Page 27 of Crown of Lies

All I can do is ride it out, gasping for air as the pleasure rolls over me in relentless waves. By the time it finally eases, leaving me slumped against the sink, I’m flushed and breathing hard.

Killian stays close, his eyes locked on mine with an expression I can’t quite read. When he finally leans in, his lips brush against my cheek as he speaks in a low tone.

“That’s why I’m not jealous of what happened with Nico.” The deep rumble of his voice sends another aftershock down to my core. “Because I can touch a part of you that no one else can.”

My breath hitches at his words and the realization of what he means. He gets it—the dark need for pleasure edged with pain, the craving to push boundaries until I’m almost delirious.

Killian understands that twisted part of me in a way that nobody else fully can. Nico and Atlas can come close, but there will always be something different and special about my connection with Killian.

Or rather, the connection we used to share. I have to remind myself for the hundredth fucking time that those days are over. These men might still be able to make my body come alive in a way no one else has ever been able to, but that’s just sex.

And just like with Nico, I promise myself that this was the last fucking time I’ll allow it to happen.

I glare at Killian defiantly, my jaw clenched to keep from reacting further. I won’t give him the satisfaction of being right. Of knowing just how deeply those words resonate within me.

“You don’t know shit about me,” I snap, forcing conviction into my tone even as my body still hums with the aftershocks.“What just happened, that was nothing. It didn’t mean anything.”

The lie tastes bitter on my tongue, but I double down, desperate to convince him—and myself—that this fucked up connection between us doesn’t run as deep as he thinks. Or as deep as it used to.

Killian doesn’t respond to my words, but he gazes at me for a long moment, silence filling the too-small space of the bathroom. Then he abruptly looks back down again, getting back to work.

I gather my composure as he finishes tending to my wounds. His touch still lingers on my skin, sending aftershocks rippling through my body. I curse myself for losing control like that—for letting him see how he touches a part of me that no one else can.

“There,” he finally grunts, tearing off the last strip of medical tape. I’m not sure whether he’s agreeing or just being sarcastic, but I’m glad when he moves on from the topic of who knows how to make me come the best. “That should do it for now.”

I nod, not trusting my voice just yet. Killian packs up the first aid supplies and for a moment I almost wish I could take back the past few minutes, if only to lean into that brief, addictive pain for a little while longer.

“You’ll need to change the bandages daily.” His tone is all business now, cool and even. “Clean the wounds, apply antibiotic ointment. Don’t let them get infected.”

I bristle at being told what to do, but I know he’s right. I’ve got enough shit on my plate without having to worry about poorly healing wounds. I give another small nod to show that I understand.

Killian pauses, the first aid kit in his hand as he fixes me with a look I can’t interpret. It seems almost like he wants to say something else, even opening his mouth for a split-second before shutting it—but instead of speaking again, he clenches hisjaw and walks out of the bathroom, leaving me alone with my dark thoughts and the lingering ache between my thighs.

His words echo in my mind as I stare at the closed bathroom door.

I can touch a part of you that no one else can.

As much as I want to deny it, to reject the idea completely, I still can’t shake the truth. He knows me. The real me.

I try to push the thoughts away, but they keep resurfacing like wisps of smoke. Memories of the times Killian and I have shared, the dark and sensual games we played that always pushed me right to the edge. The pleasure and pain so intricately intertwined that they became one indistinguishable force driving me to rapture.

No one else has ever been able to tap into that shadowy part of me the way he can. It’s what drew me to him in the first place, this connection that ran deeper than just physical attraction or even emotion. An understanding on some primal level that bound us together in a way I still don’t fully comprehend.

Even now, after everything, it’s like those ties are still there. Frayed and tattered, but not completely severed. Not yet.

I curse under my breath, raking a hand through my tangled hair. I hate how easily he was able to shatter my control. With just a few heated words and touches, he sent me spiraling right back to that dark, delirious place that terrifies me as much as it thrills me.

This can’t happen again. I won’t let it. These men might still have some kind of hold over me physically, but that’s where it ends. I can’t afford to get tangled up in the emotional bullshit, not with everything going on.

Nico, Killian, Atlas… they’re a means to an end, nothing more. Tools to help me achieve my goals and get the information I need. Once that’s done, they’ll be out of my life for good. All ties severed completely.

I have to keep reminding myself of that. No distractions, no lingering attachments. Just cold detachment.

Anything else is a liability I can’t afford.

9

ATLAS

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