Page 32 of Blood of the Saints

My hand curls into a fist, sending it straight into the concrete wall. A scream escapes me as pain shoots through my hand, but I can’t stop the rage building inside me.

“Fuck!” I yell, shaking out my hand.

Ace Lennox, Theon Watson, and Blais Monroe, you will feel my wrath.

Fiery blue eyes look back at me when I close mine. Her hair-raising gaze full of fire, passion, and deviancy. I can’t fucking get it out of my head.

Dammit.

When Blais cut her tiny red dress open, I couldn’t look away. Her tight little body, the fucking matching red bra and panties she wore, and her perfect pale skin were everything. There’s no doubt she’s stunning, but that’s not what truly captured my attention last night.

When she was still passed out, she tossed her head back and forth quickly. Gasping. Panting. Her chest rose up and down rapidly, her face pinched in confusion and disbelief. Obviously, whatever was going on in her head was horrifying. The small whimpers that left her throat were enough to make me want to shake her awake myself.

When she’s vulnerable and unaware, her guard is down.

And it’s fucking beautiful.

That’s why we need to get rid of her soon. I want to break her in the most terrifying ways just so I can see those walls crash down again. Then we can move on with our lives and push forward with our plans.

Nothing ever seems to go as we expect it to though, so I’m waiting for the other shoe to drop. She’s FBI, meaning she has to have some kind of fail-safes in place. There’s no way they’d leave her unprotected and alone—so easy to take.

Unless she’s that good? Or maybe this is part of her scheme to pull one over on us? Fuck. I don’t know. But what I do know is eventually they will come looking for her, but they won’t find her here. My mind is racing in a million different directions, forcing me to pace back and forth questioning her intentions.

Christ, what the fuck is taking Theon so long down there? He went to check on her over an hour ago and hasn’t made it back up yet. Maybe I should go look for myself, make sure I’m not about to find a dead body down there. He told me to stay up here and calm my ass down, to trust him, but it’s her that I don’t trust.

Little temptress.

She has this strange calming presence. One that sneaks up on you, wraps itself around your throat, then squeezes, going in for the kill when you least expect it. Like the entire room could be burning to the ground and she wouldn’t be fazed by it. It makes my jaw tick, knowing she has the ability to get under my skin in such a way.

Even with the panic behind her eyes wondering just how far we’d take things, she remained stoic. She tried to be calm, unwavering.

It was sexy, but dangerous. Dangerous for me.

Deciding enough is enough, I get ready to head downstairs. I should’ve just gone down there myself and taken care of her. Then I wouldn’t be sitting here, wondering what the fuck she was doing to him or how she was trying to deceive him.

I’d be in control.

Just as I reach the door to the basement, it swings open with Theon charging through. His muscles are tight, his chest heaves up and down under his black t-shirt. Theon usually wears a scowl on his rugged face, but the way his eyes are glazed over and there’s an extra hardness to them has me concerned.

“What happened?” I ask as he walks right past me, heading toward the kitchen.

“Nothing of value,” he huffs out, and heads toward the fridge, ripping it open to grab a water bottle.

“You were down there that long and you gotnothing of value?” I slide onto one of the barstools across from where he stands leaning against the black marble counter, and place my elbows on the cold surface.

“That’s what I said.” His eyes harden and I’m worried about what’s going on inside his head right now.

“Theon, talk to me, man. What happened?” He’s been through enough in his life, more than anyone should ever face. Something’s bugging him and I don’t want to lose him to whatever’s trying to pull him down.

“She’s so fucking stubborn and a pain in the damn ass. That’s what happened,” he roars, slamming the bottle down on the marble surface.

Fuck. We all have bad tempers when we’re provoked, but Theon is usually able to keep his under control, at least when he’s around other people. But when it comes to us, he’s never really cared if we see that darker side of him.

The way he’s responding has me on edge. I’m an asshole to everyone, but my brothers are my world, my soft spot, and if someone fucks with them, they fuck with me. And I don’t take kindly to people who piss me off.

“Whoa, someone’s a grumpy Gilbert. Meow, kitty cat.” Blais holds up his hands like claws and gives a fake hiss as he walks into the kitchen. “What’s got your panties in a bunch?” Looking over at him, it seems like he’s also having a rough start to the day. His hair is ruffled, dark circles swell under his eyes, and his shirt is hanging off his body, but that infectious grin still covers his face. He hides his darkness and pain so well.

“Now’s not the time,” Theon says sharply in his direction.

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