Page 40 of They Will Burn

Instead of feeling satisfied the way I did the first time he took me, and even when Kovu fucked me in the shower this morning, I’m left feeling cold and dejected.

Gentle fingers unclasp the belt, and as soon as he releases it, I step away from him, desperate to put some distance between us.

Hot tears fill my eyes, and I swipe at them, determined to not allow him to see me break in front of him. There are so many feelings running rampant through my body that I have no idea whether to laugh or cry or punch him in the face for how he just treated me. I can’t tell if I liked it or hated it, whether I should be turned on or furious. The conflicting emotions only make the tears fall harder until there’s no point in even trying to stop them from falling.

“Camilla?” Bishop’s rough voice comes from right behind me, and I pause, my breath stuttering in my chest.

“I want to go home.” I force the words out, but not even I miss the way they shake as they leave my mouth.

“Okay, we’ll head back to the compound now.”

“No.” I turn on him, my resolve settled and my stomach in knots. His brilliant green eyes catch mine, but some of the feral rage from before has fallen away. “I want to go back to the De Marco mansion. That’s my home.”

He closes the distance between us in two long strides, and before I can think to move away from him, his arms lock around my waist, tugging me against his hard body. At some point he tucked himself back into his pants, but I’ve been too conflicted to even think to cover myself or wipe the evidence of his release from my ass.

“Your home is with us, Camilla,” he growls, his tone leaving no room for argument despite how badly I want to do exactly that. He wraps his fingers around my chin and forces my face up to meet his gaze. “Never try to run from us, love. Because the punishment will be much worse than the one you just received.”

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CREW

Ihave a million things I should be doing, not the least of which is damage control with the five families. What we did today, the things we put into motion, could blow up in our faces really fucking quickly.

And yet I find myself sitting in Camilla’s room, waiting for Bishop to bring her back.

I have little doubt that our little menace is getting herself her first punishment, but there’s a part of me that only seems to exist for her, that wants nothing more than to make sure she’s okay.

Kovu sits in the corner, his eyes cast down on his phone, as he works through the fight schedules for the fight night we’re hosting in a few weeks.

The fight club runs small fights most nights of the week and even some bigger events on the weekends, but a few times a year we host the big ones. The ones with UFC fighters who just want to blow off some steam without all the rules and regulations, the mafia bosses from other cities that need to let out their frustrations, and the up-and-coming fighters who want nothing more than to prove themselves.

But those are also the nights that a lot more can go wrong, and so Kovu spends months putting them together to ensure every contingency is made.

“Where’s Kaos?” I finally ask when the silence is becoming more than I can handle.

“Probably the gym.”

I nod. He’s been spending more and more time in there since Camilla came into our lives, and now that he’s not sure where he stands with any of us, I should have known that’s where he would be.

He needs to sort his shit out so he can fix things with our woman, but knowing my nephew like I do, he has to come to that conclusion himself. All the men in our family are notoriously stubborn, and that gene certainly didn’t skip him.

The sound of the door down the hallway hitting the wall has me shoving to my feet before I make the conscious decision to do so, but by the time I make it to the bedroom door, a very disgruntled Camilla is shoving past me.

“Get out,” she barks. Her cheeks are tear-stained, her body is shivering from the cool air, and I fight the urge to pull her into my arms and warm her up. I can’t say I’ve ever been the one to comfort the women we’ve shared, but apparently my little menace brings it out in me.

There are red marks around her throat, and I internally roll my eyes. Bishop and his thing for wrapping his belt around his playthings’ necks has always been a bone of contention with the women who hold our company, and I wonder if that’s what has her so upset.

“Little Lamb—” Kovu starts as he shoves to his feet.

“Get. The. Fuck. Out.” Every word is harsher than the last, and I can’t help but wonder what the hell happened between her and Bishop after she got in that car.

His wild blue eyes meet mine, and I shrug. If she’s going to stay here, it’s only reasonable she’s going to need her own space at some point. Living with four overbearing men is a lot for just about anybody. But the way her entire body trembles makes me desperate to stay.

Camilla doesn’t turn as we make our way to the door, her entire body heaving with how hard she’s breathing, and my stomach roils. I’m quite aware that all four of us have tastes in things some would find extremely unsavory, but is that why she’s upset? Did he do something to her that crossed a line we didn’t know about? Seeing as she was a virgin a week ago, I guess it’s not outside the realm of possibility that she doesn’t know her own limits yet.

“Crew?” she says as I cross the threshold, quickly making me turn back to her. “Does this door lock from the inside?” She doesn’t bother to turn around, so I don’t bother to mask the way my lips quirk up at the question.

“It’s cute that you think something as small as a locked door could keep us away from you, Little Menace.”

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