Page 26 of Dark OZ

On the security feed, I watched Thea’s confusion clear and her resolve harden. She looked just like that girl I’d seen in Eastin’s tower, dangerous and fierce, not willing to accept fear when rage was so much more potent. It was that hard edge of her eyes in contrast to the softness of her movements that had hooked me. It was what was hooking me now.

She looked down at the boxers I laid out for her, mine. Just the thought of that sweet cunt rubbing against them had blood rushing straight to my dick. I’d never thought of myself as having a voyeur kink, but as she ran her hands over her breasts I knew the house could be burning and I wouldn’t look away. There was no end to the filthy scenarios running through my mind, all to the sound of Danny trying to remind Nick that it was his final call—as if that ever worked.

A furious-looking Thea stormed off-screen, and seconds later, the intercom flared to life with the sounds of her battle cry. Danny looked up, watching with a scowl as the light blinked back off. Nick had a look of indifference that was mildly infuriating. After everything he’d watched her endure last night and his understanding of exactly what she’d gone through to end up in that state, I would have expected a little more softness from him. This morning, it was almost as if tending to Thea made him more bristly.

“Well, looks like the Princess is awake.” Danny looked at me with disdain. “She’s your new pet. Go deal with it.”

I didn’t need to be told. I was already slipping my phone into my pocket, grabbing my coffee from the table, and heading towards the stairs.

Now, I was sitting on my bathroom counter, realizing I had a boner hard enough to drill concrete and a girl whose body could most definitely not take the pounding I wanted to give to her. Thea went slack as the flood of her orgasm left her weak. Against my chest, she made tiny mewling sounds of satisfaction. Fuck, I’d give anything to ramp her back up and see how many more sounds I could wring from those sweet lips.

Carefully, I folded Thea into my arms. Her erratic breathing slowed. She peered up at me with glossy eyes, her pupils blown wide and a thin sheen of sweat clinging to her brow. I ran a thumb over it and smirked with pride. “Can you stand?”

There was a moment when her eyes went wide with clarity. Her mouth hung open like she couldn’t figure out what to say. She nodded her head, pushing away from me until she was upright. I hopped down from the counter and walked over to the shower.

The water came out of the two frontal spouts in a rush. “Let’s get you cleaned up, and then we can put fresh dressings on.”

Thea folded her arms over her chest and pressed her thighs together as if she just realized she was naked.

“It’s a bit late for that, Darling. I think once I’ve had your breast in my mouth, you can stop trying to cover them up.”

I put my hand into the spray to test the heat, but I couldn’t take my eyes off the way her cheeks flushed. Or the way Thea doubled down on her stance. Hands on her hips, she lengthened her spine with a slight lift to her chin.

“Turn around and brace your hands on the counter,” I said, not bothering to hide my smile.

“Why? So you can do whatever hypnosis you just did in the hopes that I’ll let you touch me again.”

“The only thing hypnotic in this bathroom was the sound of your breathing as you came riding my hand.”

Dorothy’s stance slipped, lips parting in surprise.

“I need you to turn around so I can remove the bandages.” I ran a thumb over my bottom lip, remembering the way hers felt against it. The ragged breaths she took as I stole the air from her kiss and the caress of her tongue as she took from me just as much as I demanded from her. “But if you want me to touch you again all you have to do is say, please.”

A stuttering breath left her as she tried and failed to answer.

“Speechless. I’m flattered. Now, turn around, beautiful.”

This time, she listened, facing the mirror and holding onto the counter. Her expression fell when she saw her reflection. I could see the way her eyes traveled over the mark on her cheek to the hair that was missing its luster. “I don’t know how you can call me that. I look like something stuck to the bottom of your shoe, the kind that you can’t tell what it is anymore but there are tiny bits of gravel stuck to it.”

I moved behind her, pulling her hair back and kissing her neck just above the mark I had left. Our eyes met in the reflection. “You don’t get it. The fact that you went through this—” My hand skimmed over the dressings on her back, over the swell of her ass, and down to the bandages taped to her legs. “—and came out on the other side with fists still swinging is what makes you beautiful.” I placed a finger to her chin and turned her face to mine. “All of this—” I hovered a soft kiss over the suture tape on her cheekbone. “is temporary. Long after the bruises have faded, your fight will still be what fuels your beauty.” I raised my hand back to her ass, squeezing the cheek appreciatively and sucking in a breath through my teeth. “Of course the rest of this doesn’t hurt.”

She lowered her lashes and pushed back into my hand. “Thank you…” Her voice was so low I wasn’t sure if I hadn’t imagined it. Thea lifted her head, meeting my eyes once more in the mirror. “… for reminding me that I’m more than what has been done to me.” A tear slipped from the corner of her eye and trailed over the bruise. But when she spoke again, it was with conviction. “This morning, when I woke up, I ached everywhere, including my heart. It was hard to feel like I was anything but weak. I hate feeling like everything is out of my control because nothing was in my control for so long, and it nearly got me killed. I don’t want to feel that way anymore. I’m done being a pawn in someone else’s game.” Her lips hardened into a serious line. That ferocity I craved glared back at me so thoroughly that it felt like I was in the presence of something much greater than either of us. It felt like destiny staring back at me through those hazel eyes.

I cleared my throat, trying not to show how deeply this moment was resonating with me. She craved control, but I knew Danny would never give her any. As much as I wanted to give that to her, and sit back to watch what would happen when she was truly unleashed, I knew I couldn’t.

“I’m going to start removing the bandages now,” I said, trying to change the direction her thoughts were going, “and then we’re getting in that shower.”

Chapter 12

Istaredattheblack screen, watching a white curser blink at the end of a long line of white text. It had already been thirty minutes since I submitted my query onto the E.C. dark server, but there was no response. The Wizard would have recognized my call sign. They should have known I was reaching out. And yet, nothing.

Yellow Brick was well known in the Cardinal Territories. We’ve been running jobs across the quadrants for years now. It shouldn’t be taking this long; unless we’d been blacklisted. There was only one sin great enough to get blacklisted in Oz—make a move specifically targeting one of the four leaders. Given that, as of sixteen hours ago, Eastin Witcher no longer had a face, that was a very real possibility. Being blacklisted was somethingIcouldn’t afford, especially not now.

I drummed my fingers over the end of my armrest. If footage from Eastin’s tower had leaked and Crowe had been made, then we were fucked. He insisted that he cut the security feed to the garage before Dorothy made her exit, but what if he or the cab had been recognized? YBR cabs were nondescript by design, but still.

For the hundredth time tonight, I rolled the facts over in my head. What the hell had Gigi gotten us into? As much as I hate admitting when Crowe is right, every time that shady bitch pulled strings, we all danced like obedient little puppets. It was something we put up with because, in the end, we usually profited big. I couldn’t shake the feeling that this time she was offering us up as a sacrifice to some much larger plan.

And then there was Emily Rosen to consider. She wasn’t going to let this turn of events go without consequence. We had her niece. She would be looking for her. No sane person just lets millions walk away. It was one thing when she thought Eastin would kill her, but now Dorothy was in the wind, and that had to rattle the old bird.

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