Page 49 of Bound By Ruin

I almost feel like an intruder, but Iwashere first.

Slipping my hands into my front pockets while pinching the blunt between my teeth, I watch the two of them fight for dominance. She bites his lip, and he bites back, their breaths short and quick as if they’re worried the moment will be over in the blink of an eye.

Nothing more than a wet dream.

Thanatos has dreamt of this—I can see it in the way he touches her, running his hands through her hair and across her cheeks, sighing into her mouth like a man who has waited for this his entire life.

Celia, on the other hand, is trembling from head to foot, clinging to his neck and shoulders like a lifeline. She touches the raised scar on his cheek, then the one cutting through his lip, a long-forgotten knife having made its mark.

As I slip Than’s switchblade into my boot and pick up my hunting knife from the floor, the door to the casino swings open. Rage and Rebel push through one after the other, with Rebel grinning like a cat while Rage broods like a bull. They approach quickly, not caring for stealth. As the door snaps shut, Thanatos and Celia jerk back, the two of them startled apart. Celia’s face is flushed a pretty pink, while Thanatos’s ears burn bright red.

Hm. Maybe they weren’t ready, after all.

She wraps her arm around mine and grabs my hand, standing boldly on display. I remove the blunt from my teeth and grab her chin, pulling her face up to mine to exhale into her mouth. Her pretty eyes widen, but she inhales like a good girl, coughing after a moment. I press my nose to her temple and smile, enjoying the smell of me on her skin. Smoking with her is going to befun.

“Well, well, well,” Rebel muses cheekily as he comes to a stop in front of us, grinning from ear to ear. “What do we have here? Having fun, baby?” He winks as he looks between the three of us, me with Celia to the left, while Thanatos stands alone to the right. “If I’d known we were having a party, I would have brought champagne.”

“This isn’t funny,” Rage snaps, glaring at everyone. “You can’t turn off your comms. You can’t ignore—” He growls, gnashing his teeth and pacing in a tight line between us and Rebel. After taking a deep breath and pinching the bridge of his nose, he finally looks up at Celia. “Are you hurt?” His eyes scan her body, his lips twitching at all of the marks on her skin.

My smile spreads, and I chuckle into Celia’s hair.

She’s mine now, too, Rage. Bodyandsoul.

My older brother might have gotten there first, but my touch will linger the longest. I brush my knuckles over the bruises on her right breast, enjoying the sharp intake of her breath as I graze her nipple.

“I’m fine, Rage. I told you that I was okay.”

“You promised,” he murmurs, flicking his gaze to mine. “Is she okay, Ruin?”

“Crystal,” I sigh, taking another pull from my blunt. I lift an eyebrow at Celia, and she tilts her chin up, allowing me to exhale into her mouth again. Electricity zings down my spine as the transfer turns into a kiss, her lips soft and warm and sweet on mine.

This could get very addicting,veryquickly.

“That doesn’t even make sense,” Rebel chuckles, “but whatever. She’s fine, Rage, can’t you see?” He waves his hand, gesturing towards Celia. “She’s got that glow.”

I frown, pulling away from Celia to stare at my brother. “What glow?”

If he takes her soul from me?—

“You know,theglow.That well-fucked look. Your hair’s a mess, baby.” Rebel snickers as he steps up to us and runs his fingers through Celia’s long, soft waves, pulling them over her shoulders so that the ends kiss the top of her breasts. Admiring her appearance, he smirks, then leans in to steal a kiss from her pouty lips. “Mmm. Give me a hit, Ruin.” He tilts his head to the side for me to place the blunt between his lips, then takes a deep breath, the tip of the roll burning bright orange. Once he’s gotten enough, he cups Celia’s face in both hands and seals their lips together, smiling as they share the smoke.

Their transfer also turns into a kiss, Rebel quickly sliding his tongue between her lips and moaning.

“None of you should be getting high,” Thanatos sighs, running a hand through his hair. His neck is still flushed, and despite his chastisement, he’s staring at Celia like he wants another taste. He unbuttons his vest and shucks it off, leaving it on the floor. Sweat makes his dress shirt cling to his skin, the material thin enough that we can see the tattoos across his chest. “Tonight isn’t about having fun, it’s about?—”

“Killing our dad,” Rage interrupts, scowling at him. “That’s rich, coming from the man who just had his tongue down my wife’s throat.”

Rebel moans again, kissing Celia harder and grabbing her ass to haul her body against his.

“You’re not married,” Thanatos counters, his eyes narrowing. “I’d never take her from you, you know that.”

“But you’ll fuck her when my back is turned, is that it?”

Sighing, Rebel pulls away from Celia’s lips to rest his forehead against hers. “Guys, c’mon, do you really want to argue while she’s still naked? She’s even—” A shudder racks his body as he slides his fingers between her thighs—“youhaveto see feel this. Baby, lie down for me. That’s it. Good girl.” As he helps her onto her back, all four of us crowd around. “Spread your legs, beautiful. Don’t be shy.”

Blushing furiously, Celia obeys, covering her face with her forearm. “I can’tbelievewe’re doing this.”

“Believe it, baby. Now look, boys. You see that?” He licks his lips. “That’sourpussy. This isourgirl. She wants us all to share. Isn’t that right, Celia?”

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