Page 87 of Doomed
Both my brothers turn to look at me.
“Cooling off period ends tomorrow,” I continue, grinning. “Plenty of time to convince our women to come cheer for their men.”
Vane laughs. “You think your artist is going to want to watch you risk your neck in an illegal street race?”
“She’ll come,” I say with absolute certainty. “Whether she admits it or not, Bianca gets off on danger. You should’ve seen her face when I took her to Eagle Point. All wide-eyed and pretending she wasn’t impressed.” I tap my glass against the table, already imagining how she’ll look, watching me from the sidelines. “Plus, she’ll look fucking spectacular on the back of my bike for the victory lap.”
“Big talk for someone who hasn’t won in eight months,” Xavier points out.
“That changes Friday,” I declare. “New motivation.” I raise my glass. “To show our women what the Blackwood brothers are really capable of.”
Vane clinks his glass against mine. “I’m in. Lia will make a perfect trophy when I smoke you both.”
“You know what’s even better?” I lean forward. “They’re ours for a year. They signed the contracts. They don’t actually get to say no if we want them there.”
Xavier’s lips curl into that cold smile that usually precedes someone getting hurt. “Indeed, they don’t. Though I suspect Mira might require... convincing.”
“That’s half the fun,” Vane says, swirling his drink. “Watching them realize the rules they agreed to.”
“So it’s settled,” I say, already picturing Bianca’s face when I tell her. “Next Friday night, our women will be there. Whether they like it or not.”
“They’ll learn to like it,” Xavier says with finality. “That’s what the year is for.”
We clink glasses again, sealing the deal. The thought of Bianca watching me race is an enticing prospect. She’ll pretend to be appalled by the danger, the illegality of it all. Still, I’ve seenthe way her pupils dilate when I push boundaries. She gets off on it as much as I do.
Fourteen more hours. Fourteen hours until I can touch her again, taste her again. The Hunt may be over, but the real game is beginning. I’ve claimed Bianca Hayes in the most primal way possible—in front of everyone who matters in Ravenwood—but now comes the part where I make her understand what she signed up for.
My phone feels heavy in my pocket. I wonder what she’s doing right now. Is she thinking about me? Is she sore from our time together? Is she counting down the hours like I am?
Fourteen hours. I can wait.
But barely.
29
BIANCA
Aknock at my bedroom door jars me from a dreamless sleep. I groan, rolling over to squint at my phone. Three in the afternoon. I’ve been home from Ravenwood for barely four hours.
My muscles protest as I drag myself out of bed. Every muscle aches in ways I didn’t know possible, particularly between my thighs. The Hunt was... Intense doesn’t begin to cover it. Knox was insatiable. We all were.
I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror—hair wild, skin marked with lovebite bruises, and beard burns. Evidence of Knox’s possession is indelibly displayed on my skin. My fingers trace a particularly vivid mark on my collarbone, memories flooding back with shocking clarity.
There’s a knock again, more insistent this time.
“Coming!” I call, wincing at the hoarseness in my voice. I grab my robe from the hook, cinching it tightly around my waist.
Each step down the hallway is a reminder of what transpired in the maze, in the gallery room, on the dais. My cheeks flush hot with the memories.
Michelle is banging on my door a third time before I reach for the knob.
“I’m right here, hold on,” I mutter.
She stands there, clutching a paper bag and a cardboard tray with two coffee cups. Her eyes widen as she takes in my disheveled appearance.
“Holy shit,” she whispers. “You look... well, exactly like someone who spent seventy-two hours getting thoroughly fucked.”
I exit into the corridor, leaning against the wall. “That’s one way to put it.”
