quite right either. She bit her lip, brows furrowing slightly in concentration. “Vibrant.”

“Vibrant? Ooh, I like that! Nobody’s ever called me vibrant before.”

Lira grinned back, warmth blooming in her chest. “I'm glad you like it.”

Ruin grumbled something unintelligible. She cut a look at him, barely managing to hide a smirk. Was he jealous? Hush caught it too, a devious smile spreading across his face. But at a warning glance from Ruin, he schooled his expression into something more neutral.

“So,” he drawled, rocking back on his heels. “What's the big emergency that you had to call in your favorite friend for backup?”

Lira glanced at Ruin, silently asking him to explain the situation. He gave a barely perceptible nod before gesturing for them to sit at the small table. Once settled, he fixed his gaze on Hush.

“After I killed the Mogovian an’ his guards, Lira an’ I came here to lie low. Yesterday, while out for supplies, an assassin attacked us.”

Hush's playful demeanor vanished in an instant, his golden eyes going hard as they skimmed over her, then Ruin.

Answering the question before it could be asked, Ruin waved a hand. “We're fine.” He sent her a small, proud smile. “Lira made sure of that.”

She felt herself flush what was undoubtedly a vivid red, though whether it was more from discomfort or pleasure, she couldn’t tell.

“What, the morsel? You jest.”

Unaccustomed to having her actions acknowledged in a positive way, she squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. With Vargot, drawing any attention had been dangerous.

“The assassin poisoned me. I went down ‘fore we could make it back here.” He nodded to the bot in the corner. “She fixed up that old bot, had it carry me back, an’ helped me, uh, work through the effects.”

He settled a hand on her back, spanning almost the entire width of it. Looking up, she found pride and affection in his gaze. Tangled together, naked in bed, he’d questioned her at length about how she managed to fix the robot. His astonishment, praise, and admiration had her squirming with both self-consciousness and delight.

“Really? Damn, little morsel, you just got a whole lot more interesting.” Brows high, Hush regarded her with new respect. To Ruin, he asked, “So, who was it? You recognize 'em?”

“Mm. You remember that Lo’yr cyborg from that removal job couple years back?”

“On uh, Uhiri , yeah? I liked him.”

“He was the assassin.”

Hush’s tail, which hadn’t stopped moving since he arrived, froze mid-swish for just a beat. “Well! I like him a lot less now. You know who hired him?”

“My mark. ‘Cept he didn’t send the cyborg after me. He sent ‘im to snatch Lira. Turns out her owner was in the middle of a deal with my target to give up the location of a planet with an element called ‘veherium.’ You heard of it?”

“Don’t think so.”

“Me either.”

“So, your target doesn’t know you’re after him. That’s good.” He leaned forward, elbows on the table, a wicked grin spreading across his face. “We kill him, which finishes your mission, and ensures the little morsel’s safe.”

“Mmhm. An’ if there’s time, we do a little pokin’ around. Find out what’s so special about this element.”

“So what’s the plan? I know you got one.”

“Depends. How far away’s the Vengeance? This is probably gonna be loud. Could get messy. We’re gonna want a quick exit.”

Hush leaned back in his chair, stretching his arms above his head. “Mmm,” he purred, grin turning feral. “Sounds like my kind of fun.”