Page 11

M y grip on Silas’ arm remains firm as I drag him inside the locker room. Trying to control the fury pulsing through him is like trying to control a rabid dog.

He will snap if I let him.

His whole body is rippling with tension. His hands still clenched into tight fists. His knuckles bruised and bloodied from the fight.

Dayton and Kai enter the room with us. They’re both silent, but I can sense their worry as they hover close to Silas and me. They exchange uneasy glances. No one knows how to handle Silas right now.

No one except me.

“Leave,” I say quietly, turning to face them.

Kai frowns, stepping closer. “Sable, I don’t think that’s a good idea?—”

“I can handle this,” I cut him off. “Please. Just give us a minute.”

Dayton looks like he wants to argue, but Kai places a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back. With one last wary glance at Silas, they both turn and head out of the locker room.

“We will be right outside this door,” Kai says before the door clicks shut behind them, leaving us alone in the dim, echoing space.

Silas stands there, breathing hard, his body taut like a coiled spring ready to snap. His eyes are dark, almost feral as they lock onto me. For a moment, neither of us says anything.

“You shouldn’t have been talking to him,” Silas growls. His voice is rough, and strained, like he’s barely holding himself together. “You don’t know who the fuck he is. You don’t know what he wants.”

“Kade was just being friendly,” I argue, my voice steady even though my heart is pounding. “He’s not a threat. We’ve known him since we were kids.”

His lip curls, a bitter snarl on his face. “You don’t know that. The real killer is out there, Sable, and you’re sitting up there with some random guy, acting like everything is fucking normal.”

“It’s not like that,” I say, but I can see it in his eyes.

He’s not listening.

He’s too far gone, too deep in whatever dark place he’s been spiraling into since Levi was taken.

“You think I’m stupid?” he snaps, taking a step toward me. His voice is low, menacing. “You think I don’t see what’s going on? You put yourself at risk. Talking to some guy, smiling at him like you don’t belong to me.”

“So, I was talking to another guy.” I meet his eyes, my heart hammering in my chest. “What are you going to do about it, Silas?”

His eyes flare with something predatory, and before I can process what’s happening, he’s on me, his hands grabbing my wrists and pinning them against the cold metal lockers behind me. The force of it sends a shock of heat through my body, and I gasp, but it’s not from fear.

It’s from the sheer intensity of him.

“You want to be punished, Sable?” he growls, his lips hovering dangerously close to mine. “Is that what you’re asking for?”

There’s a twisted satisfaction in his voice, like he knows I’m already surrendering, already falling under his control.

And the truth is, I am.

I don’t know why, but something in me needs this.

Needs to feel something, anything, other than the constant fear that’s been gnawing at me since this whole mess started.

I don’t answer him with words. Instead, I arch my back, pressing my body against his cock that’s already hard through his gym shorts. I need him to take what he wants.

What we both want.

“Don’t play games with me, Sable,” he warns. His fingers tighten around my wrists, holding me firmly in place. “You don’t get to run away from me, from us. You belong to me. And you don’t talk to other men without my fucking permission.”

I can’t deny the way my body reacts to him, the heat pooling low in my stomach, the way my skin tingles where his fingers press against it.

“How many times do I have to remind you that you don’t own me.”

His grip tightens as his knee nudges between my legs, forcing them apart. My breath hitches, my heart racing as he presses against me, his body hot and firm.

“You want me to remind you who you belong to?” he growls, his lips brushing against my ear, sending a wave of heat through me. “Is that what you need, Sable? A fucking reminder?”

His free hand moves down, rough fingers sliding under my hoodie, ripping it over my head and tossing it to the side like it’s nothing. The cold air hits my skin, sending a shiver through me, but I don’t care.

All I can focus on is him .

The way his touch burns, the way his breath comes out in harsh, ragged bursts, and how desperately I want to lose myself in his scent.

His fingers trail down my stomach, rough and impatient, before slipping beneath the waistband of my jeans. My back arches off the lockers as his fingers find my clit, pressing against the nub and swirling in an agonizing circle.

“Is this what you want, Sable?” he mocks “Tell me.”

I bite my lip as his fingers press harder against me, the roughness of his touch sending shockwaves of pleasure through my body. I can’t speak, can’t think. All I can do is nod, my head falling back against the lockers as a whimper escapes my throat.

“Words, Sable. I want to hear you say it.”

“Yes,” I gasp. “Yes, Silas. I want it.”

The satisfaction in his eyes is immediate, his lips curving into a dark, dangerous smile. “Good.”

And then he’s kissing me, hard and possessive, his mouth bruising mine. His teeth graze my bottom lip, biting down hard enough to draw a gasp from me, and I feel my body respond, my pussy flooding with arousal.

His hand moves away from my clit, and I let out a soft whimper. My jeans are tugged down roughly, the fabric scraping against my skin as he pushes them down past my knees.

I kick them off, not caring where they land, my hands reaching up to grab his hair, pulling him closer, needing more.

Silas’ lips leave mine, trailing down my neck, biting and sucking at the sensitive skin there. I can feel the bruises forming, but I don’t care.

I want them.

I want to be marked by him, to be claimed by him.

“You’re mine, Sable, ours ,” he growls against my skin. “No one else gets to touch you. No one else gets to have you. Just us.”

“I don’t want anyone else.”

The admission feels like a release, a surrender, and in that moment, I know I’m giving him everything. I’m letting him take control, letting him take what he wants because I need it just as much as he does. I need to feel something other than fear, something other than the weight of everything that’s been crushing me for weeks.

Silas’ fingers move back to my clit. He works it relentlessly as I grow closer and closer to the edge. Using two of his fingers, he pinches the bud, and I gasp for breath.

“Fuck.”

“Come for me, Sable,” he growls. “Come for me, and remember who you fucking belong to.”

And I do. With a sharp cry, I shatter, my body trembling as waves of pleasure crash over me, leaving me breathless and weak. My orgasm pulsates against his fingers as he continues to rub my clit. My body shakes as I ride out the pleasure.

“Si… Si… You have to—” The sensation is overwhelming.

“Stop?” He chuckles a low growl. “There’s no stopping me, little devil. Ride it out. I won’t stop making you come until you fucking cry for it.”

His lips capture mine in another bruising kiss as he presses his body against mine, holding me up when my legs threaten to give out.

Kai pounds on the door. “We got company, hurry up!” he hollers from the other side. A groan escapes Silas and I am just as frustrated by the interruption.

When he finally pulls back, his eyes are still dark. “I won’t let anything happen to this. To us.”

I nod, still trying to catch my breath, and for the first time in a long time, I believe him.

I don’t know what to feel anymore. The anger, the possessiveness in Silas’ eyes, the way he grabbed me like he needed me to ground him—it’s all so overwhelming.

And damn it, I missed it.

I missed him.

Missed the way his touch sets my body on fire, the way his presence alone makes the world feel a little less terrifying.

But that’s the problem, isn’t it?

I can’t keep going back and forth like this. The push and pull, the distance I create just to feel some semblance of control, only to end up here again, pressed up against a cold locker, clinging to Silas like he’s the only thing keeping me tethered to reality.

It’s not fair.

Not to them.

Not to me.

I glance up at him, his jaw still tight, his dark eyes smoldering as they lock onto mine.

The look in his eyes, I know it all too well. He’s scared. And maybe, just maybe, that’s why I’m here. Because I’m scared too. Scared of what’s happening, scared of what’s coming for us, scared of losing him, losing them.

And as much as I try to pull away, to keep my distance, I know it’s only a matter of time before I come running back.

Because no matter how hard I try to convince myself otherwise, they are my safety. My home.

Silas reaches out, his calloused fingers brushing against my cheek. I close my eyes at the touch, leaning into it despite myself. His fingers trail down to my jaw, tilting my face up so I have no choice but to meet his gaze again.

“You left us. But you are coming back to us…”

“I’m…” I want to say more. But what do I say?

Silas doesn’t say anything for a moment. His thumb brushes lightly over my bottom lip, and the simple touch sends a shiver down my spine. He’s watching me so intently like he’s trying to see through the layers I’ve been building up around me.

“You don’t have to lose yourself, Sable,” he murmurs. “I have you. Come back to us.”

I can’t keep pretending like this back and forth isn’t breaking all of us. Like the distance I’m trying to create isn’t tearing me apart, too. Because the truth is, I need them just as much as they need me.

My fingers move of their own accord, tracing the lines of Silas’ chest, feeling the tension still coiled beneath his skin. His muscles are tight, his body practically humming with the aftershocks of the fight, but he doesn’t flinch. Instead, he lets me touch him, lets me explore the heat of him like he needs it as much as I do.

And I do need it. I need the connection, the reassurance that he’s here, that they’re all still here, even if I’ve been pulling away.

“I miss you,” I admit softly, my fingers brushing over his collarbone, feeling the steady beat of his pulse beneath his skin. “I miss… all of you.”

His eyes darken at my confession, the storm of emotions swirling behind them as he leans in closer, his breath warm against my skin, his lips ghosting over the curve of my neck. “Then stop running from us.”

I let out a shaky breath, my hands moving to grip the front of his shirt, pulling him closer. “I don’t know how.”

Silas pulls back just enough to look at me, his expression softening, just a fraction. “We don’t fight each other anymore. We fight this world together. You and us.”

“I’m tired of fighting,” I whisper, my voice barely audible as I press my forehead to his. “But I don’t know if I can survive what you’re asking of me.”

“You’ll survive, because I won’t let you fall. I’ll catch you, every time.”

I want to believe him.

I want to believe that I can have them without losing myself.

That I can stay without everything falling apart.

But there’s a part of me that’s terrified. Terrified of needing them too much, of becoming so wrapped up in them that I forget who I am outside of this.

Yet, standing here in the locker room, with Silas’ body pressed against mine and his hands holding me like I’m the only thing that matters, I realize something.

I’m already wrapped up in them. I already need them.

And maybe… that’s okay.

Maybe I’m allowed to need them.

I close my eyes, leaning my forehead against Silas’ chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breath beneath me. His arms wrap around me, holding me tightly, and for the first time in a long time, I let myself relax. Just for a moment. Just for now.

“I’ll try,” I whisper, my voice muffled against his skin. “I’ll try to stop running.”

Silas’s arms tighten around me, his lips pressing softly against the top of my head. “That’s all I need, Sable. Just… try.”