Page 21 of Carnal Heart
I moan, but the sound is muffled behind the tape.
“I own you now, Praeda. You’re my sweet doll to do whatever I please with.”
Yes.I nod my head frantically, moaning my agreement behind the tape.I’m yours.
And I mean it. When I’m around Devyn Shio, he makes me feel both filthy and sexy simultaneously. Things between us got so heated, so quickly. They feel primal, animalistic, almost feral. It’s as if he can’t control himself around me, as much as I can’t seem to control myself around him.
Before I know it, he’s stroking me viciously, my oiled-up cock now sliding deliciously in his hand. With a muffled whimper, I come all over myself as Demon milks me. My hole tightensaround him, milking him in return, until he’s coming with a shout and spilling inside of me.
Standing, he turns off the holo pad and cleans me up. Devyn rips off his mask and unbuckles me from the table. He scoops me up and gathers me into his arms. Over the next thirty minutes, he gives me water and takes care of me, gently cleaning me and massaging my legs, my arms, and my shoulders, all the while whispering that I’m his. It’s a stark contrast to the man who just fucked me like the demon he claims to be.
I bite the inside of my cheek hard enough to bleed. Of all the things this man has said to me tonight with his taunting tone and sparky quips. I never expected to hear tenderness.
A tear slips down my cheek. Devyn doesn’t hesitate to catch it.
Several minutes later, we’re dressed and sitting on top of the lab table. “I have something for you,” I say suddenly. Trusting myself—and knowing I have this information backed up—I tell him everything. I tell Devyn about Remy and the phone call. I tell him about his dad’s involvement, and then I pull up the proof to show him. There’s the video of me listening in on the call, the files I found after hearing their plans for sex trafficking and embezzlement, and how Marco Lombardi and Conor Shio are stealing from the other founding families.
When I look up at Devyn, I expect to see hatred. But instead, I see… hope?
“Fuck, this is perfect, little fire. It might take a while to investigate, but this is a good fucking start. You might have single-handedly just saved my sister and my mother.”
Chapter ten
Devyn
(Several hours later…)
Using my multi-slate, I sit in bed and flip through all the documents Zaiah emailed. “Remy is a fucking idiot.” Almost all the attachments from Zaiah were pictures of easily accessible handwritten notes—that anyone could have found at his apartment—or printed documents and receipts. “Why didn’t you go to the police with this information?”
Although some photos Zaiah took were blurry because of his haste, the video recording of Marco Lombardi, Remy, and my father’s phone call was enough to justify a full investigation.
We’re in my bedroom at Castle Black, and Zaiah is standing by the window watching the sun rise over the forest. The morning sunlight illuminates his fiery red hair, accentuating his beauty.
“Your father is a Shio. One of the leaders of this planet,” he says, joining me on the bed. “I couldn’t be sure which of the police, if any, were in his pocket. I needed to bring theinformation to one of the Black Harts whose family was getting screwed over.”
“That makes sense. We need to be smart and form a plan.”
“We?” He arches a brow and stretches out on the comforter. “Is it crazy that I already love the sound of that word when it comes to us? Light. It’s crazy.”
“We,” I agree, easily enough. I don’t give a shit if it’s crazy. It is what it is. And Zaiah is mine.
“From everything I’ve seen, I’m assuming your father is the only person from the founding families who’s involved. But I can’t be sure.”
“I agree. We need to be careful just in case. Let’s set up a meeting with my fellow Black Harts. I trust all of them, and they would have a better guess at which family members to trust. From there, we can form a better plan on how to approach the situation.”
“I have something else to confess,” Zaiah says nervously. “Remy recently started in with the threats. Leaving me messages and telling me I needed to come crawling back to him. I’m pretty sure he knew what I discovered. Lana thought one of the Black Harts would pay good money for this info. I needed an escape. I wanted to leave this planet and start fresh.”
In a move he doesn’t see coming, I flip him over onto his back.
“Wanted? As in past tense?”
“Now—” he hesitates, looking hopeful and a little lost. “Now, I’m not so sure.”
A warm feeling blossoms in my chest and this infatuation—or addiction, or whatever it is—between Zaiah and me intensifies. Two years ago, obsession took root in my heart, and I know it won’t ever let go. My hand grips his throat, a move that clearly drives my little fire wild. “I wasn’t joking when I said you were mine, Zaiah. You are.”
He shudders against me. Looks like my pretty doll likes my words.
I trace the outline of his lips. “I don’t give a fuck if you leave this planet. But if you leave, I will follow. If you stay, then I will protect you.” My fingers trail down his neck, his shoulder, his side. “You will never see that abusive asshole ever again.”
