Page 21 of Princes of Carnage

“Fuck you.”

“Sorry.” I chuckle, tracing my tongue lightly over my teeth. “Not until the wedding night. I’m old-fashioned like that.”

Her jaw tightens. “You try touching me on our wedding night, and my knee is going right back to your balls. And this time, I won’t miss.”

Instead of daring her to try it, I hold my hand out for her to shake.

She sighs and moves to take my hand, her smaller palm resting against mine. But instead of just shaking to seal our agreement, I use the grip to yank her close and press my lips to hers.

I’m not quite sure why I do it, except maybe to prove a point. To prove to her that this is fucking real, no matter how much she hates it.

She stiffens, her body tense against mine and her lips like a block of ice. Then something seems to break, and in a split second, the kiss shifts from cold ice to pure fire. Her mouth softens, moving against mine, and I press into it, drawn in by the feeling. She makes a noise against my lips, something between a whimper and a moan, and my cock twitches at the sound. I kiss her harder, tempted to coax her mouth open and explore it with my tongue. To find out what she tastes like.

Then Quinn bites down on my lower lip.

Hard.

Hard enough to draw blood.

I grunt in pain, and she rips herself away from me, breathing raggedly. Her own lips are stained with the red of my blood, and her eyes blaze with that same fire I was admiring earlier as she smirks at me.

“That was a preview of what our wedding night will be like, husband,” she says, her voice husky. “So I hope you’re ready.”

I lick my lips, tasting the coppery tang there. I’m breathing just as hard as she is, and despite the pain from the bite, my cock is still half-hard in my pants. I smile back at her, wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. “Oh, I’m more than ready, wife.”

Her jaw clenches with some reaction to that. Her pupils have expanded, darkening her gray eyes, and she uses one thumb to wipe my blood away from the corner of her lip before licking it off. She eyes me for a moment in silence and then nods, turning to walk away and rejoin the others.

I watch her go, staring after where she disappeared around the corner.

A low chuckle escapes my lips as I readjust my pants and then follow her, walking back out to join everyone else.

I’ve gotta do what I’ve gotta do for my gang—that’s always what matters here. Keeping my people safe, making sure no one can fuck with us. Getting close to the leader of Enigma is a strategic decision before it’s anything else… but it isn’t a total hardship either.

Quinn Kent is pure fire, bright and intense.

And I’m looking forward to seeing how hot she burns.

8

QUINN

I walk back to the group, and a few seconds later, Nico comes up behind me, joining us too. I can feel my men staring at me hard, probably wondering what we were talking about and if everything’s alright.

It’s hard to reassure them with my body language. I know I’m tense, the lines of my muscles bunched tight from everything that went down in that ally.

Why the hell did he have to kiss me?

And why the actual fuck did I kiss him back?

I wasn’t expecting the flash of heat between us, or the way my body responded to the hungry pressure of his lips. I wasn’t expecting to feel anything at all, and the fact that I felt so much has me reeling a little. At least I left him with a reminder of who he’s dealing with. Since the bruise I gave him is already healing, I take some satisfaction in the knowledge that I drew blood this time.

Nico strides back to stand with his people, nodding coolly to Killian and Atlas as if he doesn’t have a care in the world. His relaxed demeanor makes my jaw tighten even more, and I force myself to drag in a breath and let it out slowly.

We’re supposed to be presenting a united front, after all. That’s the whole fucking point of this.

“It’s decided,” I say, speaking up before Nico can. I don’t like this arrangement one fucking bit, but I’d rather be the one to say it. It gives me the upper hand in a small way, allowing me to announce the alliance on my terms. “We’ve come to an agreement that will benefit both of our organizations. Carnage and Enigma will be joining forces as a means of protection against outside threats, putting the past behind us and allying together. From this moment on, that means no Enigma member will attack a Carnage member, and vice versa. As long as we all uphold the terms of this arrangement, we’ll all emerge stronger.”

I can feel the silent reactions from my men as they process the news—particularly Emmett, who’s standing right behind me. But it’s a testament to their faith in me as their leader that none of them voice any opposition to this plan, despite the fact that I’m sure most of them hate it as much as I do. They must recognize just like I did that sometimes unpleasant decisions have to be made for the greater good of the gang.

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