Page 1 of Fatal Vengeance

1

Prudence

With the first rays of sunshine rousing me from a deep sleep, none of my problems or pain have seeped through my brain yet. I stretch and yawn, only to freeze a second later when I bump against a warm, hard body lying beside me. My eyes snap open as I turn my head just enough to see who the hell is in my bed.

Dirty blonde curls, darker blonde stubble, muscles on muscles. Griffin.

I blink at him and then around the room, which my sleepy mind is only belatedly realizing is not my room back at A.Chi.O.

All at once, everything rushes back to me.

Last night with Griffin… what he did with his lips and tongue.

Running from Blackwood University after Asher saved me from that weird ass murder/sacrifice cave.

Finding out my mom is dead.

My eyes slam closed just as tears burn and threaten to fall, but I will myself to hold on a little longer, keep being strong, keep pushing all that grief back until I actually have a moment to process without The Celestials’ threat hanging over my head.

Griffin stirs a few moments later, tossing his arm over my stomach and pulling me in close to his chest. I’m stiff at first, but when he hums softly, just the barest hint of that raspy voice I’ve fallen in love with skating over me, I melt into his embrace.

“Morning,” he whispers before clearing his throat. I get the sense he’s not used to speaking again after so long without, and I can only imagine how raw his throat must feel every time he chooses to bless me with that sinful voice.

I smile — a little sadly, and a little happily — as I say, “Good morning, indeed. We’re not dead and The Celestials can’t find us here. I’d say it’s the best morning I’ve had for ages.”

He squeezes me impossibly closer to him in response, pressing the sweetest kiss to the side of my neck. We’re silent for a while, just getting used to being with each other like this. Honestly, I didn’t think it would happen. Not after… Well, there’s no use dredging up the past. Griffin made a mistake — a fucking huge, gutting one — but I believe he’s sincere in his apology and he certainly showed me last night just how much he still wants me, how much he’s willing to work for his place at my side.

Except, on the tail of that thought comes another one, and it has me stiffening up in Griffin’s big arms once more. "You and Asher… He hates me enough. He’s going to fucking kill me when he finds out about this. We shouldn’t have— I shouldn’t have come to your door last night." I groan, imagining all the new ways Asher might try to torture me if he learns I’ve been in bed with his… boyfriend? Is that what they are? It doesn’t matter. Even if all it is between them is sex, Asher won’t like me encroaching on his territory.

I move to push out of bed and out of Griffin’s arms, but he holds me tighter, and it’s essentially like a mouse trying to break out of a lion’s paw. Useless. Damn giant with his damn strong hold on me.

“Griffin, please, just let me slink back to Creed’s room with my dignity before Asher comes to ravage you and finds me and literally murders me. I’ve just escaped some crazy murder cult. I don’t need any more threats on my life right now,” I plead, tapping on his bicep like I’m trying to tap out of a fight.

Still, he doesn’t relent. Griffin leans back enough to roll me onto my back, and then pierces me with his arctic eyes and gentle smile. With a shake of his head, he rumbles, “I won’t let Ash touch you. Promise.”

“Nothing has stopped him in the past,” I scoff. Sure, he may have rescued me before our fathers could sacrifice me to the moon or whatever crazy shit they had planned, but that doesn’t mean all is forgiven. Asher is my enemy until he proves himself otherwise. And let’s be real, does he even want to prove such a thing? Seems to me like he enjoyed bullying and harassing me for months.

Griffin’s expression shutters, his smile drooping in the corners. He opens his mouth, clears his throat, but then ends up signing to me. I’m so sorry. I should have stepped in sooner, but I—

“It’s okay,” I murmur soothingly. “Asher is a grown man. What he’s done is on him and him alone. If I blamed you for not stopping him, then I’d have to blame Creed, too, and I think he just might slaughter Asher to make it up to me.” I pause to breathe out a laugh, actually considering setting my storm of a man on Asher. He’d do it, too. But in the end, they’re cousins, and I know it would hurt Creed eventually. “But as fun as that sounds, I think I’ve seen enough violence to last me the rest of my life. So I guess Asher can live for the time being.”

“So kind of you,” Griffin whispers teasingly, nudging my nose with his and eliciting all the tingly feelings throughout my body. He's turned me into putty. I'm weak for this man.

Since he had released me to sign, I’m free to run for the door, but it’s impossible to move when Griffin’s eyes are searching mine. It’s as if there’s been no meaning in his life until this point, but now he’s finding it in my eyes. It’s chilling and exhilarating all at once, to mean so much to someone and have the power to break them in return. Not that I plan on doing that. I wasn’t quite whole when Griffin and I were on the outs. Of course Creed is so much more than enough, and I’ve fallen so completely for him, but… Griffin has a piece of me, too. It’s as complicated and as simple as that.

“Me and Asher—“ he starts, but he’s promptly cut off when the door to his room flies open.

Griffin immediately goes into this admittedly terrifying protective mode, his expression hardening as his cold eyes search for the threat. One second, there’s mere inches between us, and the next, he’s practically shoved me beneath him in case of fucking gunshots or something.

With the giant man nearly suffocating me, I can’t see who’s at the door. I worry it’s Asher, like I’ve spoken the devil into existence. That really would be my luck. Any second, he’s going to rip me away from Griffin and tear me to shreds, just for the fun of it. But when a few seconds pass and I’m still in one piece, I push against Griffin’s chest — which does not do a goddamn thing — and call out, “Um, hello?”

A familiar, sexy laugh fills the room. “There you are, baby. I couldn’t see you under that big oaf,” Creed replies, the sound of shoes on carpet telling me he’s walking closer. “I came to collect my sweet Ember. You’ve had your turn, Griff, but I’m betting my girl misses me by now,” he says with this air of cockiness in his deep voice that really shouldn’t be attractive, and yet somehow is.

Griffin lifts himself up on his elbows and lets me scoot out from beneath him. Thank god, because another few moments under his broad chest and I likely wouldn’t have had enough air to breathe. When I sit up in bed, taking in Creed’s messy black hair and lean body clothed in all black, I swear I nearly melt into a fucking puddle. I literally just had some of the best oral sex of my life last night, but one look at my wild man has me ready to fall into his arms and let him distract me from our messy lives for the next several hours.

“Hi,” I murmur, biting the inside of my cheek to keep my smile in check. I mean, I still let it show, but not full blast. I don’t want to look too eager to see him; can’t give the guy a complex or anything.

Creed licks his lips, his eyes bouncing between Griffin and I. “Did you have a good time?”

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