Page 72 of Daughters of Chaos

"Night, Nix," she says, stirring from her spot.

She's not far behind Mason and me as we make our way upstairs with Jesse and Reaper on her tail. The two of them post up outside her door across from mine as Mason latches us in. The air around him is heavy with worry and fatigue. The last twenty-four hours have been rough on everyone, and all I want is to hold him tight and know he's safe with me for a few hours.

As if reading my mind, Mason nods to the bed, pulling off his shirt as I shed my shoes and jeans. We lay down, leaving no space between us as we finally settle in. He sighs heavily as his arms circle my waist, sealing me against him.

My eyes are so tired, and we both need sleep, but my mind is racing. I can't shut it off. "Mason?"

"Hmm?"

"What happened in the meeting? What did my dad tell you guys?" It's a long shot that he'll tell me, but I need to try. My mind won't rest otherwise.

He tenses behind me. Whatever it is, he doesn't want to tell me. Whatever the club has planned must be bad. Someone is dead because of the Bastards, and they won't let that go unpunished.

With a heavy sigh, he pulls me closer. "It's gonna get real ugly before this whole thing is over, Phoenix. People will get hurt.Ours and theirs. But no one is gonna touch you, babe. None of us will let that happen. I promise you that."

The strain in his voice keeps me from pressing further even as my heart sinks. How bad are things about to get around here? Who else is going to get hurt or worse? Tears prick my eyes as I think of everyone who already has. Tweak. Martin. Misty.

Tweak has since recovered, and Martin is doing better. He's now staying somewhere safe with friends, but Misty is dead. We never got along, but I'd never wish her murdered like that. Left all alone and cut up in a lot, waiting for someone to stumble by and find the body. It's awful.

The images my mind conjures of her laying there dead and mutilated are the last I remember before falling into a fitful sleep. It was just the beginning of my nightmare.

42

Raven

After sleeping surprisingly well, I wake up feeling energized for the first time in a long time. Even with the bullshit we came back to last night, I still slept like a rock. Receiving orgasm after orgasm from the club's enforcer made me too exhausted to stay up all night worrying about what comes next. That's today's problem, I suppose.

I stretch my limbs, feeling the not-so-subtle ache where Reaper pounded me into his mattress last night. It felt glorious. No one has ever made me feel so thoroughly used and elated at the same time. I can't help the smirk that etches itself on my lips at the thought.

Then it hits me, a change in the atmosphere, that feeling of being watched. It sets me on high alert, making my body gear up for a fight as I look for the source. When my eyes land on the open bedroom door, I see the person responsible.

My heart kicks up, and my breathing becomes shallow as I take in the intruder. Dark, hungry eyes meet mine as he leans against the door frame, arms crossed and brows drawn. He stands there, drinking me in, not bothering to hide the lustful look in his gaze. Reaper.

Fuck. Why does he look so good in last night's clothes?

I lean forward, letting him get a better view of my cleavage as I take him in. His muscles are barely confined in his rumpled shirt. The seams around his biceps threaten to burst open at the slightest movement. He's a pillar of solid muscle cased in rough, tan skin. His messy, dark hair rests below his shoulders, and his eyes are searing me with a look of longing.

I lick my lips as I let my gaze travel south. His bulge is prominent behind his zipper. The same zipper I touched last night. The one attached to those jeans, that are the only barrier between me and Reaper's giant di—

"You keep staring like that, and everyone in the house is gonna learn who you belong to."

His deep voice halts my perusal, snapping my attention back to his face. "Who said that's what I want? Maybe I don't need to scratch that itch anymore. Ya know, been there, done that," I snark back, unable to help myself. He liked it when I acted like a brat last night.

In a flash, Reaper is off the door frame and towering over me. My breath hitches as he leans close, ghosting his lips over my ear. "Tell that to your soaking pussy."

I don't remember closing my eyes, but when I open them, Reaper is too far away, watching me with a smirk. "Fuck you," I whisper. My voice unable to produce its usual venom.

Something flashes in Reaper's eyes as he licks his lips. "Too many people downstairs for me to do that."

The pulse between my legs is growing harder to ignore. Why the hell did this have to happen right now? And why is he so irresistible? My hips buck under the sheets, something he notices right away. His nostrils flare as he steps closer to the bed. "Needy this morning, aren't you?" he asks, his voice dripping with sex.

I buck again as I wet my lips, marking the way he tracks my every move. He's winding me up, and I don't care to stop it. The memories of how he felt last night are too tempting. My body knows what he's capable of, and she wants more. So does he.

His heavy-lidded gaze bores into me possessively. After shooting a quick glance at the open door, Reaper eliminates the space between us, grabbing my face as he devours my mouth. My hands tangle in his locks as we steal the breath from one another, growing needier with each passing second.

Too soon, he pulls away, still looking ravenous as he growls through his swollen lips, "Can't get too loud. Everyone will hear."

Excitement roils through me as I wait for him to take me. I want him. Need him so badly that every moment without him inside me feels like torture.

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