Page 55 of Claimed
And it’s not Onyx.
Chapter 19
Onyx
Dressed once more in my body suit, I almost feel like myself. But there is a weight in my chest now. A strangeness that I don’t understand.
It could be the nightmares. Or waking up to an unfamiliar unlit room with the scent of spice still filling my nose.
But I know what it is.
At every damn turn, Caine is taking my beliefs, my surety that demons are evil, and shattering it into a million pieces.
Every fucking boundary I had in place, every wall … He’s knocking them down and the foundation of my life is shaken.
He was tender earlier, holding me and stroking my hair. God, the feel of his hands on my bare skin was like heaven. And the way his eyes roamed over me in a lazy, heated glide ... His arrogance was sexy. He knew I would let him take me again.
For real this time. Not some metaphysical mind-blowing seduction. But the real thing. His body filling mine in every delicious way I know he can.
Instead, he climbed to his feet and shut down every ounce of heat in my veins with the distant timbre of his voice.
I grip the bathroom counter and toss my hair over my shoulder as I glare at my reflection. “Stop being a coward, Onyx,” I hiss at myself. “You’re grown. Last night was a feeding for him. Nothing more. Let it fucking go.”
My eyes roam my face and I nod.
Pushing from the bathroom, I prowl out into the main room of the penthouse, my head held high. Like Caine didn’t make me orgasm with only his damn magick.
They all turn as I enter, and I can’t quell the heat that rises into my face when Caine remains turned away.
“Is there coffee?” I ask. My voice is steady. Strong.
Good.
Gage pulls a white mug from the cabinet and fills it without a word. “Cream or—”
“Black,” I say. Like my fucking heart.
I catch Ruin’s eyebrow raise out of my peripheral but don’t look at him. Gage hands over the cup and its heat permeates my palms. The familiar warmth is soothing. “Okay. How is this going to go?”
“Helios will be at a gala in town tonight,” Ruin begins. “I will have men stationed there to make sure he stays like we need him to.” I take a sip of the scalding dark roast. “You will be staged at his residence to retrieve the cases.”
“We want to do a practice run,” Gage adds. “See what cues work, what back-up you will need … if any.”
“I see,” I say as his voice fades. “Then, I will need my things.”
“Can I trust you not to take off as soon as you have them?” Ruin asks, crossing his arms.
My lips spread into an icy smile. “Captain, if I wanted to leave, I could get out any time.”
The tension in the room soars. Every single man in the space shifts their focus to me and I scour them mildly. There is no change in my heartbeat.
“That a fact, Onyx?” Ruin asks, his black eyes glimmering.
“It is,” I say, draining my cup in one easy swallow. Wiping my mouth, I set the cup on the counter. “The real question, Captain, is if you trust me not to?”
For a long minute he watches me. Then his lips quirk and I catch a bare hint of fang. “I think I will enjoy working with you, Onyx.”
I glance past him.
