Page 12

Chapter 12

Leaving Her

Sloan

I spirited the little minx away as soon as I could after we returned to her nan’s place. I wanted the saucy Hunter all to myself. Because I wouldn’t get to claim her time for a little while after this.

Pinning V to a large tree, hidden away from the world, in a space of our own, I stared down into her devastating hazel eyes, trying to burn every detail into my memory.

It never occurred to me how afraid I’d be to leave her even though she’d be with Phillip—someone who’d quite literally destroy the world to keep her safe. Even when I knew her power was stronger than our group combined. Even when she didn’t need anyone to protect her.

If anything, we needed her .

My little darling’s gaze floated around my face, confused. “You said we were going to train…”

V’s body was rigid and her breath came faster. Her pulse was racing in my ears, and every look she sent at me was charged with an intense, seductive heat. It was oddly relieving that she couldn’t hide what she felt no matter how often we trained, but those sultry looks of hers made it impossible to think or act like the gentleman I pretended to be.

I never stopped craving her. It was a bit mad how addicted to the woman I was. Any chance I got, I chased her down. I couldn’t help myself. I’d even shared her without argument when everything inside of me wanted sole claim of her heart. But if I could have a piece, I vowed I would be satisfied with it. I vowed it would be enough.

For this I was certain, Phillip made her smile in a way I never could. He gave her things I never would. He was a source of support I couldn’t hope to offer. And for that reason, I’d do whatever it took to give her the things—the people—she needed. I wouldn’t let my greed master sense because V deserved every happiness I could afford her.

Falling so hard and so fast for someone was new for me. But everything was new to V. So, I vowed to learn with her. Her life was ever-shifting, and each day came with a new threat or challenge. No one deserved to tie her down, and I’d be the last person to make her feel like she had to surrender any part of herself to make me happy.

So, whatever she needed that was within my power to give, I’d give it to her because V was more important than my jealousy or desire to monopolize her time. Still, I took my pieces where I could and surrendered them to no one.

“Grams is going to kick my ass if I don’t act like I was raked over the coals training with you today, Sloan,” V added, jerking me out of my head.

Her lower lip was pushed out in mock pouting—something she did a lot and I couldn’t help but find absolutely adorable. But her skin was a gorgeous soft red and her pulse thrummed in my ears. The little Hunter wouldn’t put up a fight. She wanted me as much as I wanted her.

Chuckling huskily to myself, I stepped closer and crowded her against the tree, not at all sorry for what I was about to do. Because what I told her next made it worth her nan’s wrath. “Oh, don’t worry, love. You’ll look proper tired when we return. Might struggle a little on those powerful legs of yours.”

Her eyes rolled, pretending that her face wasn’t a fierce red after my sexy insinuation. “You’re sounding more and more like Phillip every day.”

“Oi,” I growled, hiding a smile. “Are you taking the piss? That’s just plain brutal, V. Take it back.”

I laid the accent on thick because I’d seen what it did to my little darling. I rarely leaned into it with anyone other than Phillip or Kris, and only ever when I wanted to taunt them. But with V, it made her giggle and smile so cutely I couldn’t help wanting to see more of it—to use whatever was in my arsenal to get the cheeky thing snickering in that enchanting way of hers.

V rubbed her lips together and crossed her arms over her chest, trying desperately not to laugh. She knew the minute she did it’d be my win. Her eyes stole a look before she pushed my chest with her tiny hand, finally laughing. “What, you want me to lie to you?”

I captured her hand, feigning hurt. “And here I thought you and I had something special, love. Something written in the stars.”

“Oh, shut up. Christ, you and Phillip were made for each other. I totally get why you’re friends now. You almost had me fooled,” she sassed, grinning in spite of her complaints.

I wanted to savor the moment where she was all smiles and sassy quips, but if I prolonged the inevitable, I’d have less time to apologize and whisper promises so she’d forgive me. I wasn’t sure if it excited or devastated me more should the statement glean a smidgen of sadness from the terrifying beauty, but it needed to be done.

Because tomorrow I’d be gone.

Brushing my thumb across her lower lip, I dipped my head down and hovered close enough that if either of us shifted, we’d collide. “We don’t have a lot of time, love. This is our last night together for a while.”

The beautiful Hunter’s mouth dropped open in surprise, her ethereal, heart-stealing gaze shooting up from my mouth to my eyes. Surprise quickly morphed to outright devastation, and while I thought it’d make my heart sing to know she’d miss me, instead I felt like a villain for even saying the words.

She looked as if I had…betrayed her.

“You’re leaving? Why?”

It hurt more than I thought it would to see her eyes tear up and that strong stare and spirit of hers try to mask that she hadn’t. My throat seized in an instant, making it impossible to speak at first, so I kissed her instead.

Our tongues dueled for several seconds, lips and teeth clashing. My hands sunk into her silky red hair, and hers twisted the fabric of my shirt. But then she pulled away and turned her head, putting a halt to everything, and my heart squeezed for a second time.

“Don’t you fucking dare try to distract me, Sloan.” V’s searing eyes cut over to me, accusation beaming in all the dazzling color. My chest and throat burned as if I’d truly betrayed her when it couldn’t be any farther from the truth. “Why are you leaving me?”

And there it was. She thought this was me leaving her.

It took longer than I cared to admit to form a response convincing enough for the powerful Hunter—a woman who I adored more and more with every breath I took, with every kiss I stole, with every collision of our bodies and whispered promises of tomorrow.

I thought walking away from her so she and Phillip could be together was difficult, but nothing prepared me for leaving when I didn’t know how to function without her nearby. When I craved her taste, her body, her everything so much it was air in my lungs and the blood that pumped my heart.

How did I ever think I could leave this sweet creature? In what world did I believe I’d ever be okay without her near me for any stretch of time?

But our options were limited.

“Someone has to go with him,” Phillip muttered to me when we returned to Rose’s home.

The rest of the group ushered the wolf inside ahead of us, and it was just the two of us left standing outside. When I looked over at him, I immediately knew why Phillip was conflicted. He’d left her before, and it had nearly destroyed V when he did. The committed player-turned-boyfriend couldn’t be the one to go, and the other two were tied up with collecting Hunters for the future clash.

Unfortunately, Phillip was painfully familiar with the witch we were after and had better control over Cassius. He was better suited for that task than this one. It only solidified the reality that the only person left to go with Nigel was…

“She needs you, mate,” I finally said, sighing. “I’ll go with Nigel and collect the necessary information to convince the rest of their wolf society that their leader is a traitor, yeah?”

The blue-eyed wanker didn’t speak, barely even reacted, but I’d known the surly Hunter for a very long time. He was relieved I’d offered. It was all there in his sidelong glance before he headed into the house without another word.

Phillip didn’t want to leave her. He might’ve convinced everyone else he was perfectly happy without anyone by his side, but I saw how afraid he was; how terrified it made him not to be with her.

Sinking a hand into my hair and brushing it away from my eyes, I stared at the door to my little darling’s childhood home and swallowed the burn climbing into my throat.

He wasn’t the only one scared…

I stared at the angry redhead pinned to the tree, my pulse racing, the urge to stay making it impossible to speak. I didn’t want to leave her either, but we needed to work quickly to bring down every person Lux relied on. I couldn’t be selfish when her life was at stake. Phillip would take care of my little darling. He’d keep her safe and distract her in my absence.

He always did.

Her fuming gaze had strayed, probably concocting ways to convince me to stay, so I cradled her face and silently forced the gutted little thing to look at me. Her snarling lip and mumbling petulance brought a smile to my face even when my chest hurt so fiercely I worried I wouldn’t fool her; that my voice would give me away the second I said anything at all.

But she needed to hear the words. She needed reassurance. She might have her nan and Phillip back, but she’d lost people, been betrayed by friends, and her heart was wavering. Despite being the driving force of a rebellion, V was young and fragile. Fierce, strong, and beautiful, but frighteningly fragile with the people she cared most about.

I might lack an understanding of love relationships like what she and I shared, but my sister, one of the strongest women I’d ever known, had given me a similar look the night she left. And like Raquel, V was scared. Scared of losing someone she cared about while trying to hold onto another. But unlike the night my sister left, I could promise that was not happening here.

I was hers for as long as she wanted me.

So, I put every ounce of feeling—of adoration—into my stare. “I’m not leaving you. Phillip is the only one who can take on the powerful witch we’re after. He’s the only one who Cassius genuinely fears, and that Dark Fae knows her better than anyone in this group. Nigel can’t do this alone. I have to go.”

A tear escaped her eye, but I quickly wiped it away and dropped a kiss on my sweet darling’s forehead. I couldn’t fathom a pain stronger than making this lethal beauty sad, but I promised myself I’d do whatever it took to avoid doing it to her again in the future.

Suddenly, V took strong hold of my wrists and tugged. Her violent gaze stole the air left in my lungs. It wasn’t wavering like before. Then she whispered, her voice tight and noticeably afflicted by emotion, “If you die, I’ll find a way to bring you back with my mystical-as-fuck ancient Fae magic so I can kill you again, asshole.”

I laughed so loudly it made V crack a smile. “Promise, darling?” I taunted, moving in on her, desperate to have one last night with the charming minx before I had to go. It wouldn’t be enough—it never was—but I’d savor this moment with V and make her promise me one when I returned.

The beautiful Hunter’s eyes dropped to my mouth before she licked hers, the sight going straight to my always-ready knob. “Well, not if you’re going to be so happy about it…”

For fuck’s sake, this woman is going to be the death of me.

I captured her lips in a soul-stealing kiss and lifted her off the ground. She wrapped her arms around my neck, opening her mouth to my seeking tongue, and I worked quickly to get the little minx out of her clothes.

I didn’t want to waste any more time.

V’s nails raked over my stomach before she lifted my shirt and tossed it onto the ground. “You’re not being fair,” she whispered between kisses.

“Perhaps not,” I growled softly into her ear, teasing it with my tongue and teeth. “But forgive me, love, I don’t give a fuck right now.”

Her body quivered against mine, and she moaned loud enough to cause the birds to flee the branches they were perched on.

I rarely cursed, but I did when it mattered. And right now it mattered. I was out of patience. I wanted her before the others came looking. Before that obnoxious Dark Fae found a reason to ruin my last moment alone with the alluring little rebel as he often did. Because I’d have to be blind not to see how desperate the Dark Fae wanker was to turn her head.

It wasn’t clear when it happened, but what initially appeared to be bored interest quickly turned into genuine affection. And I wasn’t the only one who noticed. Which was partly why Phillip didn’t want to leave her alone anywhere with his longtime informant.

The clever wanker might be helping us find Harmony, but there was a motive. There always was with Cash. That necklace being one, and now V was clearly another. Just another reason it had to be Phillip who stayed.

For fuck’s sake…

I closed my eyes and sucked in a breath through my nose as V trailed her soft lips across my jaw and down my neck. Her little nips and clever tongue made me forget I didn’t need to breathe at all. It bore repeating, but I was completely mad for this little darling.

Smirking, I drop V to her feet, finally naked the way I liked her. Then I whispered an order, “Turn around and put your hands on the tree, darling.”

I rarely gave orders, and it showed because she wasn’t sure what to do with the sudden command. V stole a glance at our surroundings, but I grabbed her around the waist and twisted her towards the tree. Stunned but compliant, my adorable Hunter planted her hands on the bark like instructed. Kicking her legs apart, I dropped to my knees.

She was already indecently wet. I wanted to savor the visual. Shamelessly, I’d take it with me everywhere I went—my sweet darling here, wet, waiting, with her legs spread and at my mercy.

My prick throbbed in my trousers as I slid my hand over the perfect round curve of her bum, then across her tailbone where she was unexpectedly sensitive. V’s breath caught, and she didn’t breathe again for the several minutes it took to release my hard cock from its denim prison and stroke myself a few times. Touching her thigh, I caressed everywhere but the one place I knew she needed me to touch.

“What fresh level of Hell…” she bemoaned angrily, about to move, but I caught her hip and kept her from turning. “Sloan, please… this is embarrassing.”

Bloody hell.

I squeezed around the base of my prick, staving off another hard throb threatening to take me over the edge. It wasn’t something I thought would get my blood pumping so much—V’s voice bottomed out, husky with need, her face red with mortification yet still compliant. But as I was quickly learning, there were plenty of things about myself only she could draw out.

I hushed the desperate little Hunter and pressed an apologetic kiss to the back of her thigh before making my way to her wet slit. Her moan echoed in my ears as I tasted her like it was the first time. Like I’d been starving for ages.

No matter how often I was between her legs, worshipping her sweet flesh, delving my tongue, my fingers, my prick inside her, it always felt like the first time. No matter how many times I sucked her clit and fingered her pussy, V gasped and moaned like she hadn’t felt it before. Like every sensation was new and surprising. I was gone in the head over this woman, but I didn’t care. I’d go mad without her.

“Sloan…wait,” V begged when I trailed from her pussy to her puckered hole. “It’s fucking dirty. You shouldn’t—”

“Nothing about you is dirty, love.” I soothed, spreading her cheeks apart. Her breath caught again. “Well, nothing you don’t want to be,” I amended with a sneaky grin.

“You’re such a perv—”

I licked her with the flat of my tongue before prodding her hole open with the tip, cutting her whispered insult short. Her legs quaked, barely keeping her upright, and I bit her bum with a little chuckle.

I’d told her once that I liked when she was saucy, and that wasn’t a lie. The bobbing cock between my legs pulsing every time her insult-laced complaints reached my ears was plenty evidence of that. It surprised me how much I got off on her sassy mouth, but then again, everything about what V did to me was a new experience. Perhaps the entire reason I couldn’t fathom letting her go.

I’d never get enough of her.

Reaching inside my back pocket, I retrieved a little tube of lubricant meant only to pleasure my darling here. Granted, I hadn’t come with the intention to do anything more than what she wanted, but call me an optimist.

Despite her voiced objections, V crumbled the minute my fingers were inside her, touching places no one had ever touched and giving her pleasure she swiftly lost herself to. And I’d stroke myself to completion watching her go through the shame, guilt, and hesitation before finally succumbing to it and fully enjoying herself. It was bloody captivating. It might seem mad to say so, but I truly got off on my little darling’s pleasure—especially when it was born out of fear and hesitation at first.

V’s accusing eyes followed my hand when I retrieved the lubricant. “You actually brought—”

I coated a couple fingers before pushing one inside her arse, already having opened her the night prior. It went in easier than before, and I added another before dropping back down and sucking on her clit. V’s head shot back and her spine curved, the muscles all over her body doing a tantalizing dance, reacting the same way she did the first time I teased her here.

It’d be a lie to say I wasn’t proper chuffed to know Phillip hadn’t explored this area with V when I first slid my hand further down, watching her face for any signs of distress. She’d been a little confused and afraid at first, but soon relaxed and opened herself to me.

The first time I teased her clit and fingered her arse, the little Hunter came so hard she coated my mouth with her bliss. As shameful as it might be to admit, I’d nearly come myself when she did. I was spared the shame of it, but barely.

Each time, I got a little closer to exposing how tragically turned on I was by her pleasure. I’d never admit how addictive it was to take it a little further each time to see how the beauty reacted to the spots I touched. I was eager to teach her more about what pleasure could be found in different parts of her body.

Sinking two fingers in knuckle-deep, I greedily probed her wet opening and sucked her clit, listening for her moans to guide me to where she felt it the most. She tried to get away at first, but I had a firm grip on her front and kept her close.

If she truly didn’t want it, V could overpower me in a second. But her body told me whether or not she enjoyed it. At the slightest sign of discomfort or repulsion, I always stopped and waited for her to tell me if she wanted to continue.

When the little minx tried to move away again, I stood up. Then I bent over her naked body after dropping my jeans around my ankles. I cleaned my mouth with the little wipes I always brought, something V often teased me for: “Do you like, prepare for everything?” It might seem rather silly, but after I noticed how easy it was to crave her wherever we went, I prepared for every moment.

V stiffened and turned her head. “Sloan?”

Biting her shoulder gently, I asked in a lust-thick voice, “Is it too much, love? Do you want to stop?”

The moonlight hit her eyes just right, giving them an ethereal glow. “No,” she breathed, moistening her lips and closing her eyes tightly. “Fuck me, Sloan. Fuck me like you won’t see me tomorrow.”

Because I wouldn’t.