Chapter 26

The thing about truces is they usually only appease the ones who have the least to lose. Not the ones who already lost. Not the man with one eye.

But when Libra looks at me with those haunting blue-green eyes, silently pleading with me, I unravel and give in.

I shake their hands and agree not to retaliate. From the looks of their clenched jaws, this isn't an easy pill for them to swallow either. But Nocturnus boys don't say no to Maureen Blackwell. To their queen.

She nods and faces us all. "Ruina nostra salus… Our ruin is our salvation ."

Fuck, I don't miss this cryptic Nocturnus shit. I'm starting to think losing an eye might be worth not having to attend one of their creepy rituals ever again.

But there's an insecurity festering inside me as I watch the ease with which Libra interacts with all of them. She's been part of this world her whole life. Guys like us were never allowed in these spaces. They are the rich and privileged, and we're just three scrappy nobodies from the poison fields.

She says she wants nothing to do with her old life but it suits her so well. What if she grows tired of slumming it with us?

Mordecai and Fabien seem to echo my feelings with their shrunken postures, their hands shoved into their pockets as we sheepishly watch our girl laugh and banter with her old friends. What if all we have is Absentia Asylum?

I nudge Mordecai and nod toward Libra. "We aren't good enough for her."

He grits his teeth, the vein in his neck pulsing. "I don't care. She belongs with us."

Fabien rubs a palm over his buzzed head. "She's always been ours."

Libra glances over at us and flashes a smile. And fuck me, it makes my belly flutter like I'm a fucking teenager again. The same way it fluttered when I saw her step out of her father's limousine all those years ago when they visited the poison fields.

The sun was shining behind her, illuminating her like a fucking angel. She flashed that same smile until her father ushered her away.

"You're right," I add. "She's our little freak." Our lives have been entwined for as long as I can remember. It looks a lot like lust, but maybe it's love. You don't slaughter an entire asylum full of people together and not feel some type of way about them. A bond or whatever. Fuck. I'm so fucked. All three of us are. This chick will be the fucking death of us.

"I'm proud of you," I whisper in her ear when I finally catch a break in the conversation.

She leans against me, her soft skin brushes against mine, and all I want to do is carry her outside and make her cum under the moonlight.

"Thank you for agreeing to the truce. I know how hard that was for you."

I brush my lips against her earlobe, my breath heated. "What do I get in return?"

She clenches her thighs together as her breath quickens. "What do you want?"

I sweep her hair to the side so I can grip the back of her neck. "I want you bound, gagged, and blindfolded. Soaking wet and crying for my cock. And when I finally give it to you, I'm going to fuck you so deep, so fucking brutal, that you'll be begging me for a truce."

She whimpers, and her eyelids flutter as she gazes up at me. " Fuck ."

I wink as the scent of her arousal wafts between us. "Say your goodbyes, little freak. It's time for us to go."

My cock hardens as I watch her saunter away, her hips swaying from side to side. My mouth waters as I imagine being buried deep inside that thick ass of hers. I feel a little pre cum squirt out of my tip as I think about all the handprints I'm going to leave on her thighs and ass cheeks when I spank her.

Mordecai rests his hand on my lower back. "Deep breaths, Raithe. We'll have her alone again soon enough."

I want to release my cock from my pants so fucking bad. "Bathroom. Now."

His eyes light up. "Lead the way."

I still remember where everything in this house is from when we were part of Nocturnus. All the parties and stupid ritual ceremonies. Now I'm about to have my own fucking ritual.

As soon as we lock the door behind us, Mordecai unzips my jeans and yanks them down. "Fuck, so hard."

He shoves me hard against the wall before getting down on his knees.

I gasp as he takes me in his mouth. "Fuck." I thread my fingers through his black hair. "Use your teeth."

He growls as he rolls his tongue over the tip of my cock, licking up my pre cum. I clench my ass as a deep spasm hits my core. He rakes his teeth down my shaft, the metal grill making his bite sharper.

"Mmm, you're so good."

He hums as he sucks, hollowing his cheeks. He squeezes my balls, and I feel the beginning of my orgasm start to climb.

I grab his head and hold it while I fuck his mouth, thrusting my cock in to the hilt. I hit the back of his throat, and he clenches my balls harder. "I'm coming. Fuck."

I can't contain it. My cum bursts into his mouth like a tidal wave. He grips my thighs as I grind against his face, chasing my release.

He swallows every drop before pulling away and wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Good boy," he praises. "Now you'll last even longer when we fuck our girl later."

I kiss him hard, tasting myself on his tongue. "You really think she's going to stay with us forever?"

He runs his fingers gently over my eye patch. "Yes, Raithe. No one makes her feel alive the way we do."

I nod. "Only us."

He helps me clean myself up before we head back into the parlor room. We get a few raised eyebrows, but everyone is mostly distracted by the girls' animated conversation about jello shots or some shit.

Fabien joins us by the fireplace. "I hope you saved some energy for me later."

Fuck. "Don't make me hard again. I could barely walk to the bathroom earlier."

He chuckles. "I can't make any promises."

When Libra finally gives us the nod to leave, I'm relieved. I'm done playing nice and polite with these people. They make me anxious and uncomfortable. Plus, I want a moment with just us and our girl. We are the only ones who matter now.