Page 71 of Tabitha

The men don’t seem to care that I’m odd and lack manners.

That I prefer knives to roses.

And they would feed me food and chocolate on command.

It sounds too good to be true.

I step in front of River, my hand latching around his throat. I push him back until he hits the fridge, my grip tightening until he’s focused on nothing but me. “If you’re trying to trick me, I’ll castrate you, understand?”

He swallows hard, his throat moving under my grip, but I don’t miss the way his cock is hard and heavy against my stomach.

“Understand.” He holds up his hands, and I can’t get over the impression that he loves me taking control and touching him this way. “No trick. Ask Gage or the others.”

I turn my head, my eyes locking on Gage. He’s no longer even pretending not to be listening, his arms crossed, his hip leaning against the counter as he watches the exchange. “No trick. We would be yours.”

Mine.

The husky way he says it, the complete surrender, does something to me. Despite my threatening grip, River presses closer, nuzzling my neck, even while I continue to gaze at Gage. My nipples harden and my core floods with heat at knowing they’re watching every detail.

How have I never noticed that soldiers seem to exude a certain allure just by breathing? When they focus all their attention on me, the men are impossible to resist. They ooze sex appeal that’s more than just muscles and pheromones, and it threatens to overwhelm my common sense.

Before I can process the overload, someone presses against me from behind—Bast. The sheer size of him gives him away. His hands slip boldly over my hips, then he slides them across my stomach before moving up to cup my breasts. I push back against him, my breath catching when his cock rubs against my ass.

“Naughty girl.” One of his hands ghosts even higher and encircles my neck, forcing my head back to meet his gaze. “I just took a shower to get my cock to go down, and now you’re teasing it again. Next time, you’re going to have to help me with that job.”

He kisses me hard enough to leave my lips tingling and craving more, then he drags me away from the others before dropping his hands. I’m suddenly standing alone, missing their warmth and touch. “We would be yours as much as you would be ours. Take the day to decide what you really want, because once you agree, we’re never letting you go.”

I cross my arms at the possessiveness in his tone and fierce light in his amber eyes, feeling both overwhelmed and a bit unnerved at how fast my life would change if I accept what they’re offering. “And Pierce?”

I immediately bite my lip, wanting to take back the question. I’m not even sure where I stand with the man. Though I believed I wanted to kill him—most days, I could just strangle the ass—the thought of him being gone from my life sends a pang through my chest.

“The guys and I are in agreement,” Pierce says from behind me, and I whirl to face him. “I’ll be part of your harem, share you with them, but we’re going to take it slow. You’re going to have to pursue me.”

I’m not sure how long I stand in the middle of the room before River comes to my rescue and hauls me outside. The screen door slams behind us, snapping me out of my daze.

“Let’s go for our run.” River grabs the backpacks we prepared the night before and nudges me off the porch. A walking path disappears into the forest, long shadows giving the trail an ominous overtone. “Do you know where you want to run?”

It’s still early, barely even six in the morning, and I struggle to get my mind back on task. I pull up a mental map of the locations from the bunker, then nod toward River. “Yeah, there are a few locations I want to check out.”

The instant we leave the house, I feel eyes watching us. As much as I want to slip into the shadows and lose our tail, I don’t dare.

It would only make us look more suspicious.

We spend the next hour zigzagging through the trees, so no one can accuse us of heading directly toward the locations like we know where we’re going. I slip away a few times and set a couple of traps along the way, a little surprise for both humans and beasts.

River remains quiet, taking the surveillance seriously, snapping pictures of the outdoors as he collects the intel for our job, ghosting in and out of the trees as he investigates each stop. I could kiss him for giving me time to process the bomb he dropped on me without trying to flirt or pressure me into anything.

I almost miss his teasing, but I keep my mouth shut. The men are right to insist that I need time to think about their offer. It’s a big step for me, one that will change the rest of my life. I’d have to deal with feelings and emotions and people on a daily basis, and I’m not sure I’m mentally equipped for it.

It’s not long before we pick up another tail. Glad for the reprieve, I eagerly focus back on the job. There are no overt signs of us being followed, which means it’s not just random hikers.

Someone doesn’t want us to know they’re watching.

Whoever is trailing us is good, keeping their distance, yet their presence is like an itch between my shoulder blades that I can’t scratch. I don’t like people where I can’t see them, and I can’t get over the sensation that we’re being hunted.

I’m tempted to break cover, irritated by the moral guidelines that I’m forced to follow. If River gets hurt because I hesitate, I’ll be beyond pissed.

I calculate the risks, and only one thing holds me back from eliminating the threat—River.

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