Page 57 of Caged By the Ruthless Thief

“I’m going to fucking kill him.” Nico takes his knee from next to me.

“No, Nico.” I push at the mattress like it’s water.

Holter reaches out and grabs him. “Nico, hear her out.”

His chest heaves. Nico’s thinner than when I last saw him in person, so much thinner. But then, Nico was twice as big as any hay-bale-throwing farmhand we had on the farm. I put my hand out to him, he takes it, and instantly I feel better. I know he’s not going to like what I have to say. And when I glance at Holter, I can see the hurt on his face, the way his smile is lopsided, and how it doesn’t reach his eyes. But then I didn’t expect to go to a ball and be stripped and thrown on a bed. I suppose I should have known, with this city the way it is.

“Talk,” Nico growls.

“I like Eros.” This is where I’m supposed to lie. “When I came back to the city, he helped me.” Not a lie. “And things got out of hand. I didn’t ask him to mate with me, but I’m not upset about it. I’m upset that I didn’t talk to both of you first. Really upset. I shouldn’t have let it happen.” I don’t want to cry. I shouldn’t cry. Nico has been through so much, and here I’ve made it worse. “I tried to get on the plane. Actually, I didn’t try that hard. I couldn’t even get all the way to the gate. I couldn’t live my life without both of you. I had to come back. And I did.”

“How did you get back, Belle?” Holter drops to his knees on the floor, his chest on the mattress, his hands in my hair. “How. Where have you been? Why didn’t you come back to Glyden?”

“Enough.” Nico’s eyes are red. They match the red scars down his legs. “Where is he?”

“I’m here,” Eros says, although I can’t see him. This darn mattress is like lying on silly putty. I hold my breath because a good portion of me believes Nico is going to kill him. “Hey, beautiful.” His smirk is back, and it might get him killed. This possibility is high. “Hey, pod mates.”

“Eros,” Nico growls out. “You can’t mate a mermaid without her consent.”

“That’s a funny thing for you to say. Should we go around and talk about that to the rest of the ball?”

“Eros.” Now it’s Holter who is growling at him.

27

HOLTER

I’m not going to beat myself up about what’s happened. I knew in my soul from the first minute they were flirting in the café that this would happen. Eros, with his smile—he’s playful and light. Things Nico and I aren’t. So no, I’m not surprised. And fuck, I want him gone too. But letting Nico kill him isn’t going to help our chances of success as a pod. No, if anything, it’s going to bring the bottom feeders out. I need to keep Belle as safe as possible.

“Nico, our mate is waiting for us. He mated with her. We can’t do anything about that now. But I need to taste her. So you do what you want, brother—you always do. I’m fucking our mate until she screams my name.” I kiss up the side of her neck, avoiding her new mark as I suck on the back of her ear and then whisper. “Did he find my mark?” I kick my head back to see her expression.

“Holter.” She pulls at my shoulder, pulling me on top of her. “Yes, and he makes her scream when he touches it.”

I straddle her lovely legs. It’s barely been a week, but it feels like a lifetime since I touched her. I can’t decide what part I want to touch most. I lean in and taste her lips. They’re warm, smooth, and needy. Our girl knows what she likes. Her lips press to mine, and nothing else matters. I’m lost in the depths of her skin.

She wraps around me. Every part of me fits into her. Her hands run through my hair and hold me tight to her. The feeling of her fingernails raking through my hair—it’s always been my weakness. I need her, all of her, all the time. I can’t resist her. She ignites the fire within me.

“I’ve missed you,” I whisper. I want to say it louder, but her lips are at my throat, and I can’t form the words. Our plan to show our unity at the ball was solid, but I think we all forgot our own need. I need her so much.

“I missed you too.” Her breath is heady on my neck.

I can’t think of anything else but her. She’s under my skin. I don’t know how to function without her. Her scent, her flavor, it’s so... intoxicating. I ease my hand down between us and find her waiting clit. She’s drenched.

Nico and Eros could be killing each other right now, and I don’t care. I just don’t care. She bucks into my hand when I press against her. I break the kiss. Eros is on one side of her, and Nico sits near her head. They’ve both shucked their clothes. I slide down between her legs and suck on my mate mark, right next to her pussy. She bucks her hips into my face.

“Fuck, Holter. You’re a genius.” Eros moves closer and leans over her, kissing her.

I am, and the fact that he knows the mark is mine makes my cock hard. Her pussy is mine. I suck on her clit and push a finger into her. One at first, because no matter how hard she’s worked, Belle needs to be opened up slowly. I’m pushing the second finger into her when the mattress shifts with Nico’s weight. He’s got one of her breasts in his hand and the other nipple in his mouth.

Am I mad she took a mate without discussing it with us? I should be. Every cell in my body wants to scream with jealousy. But this is Belle we’re talking about. If she says she wanted to tell us first, then I believe her. Do I want to know where she was between Athens and the side door of this dome? Hell yes. But I’m not going to stop this, not if the dome itself implodes. I’d shift and keep working her.

Two fingers in her, and her moan is loud enough Eros can’t contain it.

“That’s right, Little Krill. Let it out.” Nico almost sounds tender.

But he’s not my problem right now. I’m not going to worry about him. Every last ounce of energy I have is focused on my mermaid. On making her know how much I love her. I might not be happy with what happened with Eros. But that’s tomorrow’s problem. Today, I want to feel her thighs squeezing my head so tightly it’s like she’s trying to crack open a clamshell. My tongue and my finger work in rhythm.

“Do it now, Sunshine. Come all over Holter’s face,” Eros says.

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