Deviants Read online

  My hands went everywhere, feeling the muscles in his arms, firm and solid as he effortlessly held me up, thrusting with no mercy. I let my fingertips travel over every inch of his beautifully inked skin that I could reach before threading my fingers through his dark hair, making him more than just a memory.

  “Harder,” I moaned, trying to bring him closer.

  He pulled out but didn’t let me go. I groaned at the loss of him.

  Without turning off the water, he stepped out of the shower and carried me dripping wet to the bed, dropping me right in the middle.

  He positioned himself between my legs and stared down at me. His dark, unreadable gaze made my breath hitch in my chest.

  I focused on a bead of water running down his chest. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to handle him looking right through me. He could see beyond my veil to the woman I’d just started to accept. He’d known who I was long before I did.

  “Look at me.” His voice compelled me to obey. In the time it took my eyes to find his, he had my legs hooked over his forearms, slamming back into me with no warning.

  Air dispersed from my lungs on a scream, my hands immediately going to his shoulders where my nails burrowed into skin.

  He snatched them off, pinning them down on either side of my head as he pounded into me.

  “Let me go!” I meant for it to sound assertive and strong but it came out as a breathy moan.

  “No.” He flashed me a wicked grin. I opened my mouth to respond and he lurched down, shoving his tongue inside to intertwine with mine, grinding against me.

  I curled my fingers into fists, the nails digging in so deep they started piercing the skin. When he moved his mouth to my neck and bit, my pussy clenched around his dick.

  Oh my god. I lifted my hips to take him deeper and wrapped my legs around his ass. He didn’t let me go, not once, and every time I shut my eyes or attempted to look away, he thrust hard enough to make me bleed and his grip on my wrists got a little tighter.

  His expression stayed the same.

  His breathing slightly changing was the only thing that confirmed he was affected by what we were doing. I felt exposed, like every part of me was on display.

  He knew exactly what he was doing. He knew where to bite, where to bruise, and the perfect spot to hit inside me so I would come apart around him. He continually brought me right to the edge and then eased off, letting the feeling slip away.

  He used our bodies as a gateway to re-establish our physical connection. I felt pleasurable pressure mounting inside me, starting right at my core.

  “Rome.” I moaned his name for the hundredth time.

  “Beg,” he bit out, drilling into me and hitting my G-spot.

  “Please,” I whimpered as my legs numbly slipped from around him and fell limply to the side.

  “That’s not good enough. Beg me to let you come, Cali. Tell me how badly you want to nut all over my dick.”

  Triggering a mental response, desperate words poured from my mouth.

  “I want it so fucking badly, please let me come, I’m begging you…Rome.”

  He grinned down at me deviously, snaked a hand between us, and began rolling my clit, picking up his pace, fucking me so hard I thought the bed would break.

  “Come for me, baby,” he demanded in a low voice. The sentence hadn’t even fully fallen from his lips before my body was arching into his and I came screaming his name, heat searing through my limbs. He continued rocking inside me, finding his own release as I trembled beneath him.

  My shallow breaths and running water were the only sounds in the room. My heartbeat echoed in my ears.

  He pulled out and rolled onto his back, taking me with him. With my head on his damp chest his arms caged me in an almost suffocating embrace. He didn’t have to say a word.

  I knew some part of him needed this just as much as I did. He placed a kiss to the top of my wet head.

  “What did you mean when you said you bought us more time?” I found myself asking after an elongated silence persisted.

  His fingers ran up down my arm, leaving goose-bumps in their wake.

  “Someone told David I had you. He thought I was going to hand you over. I had to make him believe it was true. And in the lobby, I needed to make it look like I was bringing you in against your will. If someone runs to tell him I’ve got you back, it helps me narrow down my rat. I know the names of every acolyte here. After tomorrow though, it won’t matter. He’ll know you’re mine.”

  “What happens tomorrow?” I smothered a yawn and curled further into his warmth.

  “Everything changes,” he answered quietly.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  He was gone when I woke up.

  I lay there for a minute, letting the events of the past two weeks and everything leading up to them flicker through my mind.

  Beneath me, the comforter was still damp, and the setting sun cast a warm, hazy glow inside the suite.

  I felt more rested than I had since everything went to shit, apart from the lingering soreness between my legs and the bruises on my wrists.

  I still had that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, the one that made me long to hurt someone.

  Across the room, a table lamp was on. Beside it was a small pile of clothes that hadn’t been there before. Not knowing where Romero was or when he was coming back, I left the comfort of the bed behind for another shower.

  I combed out my hair and lathered on an entire little bottle of peppermint lotion before getting dressed.

  The pants looked like a black pair of skinny jeans but were really some type of stretchy material. They were a perfect fit. Of course, Romero didn’t bring me any goddamn underwear or a bra, so fortunately, the tank top was the same material and snuggly hugged the girls.

  After pulling on a pair of socks, I wandered into the room with a much clearer mind to find I’d been locked in.

  It wasn’t until I looked down that I saw why Romero didn’t use a keycard to get in. The lock had been flipped around.

  “Asshole.” I smacked the door and walked to the window.

  I stood there for a good ten minutes trying to decide what to do next, thinking over what Romero had told me. Who the hell would tell David he had me, and why? And why would he want me back?

  I was cast out and left to die. It had been four years ago, but it all felt fresh. I remembered the stolen innocence and the things they did to me, all for the benefit of getting their dicks wet or pussies eaten. I would never forget that it was my father who made me drop to my knees or spread my legs on command, always taking his turn last.

  I wondered what little girl had replaced me and how many of the others were impregnated by an uncle, cousin, or sibling.

  The Order needed to be annihilated.

  I couldn’t change my past, but their blood staining my hands would still make me feel better. I wanted to do it nice and slow, draw it out and prolong their suffering as they did to me. I wanted them on their knees, begging for mercy as death lingered in the shadows ready to drag them purgatory.

  Hell was too much of a paradise for these kinds of people.

  We’d already taken out two of the Bishops, so that left six—David included—and when they fell, their delegates would follow.

  “Pixie.”

  At the sound of his voice, I spun around. He stepped in, holding a pair of boots and a metal thermos, shutting the door with his shoulder.

  His hair was back in its perfect combed-back style. He was wearing a navy T-shirt that hugged him in the best way possible, and dark jeans.

  He perused me from head to toe. “You look good.”

  I scoffed in the back of my throat. “Flattery will get you nowhere with me.”

  “Cali, I just had my dick buried in you for over an hour. I don’t need flattery to get anything from you.”

  I scrubbed a hand over my face and a heavy sigh released from my lungs. “Is that all you want from me? Because we did make a deal, and you have yet
to hold up your side of it.”

  He sat the boots and thermos down on a chair and came to stand in front of me. His palm cupped the back of my head, and he brought his mouth to mine.

  The kiss was rough and possessive, telling me I belonged to him regardless of whether I consented or not.

  He pulled away but kept his hand on the back of my head. “I could give you words of bullshit reassurance, but words fade away and are often empty. You’re just going have to sit down and enjoy the ride. Eventually, you’ll see what I want you to.

  “And I always uphold my end of a deal. David will be handled. How many times do I have to tell you that?”

  “You’ll have to explain how exactly, because did you or did you not leave me behind on a bridge to potentially die? And isn’t David still alive after you were right in front of him?” I braced my palms on his chest and glared up at him.

  “If I fucking wanted you dead, I wouldn’t set up a big elaborate show for it, I wouldn’t be doing everything I can to make sure your future is secure, and I damn sure wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

  His words were coated in truth. I believed him when he said he didn’t want me dead.

  “But you hugged him. I saw you. You walked away without looking back once…For steak dinner—your words, not mine.”

  “That was fucking sarcasm. Yes, I left you. I fucking walked away from you, but I would go to the ends of this earth to ensure you stayed by my side. You’re not asking the right questions. I don’t do shit on a whim, and I don’t do shit for no reason.” He grabbed my hands and pulled me closer, letting go to link his arms above my ass. “I’m the only motherfucker on this planet that would never abandon you.”

  Something twisted inside me. I softly swallowed and looked up at him, unable to decipher what he was feeling. I heard his words, but I didn’t trust them.

  In the end, he did find me, and he did take me with him, but the damage had already been done.

  His onyx hues roamed over my face, and then he stepped away, walking over to the chair. “We’re on a timetable and I need you to be relaxed for the conversation we need to have. So shut the fuck up, stop thinking, and put these on.”

  He thrust the boots at me.

  “Has anyone ever told you you're an asshole?” I snapped, taking the shoes and walking to the bed to put them on.

  “It’s known to be one of my finer qualities.”

  “And cocky.”

  “I have a big dick, I look good, and I have power. I’m not cocky, baby. I’m the devil, and you love it.”

  I tried to suppress the laughter in my chest, failing miserably. “I can’t deal with you. You’re fucking impossible.”

  As soon as I had both knee-length boots on, the thermos was practically shoved in my face.

  “Drink this. It will fill you up for a minute, and it has protein and shit in it.”

  I took it without question, biting down on my inner cheek to hold back a smile.

  His mouth had no filter.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  All I felt like doing was burying myself between her thighs. I wanted her to scream my name until she lost her voice and could no longer feel her legs.

  But I had the rest of her life for that. Right now, just being beside her was enough for me. It was soothing, almost.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked without looking over.

  She didn’t bother to, either, lost in the world inside her head, a world I loved to manipulate.

  “That I really have no fucking clue about your past, and you know all about mine,” she responded somberly after taking a drink. I bit back a laugh.

  “That’s not exactly true.” I didn’t elaborate on my answer; didn’t need to. She knew more about me than almost any woman ever had. I only knew her better than she knew herself because she was so lost when I first found her. She wasn’t now, though.

  My beautiful girl no longer wanted to fight her demons, she wanted to embrace them. Tito had all but told me that, but I didn’t believe him.

  She’d struggled with it before, warring with herself about who she was. I knew there would still be ups and downs to come.

  Cali was, if nothing else, vexing and an unstable pain in the ass, but I was prepared to deal with it.

  I bypassed the elevators and led her down the stairs. She didn’t question why, she just accepted it. On some subconscious level, I knew I had her trust. I also knew she wouldn’t outright admit it, not when she herself wasn’t aware.

  Sometimes I wanted to warn her away, tell her to run as far from me as she could. A good man would have. Lucky for me, I wasn’t classified as one of those and had no fucking desire to be.

  It was too late now anyway. Inside these walls we were in a fragile bubble; outside, anarchy was already reigning in the streets. We’d be in the fray soon enough. We were already half-way through the day and I had so much fucking shit left to do, too many moves left to make.

  I had to give her some of my time, though. I’d just gotten her back, and in her condition the last thing I needed was her questioning my loyalty to her.

  Had she been any other woman, I’d have snapped her neck or slit her throat to spare myself this emotional ping-pong bullshit.

  “How did you know that guy?” Her soft voice pulled me back to the present.

  I instantly knew who the ‘guy’ was she was asking me about. “I grew up with him. He was brought to my camp when I was twelve. He’s a skinner. Skin-farming is his livelihood. He make goods from human flesh; leather exclusives…belts, wallets.”

  “Did you just say it’s his livelihood?”

  “His and a good amount of others. The mayor makes it worthwhile.” From the corner of my eye, I saw her brows furrow.

  “The mayor of The Kingdom—Centriole—pays people in the Badlands for human skin?”

  “Not people. Luther. And he isn’t as powerful as he makes himself out to be.” I knew my answer only added to her never-ending list of questions.

  She was struggling to rein everything in, trying to process it all. I could’ve helped her, but damn if I didn’t love watching the gears turn in her pretty little head. Cali did stupid shit but she was truly fucking brilliant.

  It was only a matter of time before all the things she’d been naively ignoring gave her some answers to what she wanted to know. Only some, though. It was the unanswered questions that were better for her to wonder about and draw her own conclusions.

  She finally glanced at me and took her time, openly staring at me and using the metal hand rail to guide her along. I would never get tired of that. She looked at me and saw the beast beneath the surface, and she’d never run.

  If she did, I’d chase her. It wouldn’t matter how fast she ran, I was faster.

  Men like me didn’t get women like her, the kind of women who embraced our every flaw, let us freely sin, and never tried to change us.

  The last time I was given anything that held significant value was on my tenth birthday. My mother gave me the tactical knife I always carried with me. Exactly a week later, I used that very knife to sever her lifeline.

  I believed this was a twist of fate. The God of Death herself made sure I would have a queen to my king. An angel that was exiled and stripped of her wings before she ever got the chance to fly. That had to be why I just so happened to be in the woods the day Cali dramatically rolled down that fucking hill. She never did anything half-assed.

  All the men in her life had failed to protect her. They never realized they had something as rare as gold in the palms of their hands. Instead, they shoved her in a bottomless sinkhole to wither away. Now, I got to watch her rise from the ashes like a goddamn phoenix.

  She was a dark rose finally learning how to wield the wicked thorns she’d been forced to grow.

  She was everything, and she was fucking mine. I didn’t need a deal to do what was right for once. I was going to tear apart every motherfucker that hurt her.

  Her shameful truths became my veng
eance. Destroying The Order would never be her burden to carry alone.

  I wouldn’t lose sleep over the things I planned to do. I knew the truth about myself. I chose to be who I was without any regrets. I was worse than fabled demons, the sickest kind of monster. I wasn’t ashamed to admit it. Soon enough, she’d learn that I was more fucked up than even she could imagine.

  And she was perfect for me in every sense of the word. Her dark soul was always meant to be mine. It was something to possess and to cherish. A newfound madness.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  He held a solid steel door open for me, and I stepped through.

  I wanted to go back into the room and just sit down so I could think for a minute. Every time I thought my head was clear, Romero muddled it up again. Sometimes, I thought he did it on purpose. One second, I felt like I knew him just as well as he knew me. The next I realized how much I still didn’t know at all.

  “Where are we going?” I finally asked, needing to break the silence that had settled between us and focus on something other than the chaos growing louder in my head.

  “Right here.” He gestured to a door on our immediate right.

  We were on the first floor of the hotel, in a long empty hall. I gave him a wary look. “What’s in there?”

  He took the thermos from me and sat it on the floor. “You can go in and find out,” he taunted.

  Rolling my eyes, I pushed past him and walked through the swinging door, right into a large laundry room.

  My gaze immediately went to the bitch responsible for knocking my tooth out. She was in perfect health, aside from her arms being secured around a thick pipe running from the floor to the ceiling. There was a metal lip refractor wedged in her mouth.

  A jolt of excitement ran down my spine.

  “Aw, Rome.” I looked over my shoulder and gave him a genuine soft smile. The smirk I adored appeared in response.

  “I figured this would help you relax.”

  I didn’t need a lengthy explanation. I knew why she was here.