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Reminded me of what movement felt like when stagnation would see me drown in seconds.
Besides, sometimes…sometimesthere were targets so vile the authorities weren’t enough.
Torture beyond imagining.
Those who targeted families or children…
Bile burned my throat at the shadow of a monster that stirred in the cracks and crevices of my heart, the faintest brush with the reality I’d discovered of the Pence lawyers.
The truth that turned my stomach.
I looked each one in the face before I buried it deep, knowing lingering would do nothing but get in my way, but sometimes they stirred.
Despite what Callum insisted about me, I wasn’t a saviour. My vengeance wasn’t for justice or good, nor were my principles sound—it was why I hadn’t hesitated to buy Thistle, even if I hadn’t expected a scent match of Rogue and Ace Maverick to be someone who might be worth protecting.
At the end of the day, I was a monster just like they were. They prayed on the weak, and in doing so, they’d created me: a creature who couldn’t survive without their blood, and there was enough of that to feed me for a lifetime.
But to get that blood, I had to suffer nights like this one.
Throughout the evening, a few guests approached me and struck up small conversations. Most, I thought, were curious to see Thistle since my temperamental nature was notorious and usually enough to keep parasites far back at events like this—even ones I hosted.
At one point, I spotted a shift in shadows through one of the windows that overlooked the ball from the second floor.
A smile played on my lips as I brushed Thistle’s chin with my thumb, drawing her up to face me as I twisted the chain in my grip so she couldn’t move away.
“Bite me,” I told her.
She frowned, eyes darting around as if trying to see if there was anyone in earshot. I had the distinct impression it was because she considered my rules a lot more ‘bendable’ if no one else could hear her being a brat.
“Don’t test me, Doll,” I murmured. “I’m not above much when it comes to this claim. They can watch as you bite me, or they can watch as I show them how well you take me down that tight little throat of yours.”
For a moment, I thought I saw her consider disobeying me, anyway. Either she thought it was a bluff (which, for once, it was), or she liked the idea of my claim in public more than she’d let on.
And she had no idea that while she leaned up and I felt her lips brush my neck, I met the distant teal-eyed gaze of Rogue, who had paused from the upper level, eyes fixed on us through a window.
He never came to these if I didn’t force him, which I did sometimes, muzzle and all—if only because he hated the spotlight. The way the guests stared at him was satisfying. They gave him a wide berth, uncomfortable with what he represented, and that was despite the fact none of them had discovered where I’d come from.
But today, the reason Rogue was lurking was blatantly clear, and I felt a smile on my lips as Thistle’s teeth finally dug into my flesh.
Shit, her claim felt so good, even if I’d forced it from her, and my fingers dug into her waist, heat spearing my veins.
She made it quick, drawing back, cheeks flushed, eyes darting around. From the corner of my eye, I saw her glance up at me, then follow my gaze, but by the time she turned, the window was empty.
Still, she went stiff in my arms as if she knew what had just happened. She curled back up against me, going all adorably sulky again. So, I slipped my finger into my pocket and turned on the vibrator, making her squeak in shock. Violet galaxies were wide, snapping up to me as her lips parted.
I turned it off with a smirk, happy to tease for now.
She was the only good thing about the night, and by the time it was late enough I could justify leaving, I thought I might be addicted to this: having her on my lap, bound to me for the world to see. These guests might not be my chosen onlookers, but itwas still a hit of endorphins every time I felt eyes on us, sliding from her to me, to the chain that connected us.
They would trace the way my hand curled around her waist, fingers absently stroking her skin, clearly less than indifferent, chain or not.
Myclaim.
As the night went on, I kept catching her peering up at me, though she’d glance away the second my eyes met hers. She seemed increasingly unsure, as if she’d had a picture in her mind of how the night would go, and this wasn’t it.
That thought made me smile as I tucked my hand into my pocket and turned on the vibrator again. Every time I did, her fingers dug in, teeth catching her lip as she tried not to squirm.
Her cheeks would grow hot, and this time I slipped my hand gently into her dress with enough subtlety that no one else would see. I rolled her nipple between my fingers before kneading her breasts.
