Page 121 of Cruel Legacy

“Doesn’t that apply to all fights on some level or another?”

“Not like this. It was a MMA battle. A UFC event. A bloodsport reenactment.”

Wherever he was, and whatever he was watching, is still sitting with him. He’s basically vibrating with excitement. That’s Finn.

I like to inflict pain, but he gets off on violence, and no matter how polished he is on the outside, he’s got that bloodlust thing always simmering under the surface.

Some people do yoga or meditate to recenter themselves. Like me. I’m people. But Finn is all about the action and thrill. Jumping off buildings and bloodshed. The more vicious the battle, the more blood he sees, the better he feels.

As for Pax, he’s into speed. The faster he’s going, the happier he is. If he’s racing against an opponent, that’s even better. None of our hobbies are what I’d call league approved. Nothing that puts an heir in mortal danger will ever be, but there’s not much they can say or do about it until we’re full-fledged members.

We received our preliminary acceptance letters last Christmas. Our father’s never once mentioned that there were hoops to jump throughbeforewe could receive our prospect badges. Then we got our official documents listing us as first year prospects, and another set of orders were issued.

There are secrets on top of secrets within The League of the Daggered Ravens. Sometimes I wonder how the members keep them all straight.

The good thing is I can go to my dad with questions. He’s assured me that once we’re official members, the council will start being more forthcoming, within reason. Our access to information will be commensurate with our level within The League. Because we’re legacies, we’ll start with a higher rank inside the organization than someone recruited off the streets, but we’ll still have to work our way up.

The guys and I have a plan. We’ll be mid-level council men, overseeing The next generation of prospects and recruits by the time we hit our thirties.

That’ll be younger than our parents were when they ascended. We’ll be sitting on top of the world, and living the rest of our lives in financial security, shuffling powerful people around the chess board of our world.

Or at least that’s the plan for Finn and Pax. My involvement won’t be as big as all that. I’ll probably be sitting behind a desk at a law firm, making problems go away with legal briefs, bored out of my mind.

That’s my father’s plan for me. It’s all he’s ever talked about since I was a kid. My hobby of software design is just that. A hobby.

I hate that he’s planned my life out for me and that there’s not much I can do to change his mind.

I guess that’s why I turned to piercings and tattoos. They’re the only things I could control in my life. My parents flipped when I came home with my first tat, until I promised to never get them in places that can’t be covered up by long sleeve button ups and expensive sports coats.

A tattooed lawyer would be okay for the mafia, but not someone representing a league member. As for my visible piercings, I can take out my eyebrow, lip and tongue rings during working hours.

I click my tongue ring against my teeth. I don’t even have as much ink as Pax. He’s got a full frontal, sleeves, and half his back and entire neck. The bottom half of his back is blank, for now.

We both pick out tattoos to make a statement or to showcase something of significance in our lives. He just has more to say with his.

Finn and I hang out for a little while longer before he heads across the hall to his room. I complete a few more assignments, then make my way to my spare bedroom.

I take calming breaths as I wait for the faint click that locks me in the space within the wall before lifting my palm to the panel that gives me access to Thea’s room.

I keep to the darkest part of the closet, watching as she discards her clothes, getting ready for bed, and wait until she falls asleep before stepping into the room.

I pull the syringe from my pocket, and lean over her, watching the shadows dance across her face as she sleeps, smiling at the cute pinch of her brow when the needle penetrates her skin. Then I go to search the rest of her dorm room while waiting for the sleeping aid to take effect.

I know I shouldn’t be in here and if Finn or Pax find out, I’ll never hear the end of it. But it’s dothisor do something that will really bring disgrace to our team. Something like grab her on her way back from the library or to class, shove her to knees, pry her mouth open and shove my cock down her throat.

I’m snooping for information I can use to help my research, but her place is just as empty as when I checked the first time. Her breathing’s evened out by the time I get back to her bedroom. I discard my clothes, and crawl into bed, naked beside her.

I lay on my side, and reach out to stroke the side of her breast, enjoying the feel of her skin under my calloused fingers. My hand drifts down to the side of her ribcage to the little scar there.

Her skin is a tapestry of small nicks and marks. I want to know the story behind each and every one. I trail my hand down a little further to her knee, then drag it back up to her hip where I started, before repeating its path.

My dick is so goddamn hard right now, throbbing with the need to play with her. I could do whatever I want to her for the next few hours, but I won’t do more than this. I grip her throat, pulling her against me, and close my eyes, taking calming breaths, trying to ease the tension from my body and quiet my mind even though I know I won’t be able to sleep.

Tonight isn’t about sex, or satisfying my darkness. It’s a social experiment, and since she helped out with the last one, I see no reason why she shouldn’t be my science partner for this one too.

I settle in close, with her body curled into mine, and close my eyes, mentally documenting what it feels like to lie in bed next to a woman.

Chapter53

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