Page 89 of Lady Killer

Could I have said no? Maybe that wasn’t the question.

Why didn’t I want to say no?

“I’ll always find you when you shine so bright, my Star.”

He was close.

I pivoted and took off in the opposite direction. One foot in front of the other, sidestepping roots, dancing under branches . . .

WHOOMP.

A solid arm collided with my waist with such force that it stole my breath away, and my feet left the ground as I was pulled against a familiar chest.

“Found you.” Alister’s deep voice was muffled by the mask.

I kicked and struggled furiously, but he simply held me tighter.

“Now, now, you have to play by the rules.”

Pendejo.

“I recall promising you a punishment the last time you tried to fight me, petite diablesse.”

“Orgasm denial, again? How original,” I spat out with an exaggerated sense of rage.

“I’m hurt,” he said, running the plastic snout of the sheep mask along my neck.

My nipples peaked at the perverse sensation of it, and I fought his hold all the harder. “You’re sick.”

“Says the girl playing hide-and-seek with killers.”

I heard rather than saw him slip the mask from his face, and his warm lips replaced the sticky plastic to trace my pulse. When he reached the tender spot where my neck met my shoulder, he bit down hard and sucked. This time, I didn’t hold my cry back.

“Marking your territory, Ali? How primitive.”

I hadn’t even noticed Everest approaching us, but there he was, sheep mask and all.

He did the thing with his head where he tilted it to the side and slowly drank me in. When he came closer, he reached forward to stroke the swollen flesh left by Alister’s assault.

“I told you, darling, I don’t chase, I hunt. And I always catch my prey.”

“Mine,” Alister growled, his hold on me growing tighter, pushing the air from my lungs.

“Ours,” Ever said as he kissed my jaw softly.

“No one’s,” I argued without my usual fervor.

He chuckled. “For a smart girl, you sure have some silly ideas, Starbright. Alister wants to punish you . . . maybe he has the right idea. Maybe that’s what you want, for us to fuck you hard in these woods.”

My heart stuttered.

“You would like that, wouldn’t you? Pushed to your knees on the cold, hard dirt, while we fuck you like the monsters you to pretend to believe we are.”

“I don’t have to pretend anything. You’re—‍”

“What? Murderers? Killers? Psychopaths? Bit of the pot calling the kettle black, darling, don’t you think?”

“It’s different,” I protested, but my words sounded weak. At some point, I’d stopped struggling against Alister’s grip and had instead relaxed into him.

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