Sins That Find Us, page 14
And maybe it was tempting the universe that way that had Ari finding me in the hall that morning. It damn near makes me laugh as his light eyes zero in on me. Before I can even take time to breathe, he has me backed against the wall. His thumb presses into the tender cut from Phoenix’s knife, and I watch his lips as he forms one word.
‘Who?’
“Your other lover,” I tell him, unable to hide a slight bitterness from my tone. I understand and accept that Phoenix didn’t want to spend time around me, but the rejection stings. “He left his library unlocked. Also, you’re an asshole for not telling me all the books are in braille.”
He grins, the look terrifying yet makes me warm all over, and he shrugs and gestures to his throat as if to say, ‘I can’t say anything at all, darling. I’m mute.’
“That’s no fucking excuse,” I spit.
He laughs—I can tell when he does it even though he doesn’t make a sound. He leans in, pressing his thumb to the cut until I groan, and then he laves his tongue over it before turning on his heel and leaving me there all hot and bothered.
Fuck, there is definitely something wrong with me at how turned on I am.
I don’t think I can face any of them for breakfast, so I give up my morning stroll and go back to my room instead, ordering tea and some pancakes from the kitchen. I never see any of the serving staff outside of the dining room, but there’s a knock a short while later and a rolling cart left outside my door.
The food is amazing—as always—and I devour it. It’s easier to eat now that I’ve decided to live. Maybe that was Kane’s plan all along—to butter me up so he could take control once again, but in all honesty, I’m just tired.
Maybe, by the time it’s all over, it’ll just feel like a blessing.
It’s almost noon when I finally decide that I have to get out. Standing in front of my wardrobe, I stare at the meager contents. There are two baggy knitted sweaters, a couple of pairs of leggings that I’ve already tried on and they fit—mostly—and nothing else. No panties, no bras, no socks, no jeans.
And okay, sure, I was told that I could ask for anything I wanted, but the thought of that still makes my stomach twist. I don’t know if it’s the thought of owing them anything or if it’s the thought of amassing things in this place because that just makes it feel permanent.
Either way, I accept the black leggings and the cream sweater, then quickly twist my hair into a braid, which lies heavy over my shoulder, and I make my way out. My feet tap lightly on the wood floors as I make my way down the hallway. The air outside is fairly mild, so I don’t need to try and hunt down shoes for a walk.
I can almost taste the fresh air, but just before I hit the top stair, I hear something. The sound’s muffled, like a groan, and my heart begins to beat hard. For a second, I think someone’s in pain, but then the sound turns into something else.
“Fuck.” The word is loud, on the edge of a groan, and then there’s a thud against the wall before I hear a strangled laugh. “Yeah, fuck. Right there. Right fucking there.”
My pussy goes immediately wet when I recognize James’ voice. My eyes close, and my head thunks against the wall. The last thing I should be doing is listening in, but I can’t tear myself away. I’m pretty sure the room closest to the stairs belongs to Ari, and it doesn’t take much imagination at all to conjure the image of those two tearing each other apart.
“Fuck,” James growls again. “Hold still, baby.”
I shudder and fight the urge to rub myself through the thin fabric of my bottoms.
“Hold yourself open. Fuck, yeah. Such a good fucking boy.”
Jesus Christ. I’m pretty sure I’m going to combust. I need to walk the hell away right now, but instead, I inch closer, pressing my ear to the door and trying to picture what they’re doing. Ari seems like the last person in the world to submit to anyone, but I can see it. I can see him giving himself fully to these men.
Silence falls for a second, and then I hear the dull thud of skin slapping skin in a furious rhythm. I can hear ragged breath through the thick wooden barrier and then James’ voice rising in a grunting, “Uh, uh, uh,” over and over, matching the sound of his thrusts.
My throat’s tight, and my entire body feels like it’s on fire as I follow the sounds, a rising crescendo of moans…the sound of a hand slapping skin…and then nothing.
I feel like I’ve run a marathon, and I press my forehead to the door, trying to catch my breath. Wrapping my arms around my middle, I start to pull back when suddenly the wood supporting me is gone. With a yelp, I land in a firm embrace, and a warm, very naked body wraps around me and drags me inside.
Before I can protest, James’ hand grabs my shoulder, twisting me around to face Ari, who is lounging on his bed with his face pink from exertion, his red hair mussed like it’s been pulled. His head is hanging over the edge of the mattress, and he’s smiling—blissed-out and lazy as James puts me on display.
“Ari said we had an eavesdropper,” James murmurs against the back of my ear. He walks me closer, and I can see the lean, pale expanse of Ari’s body. He’s got freckles everywhere—and I mean everywhere. His dick is soft, nestled in light red hair, and he plays with the tip as he watches me watch him. “Why didn’t you come in, darling? You could have watched the show.”
Ari lifts his free hand and signs something that makes James laugh.
“I don’t think she’s ready for that, babes,” he answers the mute man.
I don’t really need to stretch my imagination far to figure out what he said. “I didn’t want to interrupt,” I finally manage to say. I’m struggling not to get lost at the feeling of James behind me, but he makes it worse when he spins me around again and takes a step back.
He doesn’t seem to mind being on display at all. His skin is dark olive, marred with light cream scars in various places, and when he turns his back so he can grab fallen boxers from the floor, I see marks along his spine that looks like he’s been whipped bloody.
My throat goes dry, but I can’t bring myself to ask how he got them. Instead, I try not to watch as he carefully covers himself, but I don’t miss his dick, which is heavily pierced.
He catches me, then grins as he gives it a little shake before tucking it behind the black fabric. “It’s called a Jacob’s ladder,” he explains, then bypasses me, walking across the room so he can lean over and lay a wet, filthy kiss over Ari’s mouth. “A little psychopath I know convinced me it would feel good.”
“Does it?” I want to slap my hand over my mouth, but the darker part of me wants to know the answer.
“You can find out if you beg nicely enough,” James says.
He’s a little harder right now—meaner. Maybe he’s showing off for Ari, or maybe he’s just showing his true colors. He was so gentle with me before, and even then, I knew it wasn’t right.
I swallow thickly but don’t answer, and after a beat, he shrugs. “Were you looking for us?” He sits up just as Ari does and walks to the nightstand, grabbing his pack of cigarettes. There’s a chair by the window, and he lifts it with his elbow before lighting the end and flopping down onto the cushion. Dragging in a lungful of smoke, he speaks thickly through it. “You could have knocked.”
“I was, um,” I say, feeling a little pathetic as I glance past him to the grounds outside, “going for a walk.”
Ari snorts and signs something, which James interprets. “Didn’t get very far, did you?”
“I heard…I thought I heard someone being hurt,” I fumble.
James laughs and grins at Ari. “Oh, you did. And he begged for more.”
Ari, who moved to sit up against the headboard, curls one arm around a crooked leg and shrugs, nodding. He’s unapologetic in his nudity, and it makes me feel odd—almost like I’m the one on display for all the clothes I have on. Reaching toward James, Ari makes a grabby motion, and James sighs before handing over his smoke.
“Kane’s going to spank your ass raw for this,” he says as he lights up a new one for himself. He grins at me. “He hates when we get cigarette smoke on the furniture.”
The conversation is odd and casual, and it’s making me nervous. I glance past James again, at the grounds, and I regret stopping. I should have kept walking. Hell, I should have just fucking run. Even if they caught me, at least I’d be taking back some power again.
Ari waves his hand, catching my attention, then signs something a second before James interprets.
“He says you look like you have questions.” When Ari pulls a face, James shrugs, but I don’t know what they’re trying to say.
Biting my lip, I glance between both men, then shrug. “I’m sort of wondering how long I have to wait here to find out whether or not I’m going to live or die.”
James’ face falls. “We aren’t the ones who make that call, love. But for what it’s worth, I’m not sure your death is going to serve any purpose now.”
That’s not worth a whole hell of a lot. I’m only breathing thanks to Kane’s current generosity—or torture. I’m not sure what it is yet. I really can’t tell if I like this better than when I’d be locked in a dark room, forced to fight my way out whenever my sadistic cousins were training me.
Sometimes softness hurts a lot worse.
“I think I’m going to go for that walk,” I say.
Ari’s eyes glint, and he signs something else, but James doesn’t interpret. I do my best to read his body language, but he always looks like he’s seconds away from either fucking or killing, and the expressions are too close for me to know just yet.
I lick my lips again, and I watch his gaze trace the motion of my tongue. I feel hunted, suddenly, and I take a step back. Ari doesn’t move, and when I glance at James, he just looks amused.
“I guess I’ll see you later.” No one stops me as I close the door behind me, and as it clicks into place, the echo of James’ laughter follows me all the way down the stairs.
Chapter 15
ARIEL
Five days into Alice’s stay in our basement, Kane sent for her things, ordering one of the men on his payroll to clean out her dorm. He put her shit into one of the guest rooms, and James has been chomping at the bit to give them to her, but Kane set a rule saying that she can only have what she asks for—and so far, that hasn’t been much of anything beyond a shower and occasionally food.
A couple of days after Kane let her out, I got bored and started rummaging around in her boxes and found a stack of books.
The one I’m currently devouring is the one James picked out for her birthday gift two years ago—well-read with a dried rose pressed between the pages. It’s about a man-wasp hybrid that fucks his human almost to death on his massive stinger. I’m right at the part where he fills her with an egg sac, which is entirely scientifically incorrect but disturbingly sexy. I’d seen Alice flick her bean more than once while she had one of these books in her hand, and I’m starting to wonder how much depravity and humiliation I can use on her to get her off.
She seems scared and naïve, and apart from the orgasm she’d been given from James, none of us has actually touched her. She’s under our roof as a prisoner, and I’ve seen how willing she is, but she’s still our sweet little virgin.
My mouth waters to be the one to take that from her. I want to see it in her eyes when she realizes she can never go back—that she trusted that moment to a psychopath and three other men who don’t know the meaning of mercy.
Rubbing my hand over my dick, I turn the page, then look up when there’s a knock at my door. From the rapid, perfunctory sound, I know it’s Kane. Phoenix is soft, and James is flirty, and Alice hasn’t yet been brave enough to venture back in here since listening to James fuck me sideways.
I have a little button that’ll flash a red light at the door to answer, but I don’t bother. Kane has no problem barging in on any of us whether we’re sleeping, jerking off, taking a shit—there’s no shame and no privacy when it comes to his presence. Stretching my legs out, I let the book flop to my side as he walks in, and I can tell by the look on his face things are changing.
“She’s not his daughter.”
I don’t even need to ask.
He grabs my desk chair, rolling it close to the bed, then sinks down and rests his forearms over his thighs. He looks oddly defeated, which isn’t something I’m used to seeing on his face, and it makes me want to shove a knife into his hand and force him to hurt something until he feels like he has control back.
Instead, I sit there and wait. If my forced silence has done anything for me, it’s taught me the value of patience and listening—even if I’m still not very good at it.
“She’s his brother-in-law’s daughter, which I think is why he thought he could still sell her off—even if the truth was discovered.” Kane runs his fingers around his mouth, then scratches at his beard before finally looking up and making eye contact with me. “She’s useful to him, not precious.”
I snort. ‘We knew that a long time ago.’ And that’s not a lie. He doesn’t need me to remind him that just a few months into watching her after we got surveillance in her dorm, it became obvious that Romano only cared about making sure that Alice was alive. And it was obvious from her behavior that she hadn’t known much kindness from him for a long time—if ever. ‘Why does that change things?’
“He’s selling her virginity,” Kane says after a beat. “About three years ago, Rhys uncovered the file Romano was keeping on her. Something about it seemed off, but it didn’t make sense until now.”
My heart beats hard in my throat, though I’m not surprised. But it still makes my stomach twist because I might be a psychopath and a sick fucker, but that’s over my line. ‘Give her another two days with us, and it won’t be a problem.’
Kane meets my gaze, and I know he’s got a plan. “Prepare the playroom for her. I just told Phoenix to start recording the video feed.”
Ice fills my veins because we only ever use the playroom for two things—and I don’t think he means to have any one of us kill her. But she doesn’t know about any of this. I might do a lot of things for Kane, but assault isn’t one of them. Ask me to put a bullet in her, to slit her throat, to bury a knife in her gut. Ask me to knock her out and let her die in her sleep without ever knowing that it’s coming.
It’s yes to every single one of those things.
But not this.
Kane sees the look on my face, and he leans in close. “She’ll have a choice.”
‘Between what?’ I demand with a scoff. My stomach’s twisted, and I realize it’s because I’m pissed. In spite of the fact that I play a good game, most of the time, all I feel inside is apathy, so this is a strange sensation.
Kane rises before I can hop off the bed, and he grabs me by the throat, his thumb digging against my Adam’s apple before he tightens his grip. He tugs me forward until my feet are planted, then shoves his knee between my legs. “I have enough on my plate right now, Ariel. If you make me teach you a fucking lesson today, you’re not going to like it.”
He knows how to punish us all, of course. Deprivation of all kinds. Touch, taste, sound, smell, sight. I’ve more than once been locked in a dark room, bound and gagged to keep me from being able to hurt myself and give myself the things I want.
And Kane always has a reason, but he also has a hair-trigger temper, and I can see he’s reaching the end of his patience.
The other thing I’ve been taught over the years is to know when to push it, and right now, that’s not it.
‘What do you want me to do?’ I sign as the edges of my vision start to grey.
“That’s better, sweet thing,” he growls, then kisses me as he hauls me to my feet by my neck. His grip softens, and then he leans in and runs his teeth over my thick scars, making me shudder. “Get Alice to the playroom.”
She’s never seen it, and whatever state she goes in, it won’t be the same state she comes out. ‘I’m going to make her come before I take her down there,’ I tell him, defiance in my fingers.
He gives me a look, then shrugs and steps back. “Do what you need to do. I expect you in there with her at five.”
That’s half an hour from now—which isn’t much time, but that’s fine. I check the monitors just after he leaves and eventually find Alice sitting by the fence under the orange copse that Kane planted after Phoenix admitted to loving how the blooms smelled.
I leave out the back, hating the precious minutes I have to waste getting to her, and it doesn’t take me long to find her sitting with her back against the stone wall. My inability to communicate with her is weighing on me now, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell her what’s coming, even if I could.
She can sense something, though—it’s all over her face when she meets my gaze, and her shoulders sag. Her gaze searches my person, and I have a feeling she’s looking for weapons.
Spreading my hands in a shrug, I approach her, dropping to my knees, and I feel the soft ground beneath me made of mud and leaf rot. It doesn’t smell great, but I catch a whiff of her lavender as I lean in close and twist my fingers in her hair.
“Goodbye fuck?” she asks.
Instead of trying to answer her, I tilt her head back and watch her full lips part on the edge of a sharp breath. Her tongue peeks out—dark pink against her white teeth. She licks her lips, and I chase the wetness with my own, kissing her first gently and chaste as the need builds up inside me.
With a groan, Alice curls her fingers into my T-shirt as her legs part, and her thighs squeeze against my hips. My cock is like steel as it presses against her core where I really want to be, but I force myself to remember that I can’t have her this way. Not yet.
And I think I might actually kill Kane if that answer is not ever.
Gripping her hair, I wrench her head back, and she releases a deep moan as I bite at her thrumming pulse. I can feel the way it hammers against my tongue as I soothe the sting, and her thighs quiver harder with need.
