Page 24 of Forged By Shadows

The following smile doesn’t look at home on his face. I’ve never seen Wyatt smile aside from in photographs, but the goosebumps prickling my arms aren’t alarming enough to deter me. Meg catches my eye, giving a little shrug. She’s fixed the cards; I have nothing to lose.

“Fine.” Gesturing for Wyatt to show his cards, he makes a show of insisting that I go first. Everyone sits forward in a tense silence as I place down my four-of-a-kind with a beaming smile. Read ‘em and weep, asshole. Wyatt’s brows raise. I’ve got him. For once, I have him right where I want him, squirming beneath the weight of his friend’s gazes, ruing the day he ever-

Wyatt turns his cards and places them flat, revealing a three and four of hearts. A straight flush. My features don’t shift but my cheeks set on fire, a blush creeping across my face and chest. His smug smile says it all.

“If you wouldn’t mind following me,” he stands and extends his arm to look at the Rolex on his wrist. “I believe it’s almost time for your forfeit.” Before striding away, Wyatt pulls a second deck of cards from his pants pocket and places them back in the case. His smirk is cemented in place, daring me to challenge him. The bastard cheated, and he knows full well I did too.

Huffing, I nudge Dax along to stand at my full height, plus the extra six inches of my chunky heels. There’s one thing I promised myself all those years ago; Wyatt will never see me crumble. Despite the murmured objections from the others, I walk behind him down the stairs. He turns away from the dance floor, briefly speaking to a man in a fine blue suit against a hidden door, who then speaks in his earpiece.

The following events see me ushered through the back passages, down another set of concrete steps into the club’s underbelly. It’s dank, smells stale and looks grim, but there’s a surprising amount of people milling around and the lights are bright. All the while Wyatt is close. Too close, when the corridors are narrow, the ghost of his hand on my lower back. I come to the conclusion I must be imagining it, shrinking away from his solid chest and arms when I can. He remains quiet, although the scent of whiskey on his breath is overwhelming at times. The bastard.

Suddenly, the room opens out and I freeze. In the center, a giant birdcage waits on a raised platform. A man rushes towards me, his blazer and beard fabulously sparkled, gushing that we’re running out of time. I’m pulled into a throng of people, who attack me with hands and make-up brushes. My hair is adjusted and pinned higher, while a heavy brace is secured over my shoulders and across my ribs. Peering back, I spot a pair of huge feathery black wings. The make-up artist quickly jerks my chin forward to finish dusting powder over my forehead and down my nose.

Without notice, I’m manhandled into the cage’s open door, someone announcing we’re good to go. The music in the room overhead changes to a slow, steady beat and through it all, I spot Wyatt striding closer, his hands in his pockets. I near the edge, lowering slightly so we are face to face.

“Wyatt,” I suck in a breath, bathing in the glow of his smirk. Then, I laugh straight in his face. The hysterics bubble out of me, a string of inebriated babble that force me to use the bars and steady myself. “You thought this would scare me. The sides are literally open, you absolute fucking moronic-”

As the ceiling opens up, the cage begins to rise. I stand in the center, bracing my legs wide. The music builds up to a steady rhythm, and I lift my arms above my head to begin to clap in time with the beat. The entire club, which has stilled for a moment, joins me. The sound is deafening, the purple lights are all directed on me as my body becomes visible. Cheering and wolf whistles break out all around, bolstering the confidence I found through the champagne.

The cage lifts high above the dancefloor, level with the VIP balcony and finally, the music shifts into a song I recognize. I smile, feeling Meg’s eyes on me from somewhere within the shadows. This is my jam, I think as my body begins to move of its own accord. Wyatt sought to scare me once more, but he’s done the exact opposite. He’s given me a chance I never would have sought for myself. A platform to find out exactly who I could be if given the freedom. And that bitch is going to be fierce.

Chapter Sixteen

Watching Avery dance just became my newest infatuation. Blonde wisps fall free against her neck, the huge wings floating against her back. My eyes drag along the length of her body, a heady daze taking over my mind. I could stare at her for hours, my tongue thick in my mouth, desperate to lick every inch of creamy skin on show.

It’s not the easy roll of her hips, the way her hands swirl above her head or how she somehow knows every time the beat is about to drop. It’s her face. Eyelids closed, a simple smile on her perfect lips. She’s in a state of complete serenity, lost to a world where only she exists. If I wasn’t so enamored, I’d be jealous.

I grip the railing like a lifeline. A shudder rolls through my shoulders, the shirt across my back feeling too tight.

“Hey, do you want to-” Axel murmurs into my ear, his chest pressed against my back.

“Yes.” I spin in an instant, cupping his jaw and spearing my tongue into his mouth. The same fruity taste lingering on my tastebuds explodes with his. I groan, pressing Axel back into the railing. He’s trapped between my arms, our lips crashing. I chase him with desperation, not allowing an inch of space between us. Our cocks thicken against one another, as eager to connect as I am. Shifting my hips upwards, I swallow Axel’s moan. He palms my shaft through my trousers, gripping tightly in a way only his large, strong hand can. I love it when he clenches me to the point of agony. In my mind, his head would dip to lick the bead of precum I have seeping into my boxers. And he wouldn’t be alone.

“I was going to ask if you wanted to dance,” Axel laughs when I break away, keeping his eyes closed. I pepper his cheek and jaw with kisses, licking a path behind his ear.

“Axel, I’ve never asked you for anything,” I breathe, my hand cupping his nape. He snorts.

“That’s a bald-faced lie.”

“But I have a favor to ask of you now.” Leaning back, I seek out his hazel eyes. His pupils are blown, enhancing the hazel flecks I’ve spent a long time memorizing. Just like the man they belong to, they’re stunning and pure. Every time I remember someone hurt Axel, incomprehensible fury fills me. He’s too precious to be vulnerable all the time, and when he looks at me like this, I make silent vows to burn the entire fucking world down if it means his safety.

A figure shifting in the background catches my attention, a shifting pair of wings and the girl lip syncing to her heart’s content. She, too, has experienced a darkness which should have never been allowed. My little Peach, who only wants to thrive. My delayed mind makes an unhinged connection between these two sweet souls.

“Please,” I beg of Axel. His eyebrows shoot upwards. Our desire quickly subsides and when he grabs my face between his hands, it’s with a tense possessiveness. I’m not the only one who’d go to war for what we have.

“What do you need, Gare?” His tone is thick and husky. Those words are enough to make me lose my fucking mind. Such a dangerous question, so many right answers. A smile grows across my face as I spin him, my crotch against the curve of his ass. We stare out over the blonde enigma in the cage.

“I need you to pursue her.” I feel his sharp exhale as my fingers trail down his chest, slipping beneath the hem to rest on his hips. He’s always been so receptive, so eager that he leans into my touch. “Before you panic, I know you still don’t like being alone with women. I promise I’ll be there every step of the way until you’re comfortable.” His labored breathing beats against me, his grip tightening on my arms.

“What would that scenario look like, even if Wyatt didn’t cut our balls off for considering it?” Axel glances over his shoulder. Using my cheek, I nudge his jaw to face forward and speak directly into his ear beneath the beat of the music.

“It would look like her deep throating your cock, staring up at you with those big beautiful eyes while she rides my face. It would be stolen kisses in hallways, forbidden touches behind closed doors. It would be you screwing her against the wall while I worship your ass, all of us covering our mouths to keep quiet while we break apart. It would be you covered in my cum and gripping her hair, forcing her to clean it all off with her tongue.”

Axel groans, the pulse in his throat fluttering against my thumb. I stroke him gently, uncaring of those nearby giving us side glances. In the distance, the cage begins to lower, stealing the dark angel from our sight. Axel turns into me, his hands seeking reassurance in mine.

“Do I need her?” Those eyes knock me off kilter again, bearing the uncertainty he fails to hide on a daily basis. “Isn’t it…aren’t we good enough as it is?” His head dips and I gasp, sure my heart just cracked within my chest. Gently tilting his chin back upwards, I steal a kiss. It’s different from the passion-filled, lust-crazed ones we typically share. Axel and I hide our true desires until alcohol is involved, then we can unleash them without repercussion. But this…this is a tender touch with all the words I would never dare say aloud. Ghosting kisses over his cheek, I sigh.

“You’re everything, Axel. So pure, so fucking beautiful,” my thumb traces his bottom lip. “She would understand you better than anyone.”

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