Page 68 of Claimed By Shadows

“Yes, sir,” I answer, and heat makes the brown in his eyes darken.

“I like that, let’s use it when I’m back.” He gives me a quick peck, then heads over to Hunt as Rowan takes his place in front of me.

“Stay safe. Don’t go out alone. Do you have your knife?” he asks, his hands cupping my face and eyes boring into mine with a focus that leaves me nodding my head immediately just so I please him. “Good, Little Lamb.”

Then he lowers his lips to mine with so much more control than his brother. It’s a tease he often subjects me too, making me wait, making me desperate for him, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. His lips caress mine gently, once, twice, then he finally presses them against mine in a kiss that leaves me panting and clutching him, my body begging for more.

“I love you, Roo,” I whisper against his mouth when he breaks it.

“I love you, Lamb,” he replies, brushing his lips against mine a final time before he too steps back and follows Roman, who’s by the door.

“Stay safe and we’ll see you soon,” Hunt states, reaching out to grab me and tug me to his side. His warmth envelops me, making the parting of the twins that little bit easier to bear.

“Yes, Daddy,” Roman can’t help but tease, and then they’re gone, the door shutting behind them.

“He’s such a fucking brat,” Hunt huffs, though his lips twitch in a smile.

“But you love it, Daddy,” I tell him, snuggling closer to his side, soaking up his body heat to try and ease the suddencoldness at having two of my men, my soulmates, gone from my side.

“Want to finish the film?” Hunt asks, looking down at me, his green eyes soft and full of love. I love him that much more for offering to watch Disney with me.

“Maybe a bath?” I suggest, suddenly needing to feel him all around me, pressed up against me.

“Sounds perfect, Peaches,” Hunt replies, kissing my head and then taking my hand in his, somehow knowing that I need to keep him close. Maybe he needs to keep me close too. After all, they are his family as well.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

“LIKE I’M GONNA LOSE YOU” BY JASMINE THOMPSON

IRIS

Icount down the days as each week passes, marking them in a journal that Hunt got me after I fell in love with it online. Julia said that writing down my thoughts may help going forward, so I use it for that, and my countdown.

One morning, as we’re sitting down to breakfast, Hunt’s phone starts buzzing, and I squeal when I see Roman’s name flashing on the screen. Not even giving Hunter a chance, I grab his phone off the counter and answer the call, putting him on speaker.

“Roman!” I all but shriek, and his deep chuckle flows over me, soothing me and calming my soul.

“Hey, Princess. I love that you’re so excited to speak to me, even though we only talked yesterday,” he replies, and Hunt’s warmth at my back is quickly followed by his arms around me.

“Do I need to be offended that you’re so excited to hear from him? Am I that boring?” he whispers in my ear, but loud enough for Roman to hear.

“Aww, don’t be salty, Daddy, just because I’m her favourite,” Roman teases, and Hunt growls, which does unspeakable things to my knickers.

“No one needs to be offended and no one is my favourite,” I tell them and frown as I look at the clock. “Why are you calling so early? It must be what, like, four AM there? Is everything okay?”

Roman sighs. “Lilly had her baby early, and then Loki got himself shot, so we’re just about to drive to the hospital because she’s stubborn as fuck and won’t rest even though Mae told her travelling such a long distance hours after giving birth isn’t the best idea,” Roman says, and my mouth opens with the influx of information. Shit. That is a lot to have happened in a short space of time.

“Okay, fuck. Do you know if Loki is okay?” Hunt asks, his arms tightening around me. I lean into his grip, taking comfort from it. The lives we lead, the shit that we have going on, it could easily be one of my guys with a bullet in them, or worse.

“We don’t know yet, but I’ve got Ash on speed dial and will be calling him regularly to get updates for Lilly.” The sounds of a car door or boot slamming in the background has me swallowing. “Silver lining is the Knights have dealt with their shit, so we should be home hopefully within the next couple of days.”

“That’s great,” I say, but the enthusiasm that I felt at first hearing his voice is missing. I just can’t get the worry out of my head that we are all living on the edge.

“We’ll be okay, Princess. We’re all okay,” Roman says, and tears prick my eyes at the thought that even so far away, he knows why I wasn’t as happy by the news as I should be.

“We haven’t heard from Nik in a while,” I murmur, and Hunt stiffens behind me.

“He’s a big boy, Peaches. He can take care of himself,” he assures me, curling his body over mine and pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

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