Page 34 of Sweet Violence
"I'm not—good at it. But if you need to talk, Iwilltry to listen. And then I’ll hunt down anyone who hurt you and make them wish they'd never been born."
Joseph leaned across the few centimetres between us and kissed me softly. "You're sweet, my sweet."
I snorted.
"It sounded better in my head," he muttered, but his dark face split into a smile and his eyes were bright and shining again, not dark with hesitance. It was good to have my mate back.
I caught his lips in another kiss, chaste and lingering, thrilled to feel both flesh and bone. "You're cute."
He frowned. "Even when I hunt people and relish the taste of their souls?"
"Yup, even then."
I snuggled into him, ducking my head, and laid my hand over X's where it lay on my waist. "Don't youdareremind me I said this in the morning, but I'm glad to have you back. I missed you snuggly bastards."
"Missed you too, little morsel," X replied with so much emotion it made my eyes sting. "It was hell without you."
"Tell me when you need to feed, yeah?" I murmured, sleep wrapping its arms around me. I was warm, held close to my mates, and talking about my demons3made them feel very far away.
"I will, Av. I promise. Sleep."
"Way ahead of you," I mumbled, nuzzling Joseph's chest and dropping deeper.
"We'll kill him, sweetness," my reaper whispered. "I promise."
I fell asleep with that sentiment settling deep in my bones. It was as close to safe as I'd ever felt.
11
Iexpected my clingy mates to wake me up1but instead the scent of vanilla and chocolate drifted up to me, along with the perfect, bitter edge of coffee.
I rolled out of bed with a groan—and winced at the discomfort in my pussy. Oh yeah, Taj fucked me like a man possessed. Fucker probably bruised my vagina.
I pointedly didnotthink about the sex before the brutal fucking. That … freaked me out. The way he clung to me, gasping broken cries, fucking me like hecaredabout me was dangerous. I was almost glad for the vagina bruises.
Well, almost.2
I swore viciously as I crossed my room to the bathroom, glaring at the bright sunlight coming through the frosted balcony windows and lighting the beautiful lilac and pink room.
When my bladder was considerably lighter, I splashed water on my face and—blinked at myself. I wasn't sure why I expected myself to look gaunt, shadows dark under my eyes and my lips cracked. But I looked healthy and alive. Better—I lookedgood.
There was no sign of the days I spent caged in a cavern surrounded by orgies, not to mention the nightmarish trek there and back.ButI swore there was still a layer of grit in my hair, and I washed ittwice.
I showered quickly, dried myself with a heavenly grey towel that had no right to feel so good in hell,3and browsed the wardrobe. Dev was damn good, I'd give him that. He'd clearly been stalking me for a while, because everything hanging on the rails and neatly folded in the drawers fit my style.
I grabbed a distressed Blackpink shirt, leggings with two rows of studs down the sides, and a pair of black fluffy socks with lilac skulls on them. I had no plans to leave the fortress today, so why be anything but comfy?
Clean and weirdly happy, I headed downstairs.
"Hey, the gang's all here," I said, smirking as I stepped off the final stair onto the middle floor ofmy suite, and surveyed my fancy-ass kitchen. The counters were all white and shiny to match the cupboards, and the new appliances gleamed like all the plastic hadjustbeen peeled off.
Standing in front of my oven, sleek black cotton still tightly hugging his stomach and pink flannel on his bottom half, was Joseph. I approached the island where the others sat—X scrolling through something on his phone, Arkan reading a newspaper and looking every inch the mafia boss, and Taj scowling like he'd rather be anywhere else—and peered into the frying pan.
"What am I looking at?" Other than brown lumps. I was looking at brown lumps.
"Triple chocolate pancakes filled with berry compote," Joseph answered proudly. "And there's whipped cream, extra berries, and three different kinds of syrup for you, sweetness."
I sighed, giving him my best smile. "This is why you're my favourite."
