Chapter Twenty-Six （Enemies to Lovers）

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX (ENEMIES TO LOVERS)

HAZEL

Zero's office was compromised, so we were hidden in a padded room. Gonzo was in a straitjacket on top of a mattress on the floor. I was on the opposite side of the room, too stubborn to go anywhere near the man. Yet, I cared too much to leave.

"I think I know why tricksters lost the ability to mate," Zero said. He stared down at Gonzo curiously.

"You think !" Gonzo roared. He'd been thrashing since he woke up, and his fever kept increasing. Didn't people get brain damage at a certain temperature?

"What do you mean?" I asked. Was this not normal?

"No, it's not normal," Zero said, responding to my thoughts. "This is worse than a typical mate rejection." Gonzo groaned and shut his eyes. He looked tired. I bit my lip to keep it from trembling. I'd never seen someone I cared about sick before. I was curled in the corner, my arms wrapped as tightly around my legs as possible. I didn't want them to see how I was shaking.

Zero dropped to his knees beside Gonzo and grabbed his jaw.

"Stay awake," he demanded. It was interesting to see him handle Gonzo the same way he handled me—with clinical dominance.

"You lied," Gonzo said, a smile spreading over his face. His eyes stayed shut.

"Yes," Zero responded.

"You acted like it was impossible to mate with you," Gonzo said with a chuckle. When he opened his eyes, they were glowing gold again. He stared at Zero. "You purposely made yourself my mate."

"I did," Zero said. So that's what earlier was about.

"And Hazel?" Gonzo asked. I looked up at him.

"I had nothing to do with your bond with Hazel," Zero said. Gonzo nodded and closed his eyes again.

"Gonzo." Zero jerked his chin.

"God, just let me sleep," Gonzo sighed. I began biting my nails. I wasn't even a nail-biter.

"I think tricksters feel the mate bonds stronger than normal shifters," Zero said. Gonzo cracked his eyes open, showing the gold. "You're going to die if you keep rejecting her."

I popped off the ground and began pacing back and forth on the soft floor.

"What about you?" Gonzo asked.

"I think that can wait," Zero told him. Gonzo snorted.

"You're a conniving bastard."

"You are as well." Zero gently brushed the hair from Gonzo's forehead.

"Yes," Gonzo smiled. "You tricked a trickster." With a sigh, he pulled his face from Zero's grip and rolled onto his side in the straitjacket.

"You need to complete the mating bond with Hazel," Zero said, standing up. I let out a deep breath. We all knew what needed to happen.

"No," Gonzo said. I squared my shoulders and stomped across the room to stand next to Zero.

"What will happen afterward if he completes the bond?" I asked. Gonzo's eyes popped open, and he growled, fighting against the straitjacket again. Zero gave me his undivided attention. His hair was down, and his glasses were off, making me flustered. It was even worse since he was currently demanding that Gonzo and I have sex. Doctor's orders.

"Get her out of here," Gonzo growled.

"Am I that horrible you'd rather die?" I snapped back.

"No, Hazel. I'm that horrible," he said.

"If he completes the bond, you'll be tied together," Zero said. He reached out, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close. My back pressed to his chest.

"You'll find it uncomfortable every day you're apart, and it would only get worse. You'd have to be close to one another nearly every day."

"Is that it?" I joked under my breath.

"You'll lust after him uncontrollably." My face felt hot as the words brushed my ear.

Gonzo flipped on his back while still bound in the straitjacket. His half-lidded eyes settled on us. There was a raw sensuality bleeding from Gonzo. He was horny, delirious, and bound. The long length of his thick erection pressed against the front of his pants. There was no hiding it. His hair was a mess, his breath heavy, and his muscles lax as if waiting for someone to put him out of his misery and fuck him. He didn't look like he'd put up a fight with which one of us that was.

"You need to fuck him, Hazel. Doctor's orders. " Zero's hands tightened on my arms.

"You don't play fair," I sighed.

"No, I don't." Zero lifted the hair from my shoulder and leaned in, kissing the side of my neck. I rubbed my eyes. The man I wanted to kill for years had seduced me while trying to plot my death. He fucked me while lying about who he was.

"Gonzo… Did you do it on purpose?"

"What, princess?" Hearing my pet name in his weak voice broke me a little.

"Make me care for you?" I asked. He let out a big breath.

"Making you care for me wasn't something I'd dreamed I was capable of." Zero kept pressing kisses to my neck as Gonzo talked. His hands slid around my wrists and tightened into shackles. Gonzo's eyes followed the actions, and his breathing grew deeper. It felt like they were working together.

"I tried to keep my distance, but you're beautiful, Hazel. You're strong and terrifying. I fell for you while trying not to."

"Okay." I was going to make a bad decision. I was going to tie myself to a man that I wanted to trust—that I wanted to love—but who had proven bad for me. It was a terrible risk. I already had too much heartache for a phoenix. Uncle Vernon said immortals had to shield themselves because a heavy heart could make the years harder.

"I'll mate with him." My face felt hot. Gonzo's eyes glowed, his mouth cracking open.

"Good girl," Zero purred, kissing my neck again. He held my wrists tight.

"I don't… I can't…" Gonzo fumbled.

"You don't want to?" Zero asked, reaching between my legs and rubbing. I swallowed thickly, embarrassed as Gonzo watched.

"God, more than anything," Gonzo said, eyes aimed where Zero touched me. My teeth sunk into my lips, trying to hold back the whine that wanted out. I was attaching myself to this man for life and he was undoubtedly going to break my heart. Clearly, I didn't know how to protect myself against him. I already wanted to forgive him.

Maybe I could save him now … and then kill him later if he pissed me off too much.

"After we finish the mate bond, what will happen to me if he dies?"

"Thinking of killing him?" Zero asked. He gripped me between the legs, making me suck in a breath.

"Of course not." Yes . "I'm immortal, he's not. It's a valid question."

"Gonzo is everlasting. All tricksters are. He won't die unless someone manages to kill him or if he gets mate illness again. If he dies, you'd recover."

"Good to know."

"However, if you die, he won't recover. He'd go insane."

Gonzo stared at Zero's fingers rubbing the front of my panties with an overwhelming look of thirst. Mating was like marriage. Was this how brides felt walking down the aisle? I don't think most of them were waiting for their new husband to get the straitjacket off before fucking on a bare mattress in a padded room.

There was a heavy, satisfying weight in my stomach and tingles racing over my body. That was a good sign this was a terrible idea, but I wasn't backing down. I could always kill him, after all.

"I don't deserve her," Gonzo said. I went very still. Did I deserve him ? I was his assassin. He tricked me so that he could live. I blew out a breath.

"It's okay, Hazel, I'll help convince him," Zero said. Gonzo's eyes snapped to the other man. "Let's make it easier for him." Zero slipped his hands under my skirt and pulled off my panties. "It'll be hard for him to fuck you with these still on," he whispered in my ear, sending shivers over me.

I kicked off my boots before Zero guided me on top of Gonzo. Gonzo's eyes dragged over my body as I straddled him. His scent was strong. I grew slick between my legs as I breathed him in. The want radiating off his body was hot. His rut was affecting me, making my body react in anticipation.

Zero kneeled on the mattress behind me, slowly reaching around to remove my clothes one by one—the jacket, then the dress, then my bra. Gonzo's half-lidded eyes feasted on me, a gold glow radiating. He strained forward, trying to get closer to me.

"Aren't you going to unstrap me?" Gonzo asked.

"No," Zero said. "I don't trust that you'll finish fucking her thoroughly." Zero reached around and undid Gonzo's pants. His long fingers wrapped around the other man's cock, pulling it out. Gonzo shuddered.

"So I'm going to help you," Zero said against my neck. I watched his hand slide down Gonzo's shaft and squeeze the bulbous base. Gonzo's breath rushed out of him, his eyes glued to my mouth.

"I'll do it," he whispered. "If she wants it, I'll make her mine," he whispered reverently.

"Will the knot hurt?" I asked. I felt like covering myself up. Being between two dominating men who were entirely clothed made my nakedness more vulnerable—even if one was in a straitjacket. My pebbled nipples and slickness felt obscene as Zero pressed against my back, and Gonzo ate me up with his eyes.

"It'll feel … good," Gonzo groaned. His hips pressed up. I felt his powerful thighs brush me and watched the head of his cock push up between Zero's fist. Gonzo's eyes flashed with surprise as he gave a strangled groan.

"Will it really?" I asked. Zero's mouth brushed my neck.

"You might be overwhelmed," Zero said. His mouth brushed my neck. "But he's not lying. Do you know what squirting is, Hazel?" I shook my head and felt embarrassed. They both knew so much more than me.

"Fuck," Gonzo rasped. "I can't wait to feel you do that, princess." He pushed his hips up again as if straining to push inside me. All he accomplished was fucking the other man's fist again.

"You're teasing me," he growled, eyes snapping to Zero over my shoulder.

"I want to make sure you want it badly enough," Zero commented. His fist tightened on Gonzo's cock, gripping the unswollen knot.

"I want it," Gonzo rasped.

"Mmm, do you mean Hazel or this?" Zero asked, moving his fist up and down the other man's hard cock. Gonzo cursed, his body shuddering.

"You're always such a goddamn tease, let me fuck her."

"Say please," Zero said, humor in his voice. I squirmed. The urge to line myself up to his hard cock and drop myself on it was becoming uncontrollable. If Zero didn't let us fuck soon, I was going to lose my mind.

"Is that really what you want to do?" Zero asked me, reading my mind. I nodded.

"Unstrap me," Gonzo begged as Zero lined up his cock to my entrance.

"No," Zero said, gripping my hip. With methodical slowness, he slowly pushed me on Gonzo's cock. Gonzo threw his head back, straining in the straitjacket. I could see the bulge of veins in his neck as his cock pushed inside me.

This was different from before. So much different.

"You're both doing well," Zero complimented, and I could barely breathe. He kept pushing my hips down further and further, making sure I got as much of the other man's cock in me as possible.

"That's enough," Gonzo rasped when he was half inside me.

"She can take it all," Zero said. A huff of laughter skated across the back of my neck as I felt his grip tighten on my hips. He forced me down further. Gonzo's eyes widened, his eyes glowing, and his mouth open.

I whimpered, feeling Gonzo's thickness forced into me further. He moaned, looking at where our bodies came together and savoring the way his cock was disappearing between my legs. Everything but the bulbous base.

"Not that," Gonzo said. "Not yet." Zero stopped pushing me down and slid his fingers between my legs, brushing where Gonzo was buried inside me to feel.

"Are you sure?" Zero asked. "I think Hazel would like it."

"Fuck," Gonzo groaned. I was so incredibly full. Zero hand rubbed my entrance, brushing Gonzo's knot as well. Then he moved up to my clit. A choked gasp fell from my mouth as he began methodically rubbing. He was far too good at it, having practiced every day for… god, had it been weeks? Weeks of him learning all the nuanced ways to bring me to orgasm with just the flick of his fingers.

"What do you say, Hazel?" Zero asked. He reached around my chest, gripping my breast tightly as he kept playing between my legs. I squirmed on Gonzo's cock as he watched the other man play with my body.

"I don't know," I whimpered.

"I guess there's no reason to rush," Zero said. "You'll take it soon and then some." I felt the press of his hard length against my ass. He was still fully clothed, orchestrating this mating all by himself.

"Hazel," Gonzo said, pulling me away from Zero's degrading teasing. My eyes trailed over his muscled body. He'd been methodically strapped in, making sure he couldn't get out. I wanted to kiss him. His eyes drew me in, glowing and warm.

"Before he makes us fuck like animals," he said, shooting a glare over my shoulder. "I want you to say that you'll be my mate." There was heat in his words— need . I shifted, feeling him thick and deep inside me. I couldn't take much more of it. Zero gripped my breast tighter when I didn't answer, stealing the breath from me as he twisted his fist.

"Yes," I panted. "I'll be your mate." Gonzo groaned.

"Unstrap me," he demanded. His eyes ate up every inch of me frantically. A pulsing, wild energy was locked in the jacket with him. Zero pulled me off Gonzo, making us both shudder and gasp. Then he set me beside Gonzo, who he rolled to face me. Zero worked to remove the straitjacket.

"Hurry," Gonzo whispered, staring at my mouth. A moment later, he was free, and his mouth was on mine. He ripped off his clothes, and then his arms wrapped around my body, dragging me closer. I felt his thick cock between my thighs, knocking my entrance. His tongue dominated mine, his strong grip holding on to me for his life.

"Fuck," he panted, biting my lip. I whimpered, struggling in his grip to get more freedom. "Make sure I'm not too rough with her," he told Zero.

"She can handle it," Zero said. "Can't you, Hazel?" A shiver rolled up my spine, remembering what always came along with his therapy—a series of overbearing orgasms followed by death.

"Can you, Hazel?" Gonzo whispered in my ear. I bit my lip and then nodded. I wanted to feel the power of La Volpe. I always had. But instead of fists and gore, now I wanted it between my legs.

Gonzo rolled me on my belly beneath him. The heat of his skin was against mine as he gripped my wrists in one hand and pinned me down with his hips. The length of his naked cock was against my ass, waiting to be used. His body was unyielding. I trembled in anticipation as his hard chest pressed against my back. A growl vibrated between us.

"I love it when you tremble, princess." He pulled the hair from my neck, twisting it around his fist and pulling. "To think I'd have my assassin like this beneath me," he chuckled, pushing my thighs open with his knees. His teeth scraped the back of my neck.

"I guess I couldn't resist the charms of La Volpe," I whispered. He hummed in pleasure against my skin.

"This will hurt." It was the only warning I got before sharp fangs pressed against the nape of my neck. He bore down, holding me in place. I couldn't move an inch, or it would break the skin. I whined. He gripped his cock and lined himself up while still biting my neck.

At the same time that his teeth broke the skin, he thrust up. I felt his cock barrel inside me. The bite was sharp, making me cry out.

Gonzo pinned me with his bite of dominance and with his hips. He began rocking into me with increasing strength. I felt the lick of fire across my neck as blood seeped from his mouth's hold. Gonzo's teeth left in an instant, but then I felt the hot press of his tongue, licking up the flames with a groan of pleasure.

My fingers twisted with the pillow, fisting the cheap fabric as I was fucked from behind. His hips bruised my ass as he thrust harder.

"Fuck that feels good," he groaned. I twisted my face to the side and saw Zero kneeling next to the bed, observing. His eyes skipped over no detail. His eyes moved from watching Gonzo's ass tense each time he thrust to looking at my mouth as I whimpered.

My face was hot as he watched. I clenched around Gonzo's cock.

"So good, Hazel," he groaned. Gonzo's tongue flicked my neck, collecting more flames on his tongue as he pushed himself deep inside me. His teeth sunk into the back of my neck, breaking the skin again as he twisted us on our side. Now, I was facing Zero entirely, his attention dancing across my nakedness.

Gonzo gripped my wrists tightly at my sides, not letting me use my arms. His tongue dragged up my neck, licking up more flames. Then he bit me again and again, demanding more fire to taste on his tongue.

Zero's eyes slid low, watching Gonzo's thick cock work its way into my cunt relentlessly. I squirmed and whined.

"Almost done, princess," Gonzo rasped in my ear, picking up speed. His bites turned into kisses, his lips pressing against each of the bites. Zero gripped my chin and brought his head low, kissing my open mouth.

Gonzo fucked me harder, and I moaned in Zero's mouth.

"I've never used my mouth on you," Zero said. I jerked as I felt his fingers brushing between my legs. The thought of his mouth on me left me incapable of words. I wanted to claw at his jacket, be desperate and clingy. Yet Gonzo still held them in a fierce grip, using my wrists as leverage as he rocked into me.

"How about I try out using my mouth?" Zero asked. My eyes widened. He surely didn't mean now. "Right now," he assured me, the tips of his mouth lifting in a smirk.

Zero slid down my body. The first touch of his tongue stopped Gonzo in his tracks. Zero's mouth was on both of us, teasing the base of Gonzo's cock before it trailed up to flick my clit. Gonzo dropped my wrists and wrapped his arms around me. A new wave of motivation came over him. He was suddenly even more determined to fuck me. His power felt limitless.

"Sorry, princess," he rasped. "It's almost over, I promise." A low groan left him. My thighs felt bruised. I loved the violence of it. He was brutal; it felt like a fight he was winning. Zero's tongue dragged across me, and I moaned.

"I'm going to knot her," Gonzo growled. "You don't need to check with your… your mouth," he rasped as Zero licked us both again. It was warm and wet. His saliva worked as lube as it slicked Gonzo's cock. Zero's tongue was evil, knowing just what to do to make me go insane. I tensed, trying to writhe in Gonzo's hold as I felt the orgasm growing.

"Fuck, Hazel. This is it," he groaned in my ear. His breath hitched with every thrust. "Hold her," he growled to Zero. Zero shifted up and gripped my hips, holding them in place as Gonzo began to push the knot inside it. He growled, holding me tighter, and pushed harder.

"It won't go in," I whined. The pressure between the legs made me squirm. Zero stared into my eyes as he gripped my hips tighter and forced me down on Gonzo's cock. The knot popped inside me, and I sucked in a breath.

"Oh fuck," Gonzo groaned, rocking in shallow thrusts. His breaths were desperate now. He kissed my neck mindlessly. He gave a low groan and, finally, started to expand inside of me. My eyes widened in shock, remembering just how swollen he had gotten in his fist before. I writhed, trying to free myself. The two men pressed me tighter between them, not letting me go.

Then, I felt vibrations deep inside me. Gonzo's cock was vibrating deep in my core. I was losing control of my body. The urge to relieve myself hit me all of a sudden. I tried to free myself from between them.

"It's fine," Zero whispered. This was all too much and yet not enough. Zero's fingers pressed between my legs and moved in familiar patterns, pulling familiar pleasure from me.

Suddenly, the orgasm gushed out of me. I felt hot liquid coat Gonzo's cock. I moaned, burying my face in Zero's neck.

"Good girl, princess," Gonzo choked out. "Fuck, Hazel, I'm going to come in you." I felt him twitching and throbbing inside me. His groan of pleasure was unrestrained as his cum filled me.

Gonzo's hands moved across my body in awe. I squirmed, stuck on his cock. The pressure made me feel like I was breaking, but the sounds of disbelief and pleasure from Gonzo relaxed me into satisfaction.

"You have no idea what this feels like," he whispered in awe. He buried his face in my neck, kissing up the length of it.

"I love you, Hazel." I shuddered. The pressure released inside me, and Gonzo pulled out. I flopped on my back between them. Gonzo kissed me, and Zero kissed me. Then they were both kissing me, and I couldn't tell who was who. Gonzo sounded desperate again, a low growl in the back of his throat as his tongue pressed both mine and Zero's.

Zero reached out and gripped Gonzo's hair, tugging him back sharply. Gonzo let him. Zero raised an eyebrow, his gaze settling on Gonzo's mouth.

"Now what?" Gonzo asked him. I watched both of them quietly, afraid to break the spell by talking or moving. Zero suddenly looked at the door.

"They're coming," Zero hissed, dropping Gonzo's hair. The rage coiled in Zero's words made us both freeze up in shock. Gonzo snapped out of it first, pulling on his pants. I looked around for my clothes, but then Gonzo grabbed me up in his arms.

I squeaked as he pressed me to his chest in a bridal carry, pulling me from the bed. Zero sat up on the bed, pressing his fingers against his temples and rubbing.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," he said. There was an edge to him that was freaking me out. Normally, he was always so calm and removed. Right now, he felt tense, as if he might snap.

"Who's coming?" I asked.

"Supra," Zero sighed. He got off the mattress right before the door burst open.

"Patient Zero," a woman sighed. She looked at all three of us. "Good thing I didn't leave yet. I knew you were hiding things." She stepped into the room. Gonzo set me on my feet and pushed me behind him, shielding me with his body. The woman looked over at us. She had dark skin and red hair. I'd never seen her before.

"These two are the core of the issue. Let's remove them from Verfallen." Orderlies pushed into the room in a rush. They ripped Gonzo from me roughly and grabbed at me.

One minute, Zero was standing there apathetically; the next, he suddenly burst out laughing, stopping everyone in their tracks. I grabbed my head. I could hear it everywhere like it was drilling into my brain.

"Grab him!" The woman yelled over the laughter. The orderlies were frozen in place. "Stop standing around. He can't hurt you. He's been broken." I winced. Broken?

Zero grabbed his face and kept laughing. An orderly crushed the glasses that he'd left on the ground as he stomped towards him. Goosebumps rolled up my spine.

"You want to get rid of them?" Zero laughed. " Kill them?" The speakers in the rooms screeched static, and then his laugh bled through them, too. The entire asylum was suddenly filled with staticky screeching and his maniacal laughter.

Chills raced over me.

"Get him!" The woman yelled. The orderlies grabbed hold of Zero. Gonzo growled and leapt at them. A moment later, he got three darts to the neck and dropped to the ground. My heart was pumping wildly. I eyed the number of people in the room and counted the feet to the door. I tried to come up with a plan, but I didn't know how to work my way out of it. Sometimes I relied too heavily on my ability to reincarnate, but right now, that didn't help Gonzo or Zero.

I eyed the door behind a gang of orderlies. The person with the dart gun aimed it at me and pulled the trigger. I felt the sting of the needle, and then there was nothing.