“Yeah, fuck you, too.” Asshole.
“Oh, you will, little sváss.” Rogue was suddenly right there, in my space, his mouth mere centimeters from mine. “You will be begging for it as you have each time.” With one finger, he stroked my cheek.
“I don’t beg.” Ever.
His soft chuckle raked over me like a bad rash. Then he bit my lower lip. Not a loving kiss or teasing nip, but full on bite, and it fucking hurt. When I would have jerked away, he locked my head in place, his hand at my nape, and he bit down and then sucked at the blood welling up.
Not an ounce of pleasure stroked through me, nor was his lust even a stir. This was punishment, pure and simple. Pain for being a pain.
He was definitely an asshole. When he released me, the flood of copper in my mouth had me swallowing convulsively. He ran his tongue over his own lips, now stained with my blood.
“You taste better with each sip,” Rogue said. “If only you didn’t still taste of him. That is what we will remove.”
There was just enough distaste curdling his words that fury roused in me. “You don’t like it, fuck off. No one asked you.”
Instead of responding, he turned away and moved. The speed of his departure took me a moment to process, but one moment, he was in front of me, and next, he was at the fire—with all my newly acquired clothing. From the irritating floss to the semi-decent leather pants, he had everything but the camisole, panties, and robe I was wearing.
He threw them all into the flames.
“You son of a bi—” The word broke off as Fin hoisted me and stepped. My stomach plummeted as the world wrenched around me, and we went from the warm, if dusty library with its roaring fires, to the cold bedroom. I landed on my back on the bed, and a fire burst into being in the hearth.
Shoving upward, I halted as Fin pivoted to face me, his expression dark and severe.
“Stop it, Fiona,” he said, his tone unforgiving and without the teasing lilt of every earlier interaction. “You are trying to make us fight you.”
Considering I could still taste blood in my mouth, I’d say I’d done a damn good job of it. “Or what?” Because I was tired of these assholes hauling me around like I was their fucking toy or fuck toy. Whatever.
“Or you will make this situation far more difficult than it needs to be for you. For us.”
“Well, the gods forbid I make this situation difficult for you. Really wouldn’t want that…”
Fin sighed, face turned heavenward. “I love your mouth,” he said abruptly. “I love the way you smile. I love how it felt on my cock.”
Shocker.
Not.
“I also love the sass you spill so swiftly and without mercy.” He faced me then. “You’re perfect.”
I snorted. “Hardly.”
“No, you’re perfect.” He took a step toward the bed and then slid onto the end of it. “I need you to listen to me, Fi—do you mind if I call you Fi?”
It was the first time any of them actually asked me if I minded one part of this whole thing. “It’s fine,” I said. “Only Elias calls me Fi, but I don’t mind it so much.”
“And Elias would be?”
“A friend.” A real one. Did he think I was dead? I hoped not. We’d been close for a long time, he would be pissed enough that I’d fucked a vampire much less turned into one. But that was a problem for another day.
“Interesting.” He actually sounded like he meant that. “But will you listen to me, Fi?”
“I’ve been listening, Fin.”
His smile was sudden and bright. Yeah, yeah, I used his name. Whatever. He’d been polite to me, why not show a little of the same back to him?
“Yes, you have, but have you heard us?”
“Pretty much. Also rather getting that you all think you get to make these decisions for me. The arrogance is rather off-putting. The magnificent sex does help in that department, but not so much I just forget you’re all assholes who stole me from one prison to lock me into another.”
Sighing, he nodded. “That’s not an unfair assessment.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Another small smile. “Fiona, the world as you know it has changed.”
No shit, Sherlock. Though I kept that last bit to myself and waited. If this was another ‘oh, I was a hybrid and special, la-dee-dah,’ I might cut myself just to get on to the feeding and fucking portion of the evening.
My pussy ached at the very thought, but damn if she wasn’t already wet thinking about it. They seemed to enjoy wrecking me almost as much as I was enjoying being wrecked.
Like I’d said a few times now, I was definitely twisted.
“You’re more than just a hybrid.”
I snorted, but at his frown, I raised my hands in surrender and then flopped back against the bed. If I was going to listen to this epistle, I might as well be comfortable.
“I saw you in a vision,” Fin continued. “Several centuries ago.”
I rolled my eyes.
“You were the most beautiful female I had ever seen, one I knew was perfect for us. All of us. You would fit with us and be our fifth. You would also be a hybrid.”
“Well yay you?”
Fin levered himself over me, and I met his gaze.
“Fi, I’m not making this up. I’ve waited hundreds of years for you. Maddox has, too. Rogue…Rogue will come around. He’s more cautious, but he’s welcomed you here, and he wants you here.”
I studied him. He really was serious.
“You belong to us,” he continued, and I clamped my teeth together. I didn’t belong to anyone. “When Alfred wakes up…you’ll see. The balance is shaky right now. Without Alfred, Rogue feels like he has to look after us, and he and Maddox both think I’m too impetuous.”
Well, I couldn’t fault that assessment.
He cupped my face, and against my better judgment, I leaned into the contact. “I get that this is a lot. You didn’t ask for any of this.”
No, I really hadn’t.
“But we can make you happy.” Then he nuzzled a kiss to the corner of my mouth before laving his tongue against the cut on my lower lip left by Rogue’s teeth. It was a soothing gesture, healing the bite. Too sweet. I swallowed. “You don’t have to trust us yet, even if you kind of are. You don’t have to believe everything, though I wish you would…”
Fuck. Me. “Then what are you asking me for?” Dammit. Pretty boys were like my kryptonite. Especially when they were sweet and wore their hearts on their sleeves.
“Time,” he whispered, and then he kissed his way down to my chest, not hesitating or pausing near my throat. When he nudged the robe wider and the camisole up, I sighed. The heat of his mouth on one nipple fanned the flames of languid heat. “Can you give us time?”
When he sank his teeth into my breast, I closed my eyes and arched. The first hot pull had my brand new panties soaking, and I cried out when he slid his hand beneath the band.
Time, Fi. Just give us time.
Dammit.
I couldn’t see him, but his mental smile burst through me, and then he thrust two fingers inside as he began to rub the heel of his hand to my clit. The draining, the finger-fucking, and the smile—a devastating combo.