Page 93 of Ruthless Rebel

“What’s he doing here?” He asks, no doubt shocked to find his brother waiting, but all I do is smirk.

“Who else is gonna burn this fucker down for us?” I ask, nodding to Jace to let him know we are ready, and watching as he slides off his car and walks over to us.

“I don’t mind waiting, if you two kinky fuckers want to bone in her blood first,” he drawls, the cigarette still hanging from his mouth, yet Lincoln still looks lost.

“How did you know where to find us?” Linc asks him, and Jace only smirks.

“Donovan told me. He sent me a text that said crab sticks with a fire emoji and an address, and I just knew it meant he wanted me to come burn something down,” he shrugs, telling a tale not even close to the truth, but all I do is roll my eyes, not bothering to correct him, not when I know he is only trying to wind me up.

Lincoln doesn’t respond, just takes his brother’s humor as the defense mechanism it is, and pulls him in for a tight hug. “I love you, brother,” he tells him, and I know Jace is surprised by his show of affection, but still brings up his arm and pats him on the back.

“I love you too, man,” he replies, before pulling back and adding, “Now, are we doing this thing, or what?” He asks, looking between us and waggling his brows, and Lincoln turns back to his old house and gives it one last look over.

“Burn it to the ground, brother, there is nothing left for me here,” he starts, looking back at me, and pushing his hand in mine. “I have everything I need,” he adds, and Jace only smiles.

“With fucking pleasure.”

48

ASHER

By the time the three of us drive back home, everyone else is already there waiting, and when Lincoln walks into the house, we find most of our family gathered around the table with a few of the security guys. To my surprise, Lily is there too, seated between both Zack and Max, with Arthur and Helen hovering behind her, as if all waiting for our appearance.

When we enter, all eyes hit us, taking in the blood and smoke that clings to our skin, and as angry as I can tell Elle is, she doesn’t say a word. Her eyes dance across all three of us, lingering on the cuts on Lincoln’s throat and arm, her eyes hardening, but Lincoln's stare moves right to the Royton’s.

“She’s dead,” Lincoln confirms for everyone, but mostly for them, and I see fresh tears form in Helen’s eyes, as Arthur pulls her into his embrace, knowing that what Lincoln did will in no way make up for their son being gone.

Emotion burns the back of my throat, but I inhale deeply through my nose, taking strength from the man beside me, and holding it in for their sake. They lost a brother and a son, their grief overshadows mine, yet when I meet my own brother’s eyes, he still nods in understanding and silent thanks.

“How did you do it?” Lily asks, surprising us all, and I see both Zack and Max’s hands reach for her under the table.

Lincoln’s stare is blank as he replies, “I paid back every injury inflicted on Logan, and then I chopped off all of her fingers, sliced off her face, cut out her tongue, and carved out her heart.”

“Fucking hell,” Sebastian mutters under his breath, as Harry adds, “They are a match made in fucking heaven.”

Lily however, doesn’t react, and it’s only now I see the damage that has been done, the effect losing her twin has had on her. She was always the quiet one, more reserved, especially in comparison to Logan, but there was still some life there, some light, but not anymore. Now her stare is vacant, as she nods slowly, replaying his words over and over in her mind, before she finally sighs.

“It doesn’t help,” she mutters, before ripping her hands away from Zack and Max, leaving the room without another word.

Helen quickly follows, but Arthur pauses a little, not saying anything as he looks between Lincoln and I, yet I hear him loud and clear. He is thanking us for avenging his son, and Lily is right, it doesn’t help, not in the slightest. The pain of his loss is still fucking crippling, but at least it’s over now.

We all watch them leave, and then Elle clears her throat. “Cassie will be staying with the Deckers until tomorrow,” she says, glancing between the two of us, and I know what she is trying to say. We have until then to sort our shit out, and all I can do is nod, sliding my hand into Lincoln’s and tugging on it gently.

When his eyes meet mine, I see the sorrow there, the guilt. Killing Vivian didn’t help him either, and all I can do is offer him a grim smile. “Come on, let’s go and get cleaned up.” I don’t bother saying goodbye to anyone, as I lead him upstairs, making our way straight to the bathroom, so we can once again wash the bloodstains from one another's skin.

I help him take off his bulletproof vest, but when I reach to lift up his shirt, wincing because of my shoulder, he grunts. Smacking my hand away, he reaches behind his neck to pull it off over his head. My eyes trail down his chest and stomach, letting myself finally stare at every inch of what now belongs to me.

“See something you like, Dark Prince?” He muses, reaching out to help me out of my own shirt, and all I can do is smirk.

Only he could torture and kill someone, in the worst ways imaginable, and then still find it within himself to flirt with me.

He drops my shirt to the floor, as our eyes collide once more and I reply, “I see something I love.” My admission surprises him, no doubt as much as my earlier one, but I am done hiding my feelings and not taking what I want. This world has taught me how fragile time is, and I’m not wasting any more. “This is a now or never kind of life, Lincoln, you should know that by now,” I add, repeating the words I said to him so long ago, and he smiles sadly, as his fingers reach out to brush against the chain round my neck.

Then his hands travel down my torso, his fingers trailing along every cut and bruise there, before he reaches for my belt and slowly undoes it. He rips open my pants, pushing them down to my ankles with my boxers, giving me his shoulder to lean on as he helps me step out of them, before rising back to his feet.

“I do know that,” he breathes. “And I know it shouldn’t be like this, that it shouldn’t be just us, but it is, and all we can do is accept that and miss him together, okay?” He asks, and I nod, leaning forward and kissing him softly, both heartbroken at our reality, yet grateful for it anyway. When I pull back he smiles, his eyes darkening a little, as they travel down my body and his pupils dilate. “Good, because I see something I love,” he purrs, hiseyes now focused on my hardening cock. “So get in the shower and sit on the bench,” he commands, and who am I to refuse him?

I position myself per his demand, and he doesn’t waste a second, stepping under the spray and dropping to his knees at my feet. The water washes the blood down his skin like he is the God of Death, and his sights are set on me.

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