Chapter Six

Maureen

Ilook up at the feral predator between my legs and want to scream. He's more unhinged than I thought he was. Should I really be surprised? And yet my body is tingling, spasming with pleasure. Every inch of my skin is on fire. His cock twitches against the sides of my pussy, reminding me of the control he has over me. How I'm a slave to this desire.

Atlas leans over, pressing his chest against mine as he pins my wrists above my head. "I'm going to be greedy now."

He rocks into me slowly, his cock hardening again. And I can't help but rock with him. He feels so fucking good. He moves slower this time, gentler. I can feel the entire shape of him, every ridge and vein, as it throbs inside me.

"Fuck," I moan as he burrows in deeper. I can almost feel him in my stomach.

He covers my mouth with his. We both gasp when our tongues touch. He kisses me hard, desperate to swallow me whole.

"I will fuck you like this all night. Deep… and slow." He rolls his hips up and down in a torturous rhythm.

What the fuck is wrong with me?I should be furious with him for touching me while I was asleep. But instead, I'm opening my legs wider and praying he never stops.

I don't even care about my tender flesh and aching muscles. My heart rate jumps as images from last night flash in my mind. I close my eyes and try to block out the lashings. The humiliation of being tortured in a room full of men who were aroused by my suffering.

"Harder," I demand.

Atlas slams into me. "That's it, my love. Let me help you forget."

I wrap my legs around his waist and squeeze, desperate to feel every inch of him. I bite down hard on his ear before I whisper, "I hate what the three of you have done to me."

He pulls out and violently thrusts back in. "You fucking love this. That is what you hate."

Is he right? Am I ashamed that all this sickness actually turns me on? "I want a drink."

"Right now? While I'm fucking you?" Atlas laughs and reaches for the half-empty bottle of bourbon on the bedside table.

I grab his wrist. "No. I want what you drink."

His gaze heats with desire. "That's my girl." He picks up his jeans from the bed and gives them a shake. A vial of poison falls out of the pocket and into his palm.

"Come get it, then." He fists his cock and pours out a few droplets of nightshade onto his shaft.

I lick my lips and get on my knees, panting over his glistening cock. Thirsty for his sweat and poison. I drag my tongue up the length of him and feel an instant burn. But it numbs the pain everywhere else. It quiets the demons in my head.

He hums in appreciation when I take all of him into my mouth. "Oh, shit… Yeah, just like that, baby. Suck me as hard as you fucking want."

I slide my lips up and down while he threads his fingers in my hair. The salt from his skin mixed with the toxin sends my pulse into a frenzy. He grunts and pulls my hair as I scrape my teeth across his shaft.

Without warning, his cum bursts into my mouth, his cock pulsing against my cheeks as I swallow it down. He grabs the nape of my neck and thrusts all the way to the back of my throat. My eyes water and I have to breathe through my nose as he gags me.

But it feels so fucking good.

He chuckles as he pulls out. "Fuck, that was good."

I lick my swollen lips as I come up for air. "You better sleep with one eye open, Atlas. I will get you back for violating me."

He squeezes my chin and then gives my cheek a playful slap. "I can't wait for your revenge, Maur. I'm sure it's going to be fucking epic."

I roll my eyes and slide off the bed. "Where are the other two psychos?"

He hands me the sweats and T-shirt I'd been wearing before he ripped them off me. "They're around here somewhere. Hey… are you okay?"

I glare at him as I dress. "Okay? You have no idea what they did to me. I thought you'd be more concerned."

He sighs. "I was. But I knew you could handle it. I won't let them hurt you, Maur."

I charge forward and give him a hard shove. "But they did fucking hurt me, Atlas. Didn't you get a good look at the welts on my ass? Or were you too busy staring at my pussy?"

He tries to hug me, but I push him away. "Maur—"

"Thirty-five lashes. Front and back. For killing a man in self-defense. A man you all hated and were going to kill anyway. Tell me, what would Holden Graves have done to you if you'd been the one to shove the knife in Zeke's chest? Hmm? I bet you wouldn't have had to strip naked and make yourself cum in front of a bunch of creepy old men."

Atlas's nostrils flare. "They made you do what?"

I snicker. "Oh, you didn't know they were going to do that? You must have missed the memo. What the fuck else did you think was going to happen? I'm a woman. I knew what was in store for me the second I saw the way Holden looked at me."

He's pacing around the room now, sweat beading at his neck. "Then why the hell did you agree? We would have gotten you out of there if you asked."

I throw up my hands, frustrated with how simple-minded and na?ve he's acting. "Because he would have punished Riot instead!" I yell. Tears start pouring down my cheeks before I can stop them. "I… didn't want him to get hurt because of me."

I wipe my face with my arm, the rage building again when I think about Holden's hand on my pussy, the way he cupped it while he mutilated my thigh. "But the three of you let me go in there alone. You let it go on for hours. Didn't you think at any point that, hey, maybe we should go check and make sure she's still alive?"

Atlas's chest heaves, his breathing erratic. "I'm sorry… we didn't think. This life is all we know. I forget that you're not used to all this."

I snicker again and head for the bedroom door. "You're right. How could I forget? The three of you did the same fucking thing to Libra. And she's your own flesh and blood. I knew there was going to be some fucked up weird shit that I had to do to be initiated, but that… what they did to me… it was a joke to them. A game. They're probably all laughing about it together right now."

Atlas reaches for me again, but I slide out of his grasp. "Maureen, I'm sorry. Please. Fuck. I didn't know."

I laugh in his face. "Holden Graves said that I belong to him now. To all of those bastards. He let them jerk off all over me. I was covered in their cum. It leaked into every fucking crevice of my body. Deep down, you had to fucking know."

Before he can say another word, I open the door to find Valentin glaring daggers in our direction. He braces himself against the doorframe, his arms shaking. "I'm going to fucking murder all of them."

An ache forms in my chest. Fucking Val… The violence that breeds in his eyes has always been my salvation. He's the only one who said I didn't have to go through with the ritual. That he'd take me away. But the sight of him still makes me angry.

I shove him out of my way. "You should have come for me," I snarl.

He nods. "You're right. I failed. Tell me what to do."

My heart breaks for him. I know he will let this guilt destroy him. But I'm too angry to show mercy right now. "You can both go to hell. I'm done."

Atlas's eyes widen. "You aren't leaving, are you?"

"Let her go if she wants. I don't blame her," Val sighs.

I shake my head. "I'm not leaving. I just need some air. And to be alone."

"I'm so sorry, Maur…" Val looks like a wounded puppy. It's almost endearing until I feel a twinge in my ass cheek. And I remember that I'm not going to be sitting down comfortably for a while.

I brush past them both without another word.

I need to get the fuck out of this house for a while. Or I might be tempted to burn it down.

I'm still fuming as I stomp through the front yard and head for the forest. My tightly laced boots are the first comforting thing I feel as they carry me. I'm so angry I don't even flinch when a raven swoops down to squawk at me.

"Fuck you!" I scream and shove my middle finger toward its face. "And fuck you too, Riot. I know you're following me."

He huffs but continues to hang back, preferring to stalk me like a serial killer instead.

Whatever.

The tree line thickens as I move deeper into the forest, darkening my path. But it doesn't deter me. In fact, it spurs me on. I want to be bathed in darkness. It's the only thing that calls to me. The only feeling I want to embrace.

I slow my pace as the branches thicken out of their stumps, tangling and twisting on the ground. I almost trip as I step over them. But I am focused, pissed off, and on a mission to sink as deep into the gloom of this space as I can get.

My sigils flare, singeing my flesh with every step I take. Riot's boots crunch behind me. He's keeping his distance, but it's only a matter of time before he corners me. I look forward to when he does so I can hurl all my anger at his emotionless fucking face.

I come to a clearing where the trees have slightly pulled away, but the sky is still obscured from my view enough to where I can't tell if it's day or night. And I don't care.

My stomach knots as images of last night's ritual replay in my mind. The mix of emotions makes me want to vomit. I wasn't initiated. I was punished, humiliated, and then left in a pool of my own cum and blood. I shiver at the memory of their masked faces, their gloved hands… Shame fills me as I remember being turned on by the sadistic act.

I flinch at the touch of a hand on my back.

"It's just me, Maur," Riot huffs.

I spin around to face him, my mouth full of venom. "Get away from me."

His blue eyes harden. "No."

"How could you let them do that to me?" I hear the ache in my own voice, and it makes me sick.

He closes the gap between us, towering over me. "You don't understand the power my father has."

I fight back tears. There's no way I'm fucking crying in front of him. "You're fucking crazy. All of you. I'm done. Take me back to Raven's Gate."

I'm overwhelmed. Ashamed. So fucking angry. "You know what? Fuck that. Take me to Wickford Hollow. I don't want to see another raven ever again."

Riot wraps a hand around my throat, and it feels like salvation even as his arrogance irritates every nerve in my body. "No. You're ours. Mine. And we will help you get through this. Help you understand. But leaving is not an option."

I hate that I love the way his grip feels around my neck. "Maybe it should be. If we're not together, we can all go back to how we were before. Safe."

He blows out a deep breath as his lips inch closer to mine. I try not to inhale that familiar scent of tobacco and coffee. Try not to swallow every particle of it even as it gives me life.

"There is no before, Firecracker. There is only us. And whether you believe it or not, what happened last night will never happen again."

Why does my heart believe every fucking word he says?

My brain is screaming at me, but my heart, my body, just wants to lean in. Like every fucking word out of his mouth is gospel.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want me to trust you, Riot."

His grip tightens on my throat. Shivers race down my back from the pulse of his fingertips. He weaves his other hand into my hair and gently tilts my head back. It unnerves me. Like my soul wants to fly out and meet his.

"I'll explain everything," he purrs. "But right now, I just want to give you a new memory to replace the last one that's on repeat in your head."

I swallow hard, my need for him outweighing my temptation to destroy everything, my traitorous heart and body choosing him instead of my own sanity. "You've ruined me. And I hate you for it."

He glides his hand up my neck, leaving tiny sparks in its trail. "The feeling is mutual, Firecracker. It's a sickness. But my craving, my obsession, my need for you is stronger."

His heated breath puffs out like smoke in the cold air between us right before his lips graze mine. "Eternity is our curse and our salvation. Over and over again until the ground opens up and swallows us whole, we will ruin each other. Because any other fate would be worse than death. Because no other fate exists."

Fuck.

He's right. I know this in the core of my being.

I clench my fists in frustration and open my mouth to scream, but I'm cut off by his kiss.

We both gasp as we release quivering breaths inside each other's lungs. His tongue dances around mine, sending sparks of electricity over every inch of me. My sigils flare and burn as our ache collides.

He tips my head, arching me back as he probes deeper, kissing me harder, desperately. Violently.

I moan. I cry. I drink his saliva down like holy water.

A gust of wind circles our limbs, and I can hear the ravens cry on the fringes. As the link between us grows, our unforgiving hearts beat faster, sending another crushing blow to the nature we fight against.

Riot pulls back, but only to leave a trail of kisses up my aching jaw. "You're my violence," he whispers in my ear. He scrapes his teeth across my lobe, nipping and sucking like a starved animal. "Mors tua, vita mea."

Your death, my life.

I understand more than ever now.

And I know that another piece of me did die last night. Just as each of his brutal kisses brings another hidden part of me to life.

He slides his hands down to my waist and pulls me hard against him. "Let me worship you here for all of nature to witness."

I let out another whimper, my heart racing. When I meet his gaze, an unspoken question is answered. I can't fight it or deny it any longer. I don't want to escape him.

He swoops me up and lays me on the ground. I gaze up as he takes his shirt off, mesmerized by how his sigils glow like the blue neon in his eyes. The light swirls and pulsates, weaving in and out of his corded muscles. I follow the glowing path of his blood as it pumps ferociously through each vein.

This man is the absolute definition of haunting beauty.

He pauses, and I'm confused for a second. Until I realize what he wants. My consent. For the first time since I ever laid eyes on Riot Graves, he's asking for permission to touch me.

In response, I unbutton my pants and slide them off along with my panties.

His arms tremble as he kneels down between my legs. "You are my goddess. And this is my sacrament."

A tiny shiver snakes across my belly as he circles my clit with his thumb.

"And you're my penance. You've damned my soul, Riot."

He licks his lips. "Shhh, let me feast now."

I arch back, grinding my hips into the ground as he drags the tip of his tongue up my slit. "Oh. Fuuck," I whine.

He plants soft kisses on my pussy, his lips hot as he savors me. Every gentle flick of his tongue tickles my core. Fuck. The agony sends me to the edge, and I almost cum. No. It's too soon. I want to relish every second. To draw it out. I tangle my fingers in his black strands, take a deep breath, and unclench.

He hums as he pushes his tongue in deeper. I roll my hips and rub my pussy against his face, moaning like a cat in heat.

"Mmm." He digs his fingers into my ass and pulls me tighter to him.

"Riot… fuck. I need… you." I'm coming unhinged; sick and starving for his brutality.

He slides out and runs the length of his tongue up my slit. "I know." He sucks on my nub before nipping it with his sharp teeth. I buck as it sends a spasm straight to my core.

"Oh, no," I cry out—not in protest but in disbelief. This man knows how to push every one of my buttons. He knows what makes me come undone. Every. Single. Time.

I claw at his skull, rabid with lust. Like a fucking masochist.

He grunts and lifts my hips off the ground as he thrusts his tongue back into my greedy pussy. His hands are underneath my ass, my legs around his neck. And it breaks me. A force gathers inside me and unleashes as my essence explodes like a pressure cooker overflowing.

"Riot!" White stars blur my vision the second my juices flood his mouth. He clamps down harder as I cum all over his feral tongue. He drinks from my pussy, sucking and swallowing every drop. And all I can do is writhe and moan as I ride his face.

The sigils on my thighs smolder, sending shivers up and down my body. My pleasure is bittersweet, mixing with rage as memories from last night threaten to surface. I shake my head and pinch my eyes shut.

Riot replaces his tongue with his fingers. "Look at me, Maur."

I shake my head as he pumps his fingers, drawing my orgasm out.

"Look at me right fucking now," he demands.

I open my eyes and gaze into his. My breath catches in my throat.

"Good girl. Tell me what I am to you."

Another orgasm takes hold of me as his fingers probe deeper, hitting my G-spot. "You… are my penance. My… devil." I can barely get the words out as he adds a third finger, stretching me wide around him.

"Yes. Right now, I'm your devil. No one else. You will only think of me when I'm inside you."

I nod as I drown in his murderous blue eyes and surrender again. I let it all fade away. Nothing else exists but this moment. And like a switch that I now have access to, the sigil that Riot carved into my thigh burns brighter. And the other sigil… goes dark.

Riot nods as if he sees the realization, the relief in my eyes. He stills his hand as I try to catch my breath. "I can do more than just ruin you, Maur. All you have to do is let me."

He's the only one who can.It's always been this way. Since the first night we met. I lurch forward and crawl into his arms. I bury my head in his neck and breathe in his scent as he holds me tighter than anyone ever has. "Can we stay like this forever?" I already know the answer, but I want to pretend for a little longer.

He kisses my cheek. "No. But now you can come here in your head whenever you want."

The ravens shriek through the trees.

"They're getting desperate," I whisper.

"They aren't the only ones, Firecracker. Our enemies gather as we speak." He stands us both up and helps me with my pants. "Ready to go back?"

Not even close. But I nod. "I guess."

We walk toward the cabin in silence, shrinking back into our own sacred spaces. Those spaces that we use to shield ourselves from being too vulnerable with each other. But after tonight, neither one of us can deny that this thing between us… is something like love.

Valentin is pacing the front porch while Atlas slumps back in a rocking chair. "There the fuck you both are. We're gonna have some unwelcomed guests soon."

The hairs on the back of my neck prickle. "What? I thought you said we were safe out here."

Riot stiffens like a statue as he grips my hand so tight I'm afraid it might snap in half. "Who?"

Val's eyes darken. "My father. If you think Holden Graves is a monster…"

I shudder.

"Fuck," Riot mutters.

Now I'm the one squeezing his hand for dear life. "What does he want?"

"The same thing they all want," Atlas quips. He won't look at me. "To feast their eyes on the girl who broke the curse."

I swallow hard, my anxiety kicking into high gear. "No. I'm not staying here."

Val stalks toward us. He grabs my other hand. "I'm not leaving you alone this time, Maur. I swear on the fucking corpses of ravens, he will not lay a finger on you."

Riot's rage is palpable, soiling the air around us like a toxin. "How much time do we have?"

"A few hours or so?" Val shrugs.

Riot nods. "Then we better be quick." He turns to me, his lips still coated in my juices. "You need another sigil."

"It's too soon, Riot. She can't handle it," Atlas pleads, his blue-green eyes bloodshot from what looks like crying.

That's odd. That man usually thinks funerals are funny.

He still won't look at me.

And I can't resist another dig. "You clearly have no idea what I can or cannot handle, Atlas."

He throws his hands up in defeat. "You're right. I'll shut the fuck up now."

Val and Riot exchange an uneasy look.

I lift my chin with confidence. "I don't ever want to feel powerless again. Besides, what's the worst that could happen?"

Atlas groans. "You could die."

I glare at him and hiss.

"I know, I know. You hate my voice right now."

"He's right," Val quips.

Riot lets go of my hand so he can move behind me. He pushes my hair to the side and tilts my head, exposing the first sigil he gave me. "He's also wrong. She's Nocturnus. Our power is also hers."

He turns to face me and gives me the same look he did in the clearing. He's waiting for my consent.

I blow out a deep breath. "You know I'm ready. But I want to hear the truth about what happened last night."