Page 135 of Red Ruin

Before even Vhex can react, he has me curled in his arms on the other side of the bed.

Control? What’s that?

“Let me take off your coat,” Remy says richly. His shadows balance me over his thighs.

I couldn’t do a button to save a life, so the coat already hangs open. All Remy has to do is tug my arms out of the sleeves.

Even venom-drunk off his ass, Remy is in no rush.

He drags the collar off my shoulder. The thick fabric rasps, then Remy swoops in to kiss my bared skin. As his lips feather from the curve of my neck to my collarbone, his soul whispers desire and delight.

Remy swallows to clear his flooding mouth, but he doesn’t flash fangs.

He’s savoring his appetizer.

My soul-silks freeze as my Guide instincts go offline.

Existential panic.

Even my soul doesn’t know what to do.

“Relax. Let me take care of you.” His muzzy voice flows like honey over satin. He’s stealing the lines that are supposed to be mine.

Instead of listening, I stiffen even more.

I’ve said those words thousands of times.

I’ve never heard them said by someone else.

Not by a Sentinel.

Not by my mother or father or fiancé.

“I’lltake care of her,” Vhex snarls, clawing at the shadows that disappear when my eyes flick sideways. “And I’ll do it better than you. You limp-dic?—”

“How crude,” Remy drawls, covering my ears.

There’s a sharpclinkas his shadows undo his belt buckle. Working hard so that Remy doesn’t have to, they peel his pants down his hips and steer my hands to feel.

Nothing limp there.

Remy’s cock finally found enough blood. The shadows twine his shaft, kissing my fingers and promising they’ll stick around to play.

“Mine,” Vhex hisses, grabbing for my arm.

Remy parries. “Mine.”

I can feel them trading mental daggers.

Vhex deflects Remy’s wrist and pounds it into the mattress hard enough to melt the box springs.

But I don’t even bounce?

Butterflies spiral through my chest.

That’s new.

This is more dangerous than when they were tossing fireballs and shadow lassos with me in the crossfire.

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