Chapter 6

SIX

The distraction with Jonas only worked for so long before I found myself in the gym again, working my body to forget my anger and frustration.

Just like the last few days, I’m sparring with Nico, but today, we are both frustrated. We are all on high alert, and it is taking its toll. I’m snappy and I know it, and he’s reacting to it, his hits coming harder and faster.

“Pay attention,” he orders.

“I am,” I retort.

“No, you’re daydreaming,” he growls.

“Asshole,” I hiss as I slam my foot into his side. He blocks my second attack and spins me away.

“That’s right, baby, I’m an asshole, an asshole who’s kicking your ass. Come on, is that really all you got?” he mocks. “Want me to be blindfolded?” He covers his eyes and with a snarl, I throw myself at him. It is clear he was expecting an attack, but not like this, so he stumbles and falls back. Despite it, he quickly wraps his arms around me to stop me from hurting myself, and once we hit the mat, he flips us.

Gritting my teeth, I slap my hands out, but he quickly catches them and pins them above my head, his thighs holding mine down. Even as I buck and twist, I know it’s useless. Nico is a powerhouse and he pinned me. His eyes are hard and hungry as he watches me fight him.

“Finished?” he asks when I slump.

“Never.” My eyes narrow before I flip the switch. I won’t win outright on strength, so I play dirty. Lifting my head, I slam my lips to his, swallowing his groan as our tongues tangle. My chest presses against his bare, sweaty one. For a moment, I forget my plan as desire courses through me, mixed with my anger, but his hands slowly loosen on mine and I wiggle them free. Sliding my palms across his shoulders, I rip my mouth away and twist us. My knees land on either side of his head, and I grin down at him, his hair mussed, his eyes tight, and his lips puffy from my attack.

“You got me, baby. Now what are you going to do to me?” His hands slide up my thighs, tugging me down until I’m almost sitting on his face. “I know, how about you sit that pretty pussy on my mouth? I’m fucking starving.”

“Fuck you,” I snap angrily, still fighting my emotions. I go to stand, but he sweeps my leg out and I tumble. My face hits the mat, and my arms are twisted into my back.

“You’re too angry, too worked up. I think we need to work some of that frustration out,” he mocks, grinding his cock into my ass. I can’t help it. I push back even as I wriggle to try and get free of his hold.

“I’ll fight you every step of the way,” I growl.

His mouth meets my ear as he pins me once more. “Good. Fight me all you want, baby, but I’m still getting my cock deep inside this wet little pussy until you scream, and we both know it, so thrash, scream, and fight because it won’t matter. You’re mine, Nova.”

“Asshole.” I throw my shoulders back as he pulls away before I make contact.

“You love it.” Keeping my hands pinned, he lifts up slightly and tears off my legging and knickers, tossing them aside so I’m bare below the waist. I manage to flip to my side, and he quickly turns me over and pins me once more, grinning down at me.

His huge erection tents his workout shorts, his tattoos stark against his tanned skin. His dark eyes remain locked on me as I lift him, wanting him badly, even as I’m angry at myself, at everything.

“There she is,” he purrs. The sports bra I’m wearing has a front zip, and I narrow my eyes as he reaches for it. My hands are pinned under my back and his weight, so I kick out at him. He grunts as my foot hits his side, but he still unzips it, my breasts tumbling free under his hungry gaze.

Panting beneath him, I narrow my eyes on him. “Don’t you dare—” I groan as he leans down and sucks my nipple into his mouth. He either doesn’t notice or care as I fight him, sucking hard on it before popping his mouth free and blowing his warm breath across it. I fight the pleasure blooming inside me, the ache of my pussy, and my throbbing clit. I focus on my anger and he laughs against my skin as he turns his head and gives my other nipple the same treatment until they are both hard and aching.

With one hand, he pushes my breasts together and licks and sucks them both, leaving bites across them as my eyes close. I stop my fight as he presses his thigh against my bare pussy and rubs it back and forth.

“I wonder if I could make you come like this,” he murmurs against my breast. “I think, considering that you’re dripping on my leg, I could. Don’t you, baby?”

“Shut up,” I snap, and he hums, biting my nipple. I cry out, arching up without meaning to. The pleasure is too much, and he’s right. I’m already on the verge of coming, which annoys me. He easily changed my feelings from frustration and anger to need and want.

“Good girl,” he purrs. “Ride my thigh and make yourself feel good, and when you’ve come enough, I’ll give you my cock and let you fuck out your tantrum.”

“Bastard,” I mutter as I roll my hips into his hard thigh, whimpering at the feeling. I’m going to do exactly that and love it. Nico and I have never really been alone to fuck, and I’m so excited and ready for that huge cock.

Frustration ebbs from me, turning to blazing desire as I roll my hips into his touch, chasing my release as he chuckles meanly. He edges and taunts me with what I want. “Say please, Nico, make me come.”

“No,” I grumble, and he stills, his mouth hovering over my breasts while his hand pins my hips so I can’t even get the friction I need. “Nico,” I whine.

“Say it, baby, or I’ll leave you here naked and wet,” he replies.

“Then I’ll find one of the others,” I retort, fighting again.

“No, you won’t. I’ll warn them. The only way you are going to come tonight, baby, and get a cock is with me. So, say please and be a good girl for once.”

Smashing my head back, I try to move my hips again, but he has me well and truly pinned. He’s just that fucking strong, and he waits patiently. Grinding my teeth, I blow out a breath. “Please, Nico, make me come,” I mutter.

“Was that so hard, baby?” he purrs, sliding his lips over my nipple again. He pulls his knee away, and I go to shout at him when his hand covers my pussy. “Fuck, you’re so goddamn wet for me, but you’re going to need to come a few times to take my huge cock. I don’t plan on fucking you softly, baby, so come for me.” He slams two thick fingers into me and rubs my clit with his thumb.

I tumble over the edge with a scream.

“Good girl, keep going,” he purrs. “That’s it, milk my thick fingers and show me how good it’s going to feel being buried deep inside you. Shit, baby, look at you, so goddamn pretty.”

Groaning, I shake from the force of my release until it ebbs. I open my eyes and meet his dark gaze.

Grinning, he slides down my body. “If you behave and don’t fight me, I’ll lick this pretty pussy until you scream.”

“Fine. Only because I want your tongue,” I retort with a small grin. Chuckling, he presses my thighs wider and tosses them over his shoulders.

“Whatever you say, Nova,” he murmurs, rubbing his nose up and down my wet pussy with a groan. “You smell so fucking good, baby. I can’t wait to have you dripping down my throat.”

“Then you better make me,” I order, reaching down to grip his dark hair, tugging at the roots. He groans, and it vibrates through my pussy. Luckily, he doesn’t taunt me this time because both of us are too needy now. His tongue lashes out, lapping at my pussy as he moans.

My head falls back and my eyes slide shut as I grind into his mouth, those two thick fingers working in and out of me before he adds a third. My moans reverberate around the gym as I lift my hips and grind into his face.

His other hand comes up and pins my stomach down for his attack as his tongue sweeps down and around my asshole before moving back up to my clit. “Nico,” I whisper, riding the pleasure that’s growing once more.

His tongue speeds up, lashing my clit as his fingers fuck me, sounding wet and loud in the gym. It’s so fucking filthy, I groan. My heart skips a beat as I tumble over the edge once more, screaming my release as my thighs clamp around his head, keeping him against my pussy.

He licks me through it, keeping his fingers inside me until I relax. I push him away, my pussy oversensitive.

Sitting up, he pulls his fingers and mouth from my pussy and pushes his shorts down, fisting his hard cock. “Say thank you, Nico.”

I narrow my gaze, and he smirks as he strokes his huge length, making me lick my lips hungrily.

“Say thank you, Nico, and you can have my cock like we both know you want.”

I know he’s serious, and my need for his huge length outweighs my pride. I’ll beg if it gets me what I want. I need him inside of me so badly, it feels like I might die if I don’t get him. “Thank you, Nico, now fuck me.”

Shoving his shorts farther down, he strokes his cock as he crawls over me, his other hand grabbing both of mine and pinning them to the mat above me as he nudges my thighs wider. He rolls his hips to tease me, and I’m about to start shit when he presses to my entrance and slams into me.

I cry out his name as he slides all the way inside me. It hurts so fucking good, my eyes cross and my legs wrap around his hips to take him deeper.

“Baby.” His head drops to mine as he starts to move with slow, rolling thrusts that have me gasping before he speeds up, his hips slapping into mine. Each time, he hits so deeply inside of me it hurts, but it’s so good.

“Faster,” I demand. “Harder.” I need everything he can give me.

I manage to get my hands free, so I reach down and grip his ass to urge him on. He pushes them away, so I slap him hard. His head snaps to the side, and when he slowly swings it back to me, he’s snarling.

Oh shit.

Flipping me onto all fours, he slams his hand down on my ass. “You want to act like a brat? I’ll fuck you like one.”

“Nico—” My response ends in a scream as he hammers into me, pushing me across the floor with the force, his hand slapping my ass again.

“You want to slap, baby? Then you’ll get the same.” He smacks me harder, making me clench around him.

“Please.” I claw at the mats, pushing back. His hand comes down harder, and I know it will bruise. He fucks me hard and fast, hitting that spot inside of me that has me seeing stars, and then his hand comes down across my clit.

I scream as I explode, milking his cock for his release.

Groaning, he works through my fluttering pussy, fucking me as I pant. I collapse forward after the pleasure releases me, my pussy, ass, and tits aching.

Still recovering from the release, I remain boneless as he flips me again and slams back into my pussy. He hitches my leg up as his other hand pins my wrists above my head, keeping me restrained for his attack. He fucks me hard and fast, his teeth gritted and his veins bulging in his neck.

It’s too much. I can’t take it.

I feel him losing control, moving with wild, erratic thrusts, so I turn my hand and lace my fingers through his. “Nico, I love you,” I say, and it sends him over the edge.

He roars his release as he spills inside of me, shoving his cock as deep as he can. It triggers me again, and I am close to blacking out as I clench around his huge, invading length.

When I can finally breathe and see again, I’m panting below him. He is breathing heavily and covered in sweat as he leans down and presses his lips to my forehead. “I love you too, Nova. Feeling better?”

“Much,” I admit. “Thank you.”

“Always, baby,” he murmurs as he collapses, half on me and half next to me. “Just give me some time to recover.”

I laugh, and we both groan at the feel of the vibrations. Closing my eyes, I wrap my arms around him and just hold him. My mind is quiet for the first time in a long time, so I soak up the peace, knowing the real world will invade soon.

But not yet, not here with us.

* * *

Sam is still healing, but he begins to train in the gym while I beat the shit out of the bags, growing angrier every day. He watches me with an impressed arch of his eyebrow, so I start to train with him. I have to take it easy since he’s still seriously injured, but when he’s tired or hurting, he sits out and watches, giving me pointers and refusing to leave me alone. I find that I don’t hate it, however, since it distracts me from my eternal struggle.

Taking a break, I sip my water as I stretch out my muscles. He holds his side with a wince. “I hate being this weak.”

“But you like Ana babying you,” I tease, making him grin widely.

“That I do.” He chuckles. “She’s something else, your sister. She’s . . .”

“Annoying.” I laugh.

“Incredible,” he adds. “I’ve never met such a strong, smart, sexy woman.”

“You like her,” I tease, nudging his foot, and he rolls his eyes.

“More than that. I don’t know, it sounds crazy, but it’s like I knew who she was to me when I met her. I think she feels the same too,” he admits.

“It doesn’t sound as crazy as dating six mostly crazy men,” I reply, making him chuckle. “Ana has always known her own mind. She’s already made her decision, but as her big sister, I have to warn you—if you hurt her, I’ll kill you painfully, and we both know I can make that happen.”

“I’d be disappointed if you didn’t.” He nods seriously. “But I have no intention of ever hurting her. It would be like cutting into my own chest. She’s been my rock through this which reminds me. I better go check on her. She’s been working too much and not eating.”

“Whipped,” I cough just as Isaac appears with a plate of food.

Sam eyes me. “You were saying?”

I kick him, and he laughs as he slowly climbs the stairs, holding his side.

Isaac comes over, handing me the plate of salad, cheese, and bread. “Just some snacks. It’s been hours.” He eyes me worriedly. “It’s my turn to ask you if you’re okay.”

“I am now that you are here,” I tease. Tugging him closer, I kiss him before melting into his chest. He wraps his arms around me tightly and holds me. “I’m scared,” I admit softly.

“I’d be worried if you weren’t,” he replies, the vibration of his laughter causing me to shiver and hold him tighter. He pulls back and frames my face, searching my eyes. “Whatever happens, Nova, we do it together, okay? You’re not in this alone. Tell me you understand.”

“Together.” I nod as he kisses me softly before deepening it. I moan, the plate falling to the floor as he reaches down and hoists me up. Desperation and need dance between our lips as I claw at his shoulders, but then there’s a crack and the lights go out.

Isaac drops me to my feet, and we both sprint for the stairs. I’ve just reached the top, breathing heavily, when the sound of a crash comes again.

“Find the others, I’ll bring Ana!” I yell at Isaac. Sliding down to the lab, I grab the knife I set on the table earlier. Trusting Isaac to check in, I peek around the lab. The house emergency lights flicker on, throwing us into a dim glow that’s barely enough to see by but enough to clear the hallway.

There’s another crash upstairs, followed by the sound of shattering windows, footsteps, and yelling.

I ignore it, trusting my guys, as I duck and roll into the lab. There’s a scream when I come up swinging. Ana is huddled under the desk, clutching a book, tears streaming down her face. Covering her mouth, I cock my head to listen.

I was sure I heard something beyond her screams.

Creak.

It comes again.

I press my finger to her lips and she nods, sniffling. Leaning in, I kiss her forehead in reassurance and move silently to the door in a crouch, peeking around into the corridor beyond.

I watch as booted feet appear at the end, coming from upstairs. It’s a tall man, and he has goggles and a mask on. Wearing all black, he holds a gun in his hands as he sweeps the entryway. The house is silent now, and I know my men will be hunting. They trust me to get Ana and myself to safety, just as I trust in them.

I watch as the man turns to the corridor and heads down it, his flashlight sweeping around.

Pressing my back to the wall, I wait and count his footsteps. I feel calm and prepared and very much in my element.

When the man walks past, I pounce. I slap one hand over his mouth and slam the knife into his jugular with the other before dragging him into the lab as he fights and screams. I wait until he stops moving and lower him softly to the floor. Glancing back at Ana, I hold out my hand. She drags her eyes from the body and scrambles towards me. I keep her behind me as I check the corridor and slide out, keeping her to the wall.

“Nova, who are these people?” she whispers. “Are we under attack?”

“Yes,” I murmur, glancing around the entryway. They haven’t breached the front door, which makes sense. Who walks straight into an enemy’s lair? I’m betting they came through the upstairs windows, maybe even repelled down.

I hear a soft thud upstairs and nothing else.

“I don’t know who they are, but I need to get you to a car before I return for the others.”

“No, I won’t leave you or Sam,” she hisses, trying to push me. I slam her back to the wall and wait as I hear footsteps pounding across the landing. Once they are gone, I get in her face.

“We are all trained to handle this and you are not. Ana, I can’t concentrate when you are in danger. I need to keep you safe so please, let me look after you.”

She wipes at her face, glancing around. “No, we face this together. Give me a weapon. I’m not leaving you.”

“Ana!” I hiss, but she snaps her hard gaze back to me.

“No, together. Weapon.” She holds out her hand. A familiar gleam of determination enters her gaze, and I know it’s pointless to fight her on this. We are only wasting time.

I hand her my only knife and tell her to wait there as I go back, grab the semiautomatic rifle the attacker was carrying, and check that it’s loaded. When I return, I nod at her. “Stay behind me at all times,” I order. “I mean it or you’re out of here.”

“Fine.” She nods as I swing around the stairs and keep low, moving silently up the steps. I hear her breathing behind me but other than that, she controls her panic, her feet only making a soft slap on the stairs as she watches my back.

At the top, I crouch lower, putting my hand up to stop her, and swing my weapon each way, searching. When nothing jumps out, I move and press my back to the wall, tugging her with me.

Heading down the corridor, I check each room as I go. Nearly every window is broken, making it hard to guess how many men there are or where they are.

I don’t like this, I don’t like that Ana is here, and I definitely don’t like that I can’t see the others. I’ve just stepped past the doorway of a room I thought I’d cleared when a gun swings out, aiming for my face. I barely duck it in time, but when I jerk up, there’s a knife embedded in the man’s chest. I glance back to see Ana’s shocked face.

“He was going to hurt you,” she whispers.

Nodding, I slam my gun into his face, pluck the knife free, and hand it back to her. “You did good,” I praise her.

I drag the body away and we keep moving, but at the next door, a hand wraps around my mouth and jerks me in. I slam my foot back, and I hear a grunt before I break free to see Jonas, his expression showing his annoyance.

“How many?” I hiss. “Where are the others?”

“I don’t know. They pulled Nico and Louis through the window before I could get to them and dragged them away. Sam was trying to find anyone else, me too.”

“Isaac?”

He shakes his head as Ana moves hesitantly into the room. He looks at me and I shrug. “She’s helping. She saved me actually.”

“Okay, they seem to be coming from this floor’s windows. We’ll work together, take them down, and find the others,” he suggests.

“Sounds good.” I lift my gun and grin. “You got a weapon?”

“Baby, I am the weapon.” He smirks but shows me his pocket, which is filled with a knife and a . . . yup, a grenade. “Let’s do this. Oh, and Ana, nice knife.”

“Thanks,” she squeaks.

“Make sure to keep it out of us,” he offers softly, warning her. “I’ll take the back, you take the middle, and Nova, you’re in front. We work as a team. You’re one of us now, kid.” He ruffles her hair, and she smacks his hand away, smiling slightly, and I know that’s why he did it.

I mouth, “Thank you,” and then head to the door, needing to move and make sure the others are okay. Louis, Nico . . . God, I hope they are okay, but I know they would want me to keep moving, so I do. I focus on saving my family, on keeping them safe.

That’s all that matters now. I should have trusted my instincts before and got us to safety, but that’s moot. It’s in the past, and all I can do now is keep moving forward and remind them why they should fear us.

They’ll regret coming after us, and my father will regret standing against us.

He wants proof of the effectiveness of his experiments? Well, he’ll get it tonight.

This house will be filled with screams and run red with blood like it did when I was a child.

I move down the corridor. In Ana’s room, my trainer-covered feet crunch over glass, but beyond that sound, I hear breathing that isn’t ours. Smirking, I turn and joke, “Clear,” before heading to the door. Once there, I slam it shut and leap over the bed, slamming into the man crouched there.

He’s out before he even saw me coming. Grabbing his gun, I toss it to Jonas, hearing him catch it, and then I tie up the bad guy before standing and opening the door again.

Ana is blinking and shaking her head. “I didn’t even see you move,” she whispers.

“Kind of the point, babe. Super soldier, remember?” I tease as we head out into the corridor again. Each room has more broken glass, and I can’t help but think about how annoyed Bert will be when he sees it.

Bert . . . I hope he’s okay. Hopefully, he’s hiding in the pantry or something.

I have no time to worry, though, because as we approach the next door, I get a bad feeling and nod at Jonas. He moves me out of the way, flipping open a knife, and with a wicked grin, he stabs through the wood. There’s a groan as the door swings open, and Jonas descends on the man like a wild beast. He beats the shit out of him before plucking his knife out and throwing it at a man sneaking through the window. Once there, he rushes to the window and looks out. “Ropes,” he mutters as he tugs it down and throws it at me. I use it to tie both men together, taking perverse pleasure in their sixty-nine position. It will be a nice surprise when they wake up.

Chuckling, Jonas kisses me on his way by. “Good one, baby. Two more rooms.”

I nod, and luckily, the next two rooms are clear, but there are more ropes, meaning there are more men somewhere. At the end of the hall, I gesture to the attic, and Ana and I crouch as Jonas sweeps it.

When he returns, he’s brushing the cobwebs from his hair. “Nothing but spiders.”

“Then they are downstairs,” I grumble, throwing him a narrow-eyed look, “probably with the others. How about we switch up this game?”

He grins. “What do you have in mind?”

Dropping my gun, I nod to the side. When he sees what I’m looking at, he winks. “Fuck, you’re a genius.”

It’s a tight squeeze as Jonas and I head down in the dumbwaiter first. Once there, we yank open the door and roll out into the kitchen. As we sweep it, we find the back door is open, and there are tracks leading out. They are probably checking the perimeter. Locking the door, we wedge a table before it to give us notice when someone tries to get back in.

A bang makes me spin to the cupboard next to me and yank it open. I find Bert hiding inside, a frying pan in his hand. “Miss Nova,” he whispers gratefully, looking me over worriedly.

“Stay in there, okay? We are going to get them all.”

“Miss Nova, I saw them take Isaac and Samuel past. I am sorry I couldn’t stop them.”

“Don’t be sorry, but I need you to wait for Ana to come down here, okay? Keep her safe,” I instruct him.

He nods seriously. “Of course, Miss Nova, be careful.”

Jonas picks up a butcher’s knife, and we move out of the kitchen, ready to sweep the rest of the downstairs and find our family.

Oh, and kill the bastards invading my fucking house.