Page 23 of Origins

Could she want to be surrounded by men who craved the thrill of breaking something beautiful only to rebuild it? And if she did, could I give that to her without becoming the villain I feared?

As Kane carried her toward my room, Callie stirred. Her golden lashes fluttered, and she stretched in his arms. I tightened my grip on Jace’s hair, causing him to whimper as my nails dug into his scalp.

Callie blinked, her sleepy eyes scanning the room. First, she looked at Kane, then at Jace and me. My heart pounded as I tried to think of an excuse for why I was forcing my roommate to kneel while I pulled his hair.

“Sulien?” Her whisper was thick with sleep, and I wondered if I could use that to brush off the situation.

“Hey,” I forced my voice to be light, despite the fact that all I wanted was to make Jace choke for disrespectingmy girl.

Callie’s head tilted as she looked at Jace. “What are you doing?”

My mouth went dry as I stared at her before glancing down at Jace.

“... Disciplining him,” I murmured, hoping she’d let it go.

Callie looked up at Kane, resting her hand on his chin. “Does Sulien discipline you too?”

Kane stood stiff as a board, shifting his weight before biting out, “Yeah. He does.”

This could go one of two ways. Callie could realize I wasn’t the nice guy I pretended to be and leave, or she would willingly accept this part of me.

Her fingers lingered on Kane’s chin, running along the dark stubble dusting his skin. “Do you let him?”

Kane’s throat bobbed as he pulled her closer. “I do,” he breathed, his voice low. “He’s the only person I trust to keep me in line.”

Her hand dropped as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “How does he punish you?”

Heat pooled in my stomach.

Kane hesitated, his gaze flickering to me for permission. I gave him a nod, wanting him to tell her everything, to see how she reacted.

“It depends,” Kane started slowly, his eyes locked on hers. “Jace ends up on a leash a lot. He’s had a soap gag once or twice too… I usually just get spanked.”

A spark lit in her eyes, and a slow smile curled at the corner of her lips. “And what do you do to deserve these punishments?”

She started swinging her legs playfully, never kicking him but getting close.

“Jace’s mouth gets him in trouble,” Kane chuckled. “I usually push boundaries, or Sulien thinks I need it… right now, it’s because I touched something that belonged to him.”

Her smile widened as she pointed to herself, and Kane nodded.

“So, if I want to be punished, I just need to touch something that’s his?” she asked, feigning innocence.

“I don’t think you want to be punished,” Kane said.

Callie shrugged before asking Kane to put her down. He complied, and she stretched leisurely before walking over to me. Despite not being short, she’d need a little help if she wanted a kiss—at least, I assumed she would. That wasn’t a territory we’d ventured into yet.

She shot me a grin before slowly lowering herself onto her knees. Her eyes, wide and expectant, looked up at me as she wrapped her arms around my legs, almost as if she were begging me to punish her. But I shook my head.

“That’s not how you get punished, Angel,” I rasped, fighting the urge to tangle my fingers in that pretty blonde hair of hers. “I know you said you missed me earlier... Just give me ten minutes. You can go hang out in my room, and I’ll be in as soon as I’m done.”

Her brow furrowed, clearly unhappy with the idea. I could see the gears in her mind turning as she tried to find the right way to tell me she wasn’t going to do that. But even with a mind reader, actions speak louder than words.

Slowly, she leaned toward Jace. Her fingers left small indents on his jaw as she gripped his chin, forcing him to stare into her eyes.

“Does Jace belong to you?” she asked softly, her voice carrying an edge that sent a shiver down my spine.

My heart skipped a beat as I stared at her. “He does.”

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