Page 54 of Lucky 14

For a second, I’m opening my mouth, but no air is coming in. Then I fight, launching my body to the right. Kyan is heavy and just slides over with me, hooking his arm over my left one.

“Don’t fight me, Oakley. You know I’ll give you a good time.”

“Fuck off.” I fight him with everything I have, trying to yank my arm back. He only shifts on my upper back, twisting my arm so he has it in a shoulder lock, shooting pain straight up my back.

“What’s the matter? Mad your pretty little face got messed up?” Kyan’s voice is hot in my ear, and it’s croony again, melting with suggestive rumbles. Instinctively, my body melts into that tone. It wraps me up in a sense of firm adoration.

What the hell? What is actually wrong with me? I keep fighting, but all that earns me is pain in my shoulder.

“Shhh, I’m not trying to hurt you.”

“Then get off me!” Ash gets in my mouth, and I cough.

“Well, that’s no fun.” There’s a pout in his voice. He doesn’t move. I’m left heaving for breath against his weight, centered right over my back.

“It’s past ten,” Kyan says.

“What?” I spit the bitter taste out of my mouth. Slowly, it comes back to me. I overheard hunters in the villa say that ten is the latest time hunters are allowed out. A rule I was planning on ignoring. “What do you care?”

“What were you planning on doing?”

I hear him pulling in a deep breath. Then another. He’s…sniffing. Something tickles my ear.

“Get the fuck off!” I shake, realizing Kyan’s sniffing my neck, but he only rumbles a deep, excited laugh.

“There are punishments for breaking the rules.” His tone is promising and smooth, almost…comforting.

Which should be impossible, given he’s pinning me to the ground in the middle of the night. Goosebumps prick along my arms, and a shiver runs down my back.

No. I’m here to fix my wrongs. I can’t do that from here. It’s a mistake that Holland is here, but I can still try everything to make it better.

“Is the other person at least dead?” Kyan sounds amused.

The other person? Holland? For a second, I’m confused, then I realize he’s talking about my black eye.

“You want me to make them that way for you?”

“No.” The word comes out almost like a growl, shocking me.

Kyan stills.

I freeze. Fuck. I don’t want him to be thinking about Holland. She won’t be safe. Attention isn’t safe here.

“I’ll pay whatever fine for being late. I didn’t realize the time.” I struggle under him. “Now let me up.”

Kyan doesn’t. For a heart-racing minute, I think he’s going to call me on my bullshit. To call out the real reason I’m out here.

By some miracle, he laughs. “Okay, kinky.” Then, he gets off me. “Come on. Let’s get inside before anyone sees.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Day 3

Oakley is hiding something.

I climb off him, reluctantly, my skin no longer touching his. I anticipate the drop back into numbness, bracing myself for the comforting warmth of feeling nothing. The carefully crafted cocoon of safety.

Only, it doesn’t come.