“No. But it’ll fuck the pain out of us long enough to survive the next hit.”
He curls his fingers and finds my G-spot like he mapped it out in blood.
“Fuck, I canfeelmy cum still inside you,” he hisses, almost reverent. “If Wyck ever fucks you again, he’ll feel me first. He’ll feel meowningyou.”
The possessiveness in his voice breaks me open. I tighten around his fingers, trembling, gasping his name.
“Karter!” I clamp down, riding out my orgasm until I’ve soaked his hand, my body shivering from the aftershock.
He withdraws, slow and smug, and slides his drenched fingers between his lips. Licking. Sucking. Moaning.
“Damn,” he breathes. “My little Brat tastes better than sin.”
His eyes find mine, burning blue, dangerous. “You want a taste?”
I don’t answer. I shove his hand aside, grab his face, and crash my mouth to his. I lick myself off his tongue, kissing him like I want to ruin him.
When I pull back, I lick his lips, claiming them.
“You were right,” I say, sitting back with a smug grin. “Idotaste sweet.”
His eyes are on fire. “Fuck, you’re starting to live up to your dirty girl title.” He taps a few buttons, switching off autopilot. “We’ll be home soon.”
Home. That word feels… loaded.
I close my eyes and let the darkness take over. Whatever’s waiting for us back there, secrets, blood, battles, I’ll face it.
As long as I’m not doing it alone.
Chapter Four
Karter
The car glides at a crawl, silent except for the soft snore slipping past Athens’s lips. She's curled up beside me, finally resting. Peaceful. Trusting.
Now’s the time.
I snatch my phone from the dash, thumb hovering over Wyck’s name.
He answers before it rings once. “What is it?” Sharp. Alert.
“I finally got answers,” I mutter, keeping my eyes on the road. “She called me over tonight, said it was an emergency. ” I wave that part off. It’s what came next that matters.
“Josie… isn’t her aunt. She’s her mother. The people who raised her? Not her real parents. And Gaia? Her ‘best friend’ is actually her sister. They’ve been lying to her since the day she was born. That’s why she’s been spiraling.”
I hear his sharp inhale. That tension I know all too well. “While I was there, I overheard Josie and Gaia fighting. Something about journals. Said they were important to Athens. So… I found the box. Took it before we left.”
The line goes quiet. Except for the gentle, trusting sound of Athens breathing in my passenger seat. I grip the wheel tighter.
Finally, Wyck speaks. Voice cold. Controlled. “Yeah. When you sent her location, I showed up. She wouldn’t talk. Just clung to me. Begged to be held. No wonder. She’s walking around with a fucking identity she doesn’t even recognize.”
Beat.
“Where are you now?”
“On our way home.”
Another pause. Then he asks the one question I figured he’d get to. “Did you fuck her?”
