by Katie May
Avery is a fucking masterpiece, that’s the only word to encapsulate this god of a man. His golden skin is painted with splashes of neon green face-paint, curving up his neck, to his cheeks, and then across his forehead. He’s shirtless, gifting me a view of his taut abs. Very, very briefly I feel a stab of jealousy when a pretty blonde gives Avery an appreciatory once-over, but I smother it down. This man—this gorgeous, compassionate, slightly murderous man—is mine and mine alone. I won’t share him, and he’ll never ask me to. I own him as completely and as absolutely as he owns me.
“Which one?” I question with a snort. “The one at Ashley Brett’s house? Or the one for Jonah’s birthday party at that strip club—”
“The strip club. Definitely the strip club.” He pretends to mock shudder as we move across the parking lot, towards the front of the building. I’m not surprised that my guys know people that will allow us to bypass the line. After all, their entire job is based on knowing people and using them to their advantage. They didn’t become the best assassins in the U.S. because they have big cocks… Though…they totally have big cocks.
“Don’t even remind me.” I groan, scrubbing a hand down my face. “Do you remember when Leslie did that strip-tease? She was totally giving you fuck me eyes the entire time.” I try—I honestly do—to keep my voice devoid of the jealousy I felt that day. We’d only been eighteen, but Leslie had already invested in a boob job. Hers were large and plump, garnering the attention of every man at the party.
“Really?” Avery blinks in genuine confusion. “I didn’t notice.”
“How didn’t you notice?” I exclaim. “She practically had her nipple in your face.”
This time, his smile is softer, sweeter. There’s no underlying darkness lingering, waiting to pounce. “Because all I could focus on was you.”
Fluttery butterflies spread through my chest as I smile up at him like a love-struck idiot.
“Really?” I breathe.
“You guys. Focus,” Desmond cuts in, playfully whacking us on the backs of our heads. He saunters a few steps in front of me, and I can’t stop the drool from escaping as I devour him from head to toe. Like Avery, he’s shirtless, but unlike Avery, he’s wearing tight leather pants instead of jeans. They squeeze his muscular thighs in the very same way I did just a few hours earlier. His dark hair brushes his chiseled chin as he flashes me a brilliant smile. He wears two glow sticks around one wrist and three around the other. On his chest is a neon print of my hand, directly over his heart.
“You’re just jealous,” Avery jibes, but the animosity that had been saturating the air earlier is nowhere to be seen. Good sex can do that for you.
“Of your pathetic ass?” Desmond throws his head back in laughter, continuing to walk backwards. He seems utterly oblivious to the numerous stares being thrown in his direction from the simpering, beautiful females. Fuck, why do my men have to be so fucking sexy?
As Avery and Desmond continue to verbally spar with each other, Helio places a large, calloused hand on my shoulder. His skin has never been smooth; I remember that distinctly from our time in the Realm of the Gods. It’s always been hard and cracked in places from years—no, centuries of hard, diligent work. It’s just one of the many things I love about him.
“Stay with one of us at all times tonight,” he instructs in that growly, husky voice of his. It never fails to make goosebumps ripple on my skin as my body simultaneously screams at me to run and hide. To wait until he chases me like a lion stalking a gazelle. Everything about Helio—from his muscular, six-foot-five frame, to his penetrating brown gaze, to the tribal tattoos wrapping around his forearm—exudes danger and masculinity. And while some people will run in the opposite direction, screaming their heads off, I want to run towards him. I want him to unleash his monster on me, chasing me until I submit. It’s a heady sensation, and one that causes a blush to enter my cheeks.
“I will,” I promise, lightly running a finger down a vein on his forearm. He shudders delicately, and I bite down on my lip to contain my smile. It never fails to amaze me that I’m capable of affecting a man like Helio Merrit, the God of Karma. To the others, I remind, “We’re not engaging with Rebecca at this time. I just want to make sure that it’s actually her before we plan anything.”
Before I destroy my brothers’ lives by killing the woman they love.
Before I make them hate me forever.
“Aye, aye, captain!” Sin, instead of a salute, uses his pointer and middle finger to make a sideways V. He then brings them to his mouth and begins to swirl his tongue around in a decidedly vulgar…and oddly erotic…gesture. My mind flashes to his tongue licking every inch of my body, and there’s no stopping the heat that unfurls in my stomach.
Soon, I whisper firmly, but I don’t know if I’m telling myself that…or mentally relaying that information to Sin. Something must appear in my eyes, for his own sharpen and heat exponentially. He drops his hand, but his tongue continues to fuck the air.
Today, he’s wearing his customary black suit with the cuffs rolled up. His blond, wavy hair is parted down the middle, giving him a disheveled look, despite the form-fitting suit. His facial hair has been neatly trimmed, framing pillowy lips that I know taste like sin itself—a fitting namesake.
The only guy that’s missing is Tate, much to his disgruntlement. Instead, we sent him to the police station to look up everything he could on the dead assassin from the warehouse and Rebecca Moon. I promised to text him with updates, and though he acted like he didn’t give a shit either way, I could see the relief in his eyes that he wouldn’t be kept in the dark.
Of course, that relief transformed into lust when he fucked me in the back of his police cruiser.
Ten out of ten would recommend getting a cop boyfriend.
“Let’s do this thing,” I whisper, squaring my shoulders.
As Desmond predicted, the bouncers let us straight in with subservient head nods. I have no idea what my guys did to instill the fear of God—pun intended—in them, but I have to say that it came in handy.
The interior of Crystals is a direct contrast to the rundown exterior. Strobe lights illuminate the throng of writhing bodies, each person dressed in a similar fashion to me and my guys. I spot numerous neon green shirts, face-paint, and stark white tennis shoes. The music blares an unfamiliar pop song as alcohol and cocaine are passed freely around. Not even four feet away from me, I spot a group of men snorting coke as scantily-clad women sit on their laps.
“I want to dance!” Sin screams immediately, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the dance floor. I turn desperately towards my other three men, and they all nod in understanding.
They’ll look for Rebecca while I dance with Sin.
The dance floor is congregated with sweaty bodies, each one grinding against one another. I don’t think that anyone could consider what’s happening here dancing. It’s too…erotic for that. Too untamed.
Arsin wastes no time placing his hands on my waist as he sways to the music. He’s no doubt suffocating under the glaring lights in his dark suit, but it’s so fucking worth it. Because Sin? He looks sexy as fuck right now.
I move my hips in tandem to his, swaying side by side as he holds me. Leaning closer, so his words can be heard over the music, he says, “You’re so fucking glorious, Emily.”
Smiling slightly, I twist in his arms, until my ass is flush against his already hard cock. Even through my skimpy neon pink dress and his dress pants, I can feel how hard he is for me. How ready. If we weren’t in a sea of humans, I would have him pull up my dress, rip off my panties, and fuck me senseless. My body is craving his in a way that defies logic. It’s almost a painful need, as if I might combust if I don’t get his cock inside of me soon.
Sin abruptly slices a look at a guy who begins dancing in front of me, attempting to grind against me. I have no doubt that Sin will find him later tonight and…well…my God of Flames isn’t known for his leniency any more than Avery is.
“I’m not sharing you with him,” he growls as his nose brushes my own.
“There are only five men who own my heart, and they’ll only ever be. You guys are my soulmates,” I state firmly.
“You know…” His voice lowers, becoming deceptively casual as his hands skim down my sides and cup my ass in a possessive move. “I’m going to find where that guy lives and set him on fire as soon as we’re done here.”
Instead of responding to him with words, I press up on my tiptoes and plant my lips to his. It’s a quick kiss, finished way too soon for both of our likings, but it shuts him up.
“Dance with me,” I whisper breathlessly as I twist in his arms.
We dance for about an hour before calling it quits and moving across the dance floor to the open bar. I spot Helio immediately standing in the corner, his face shrouded in ominous shadows. I figured that at one point tonight, every girl in the vicinity was clamoring for even a drop of his attention. But they quickly realized that every pore of his body screams ‘fuck off and back away.’
Breaking away from Sin, I move towards Helio, easily sidestepping the drunk men and women who get too close. When I’m directly in front of him, I push onto my tiptoes and press my lips to his ear.
“Find anything?” I question as his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me against his muscular body.
Helio silently shakes his head no, eyes roving over my face before staring over my shoulder at the ever-growing crowd. Always vigilant, my Helio. Always aware of everything and everyone.
I twist in his arms so my back is to his front, his chin resting comfortably on my shoulder as he holds me. From this angle, I can see the crowded bar, the cluttered dance floor, and the long lines leading to the bathroom. Desmond and Avery are engaged in conversation with a few frat-boy looking men. Desmond is nursing a bottle of beer while Avery has some sort of pink drink with an umbrella inside of it. As if they can feel my eyes on them, they glance in my direction in eerie unison.
Desmond’s smile broadens as he lifts his beer bottle in a mock salute. Avery merely smirks as his full lips wrap around the straw, sipping. My heart stops, and heat floods my body at the seductive sight. Memories of our time together replay through my head. Fuck, did that really happen only a few hours ago? It feels like a lifetime.
I wrench my gaze away from them and continue to scan the crowd, but there’s no Rebecca.
“She’s not here,” I call to Helio, raising my voice to be heard over the thumping, techno beat.
He grunts, constricting his arms around my waist like an insidious snake. And though his bite is toxic, I welcome the pain with open arms.
My gaze stops abruptly on Sin, who’s leaning over the bar. Beside him, her breasts brushing against his arm, is an unfamiliar brunette. She’s pretty—I’m not gonna lie and say she isn’t—and wears a pair of jeans so short that her ass is hanging out and a crop-top. The shirt cuts low enough to see the swell of her breasts, currently painted a neon green that matches her vibrant lipstick.
As I watch, trembling with anger, she tugs her tank top strap down, until her entire breast falls out. At this point, she’s practically shoving her bare tit in his face.
Tension engulfs the room as I stare daggers at the two of them. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.
But when Sin doesn’t push her fucking boob away, I see red.
Ignoring Helio’s annoyed grunt, I push through the crowd until I’m hovering over them. The flashing lights make it difficult for me to clearly read the expression on her face, but I can tell that her bright green lips are tightened into a frown.
“Can I help you?” she asks, quirking her perfectly plucked brow. I wonder if the other areas on her body are plucked that meticulously.
“Sin,” I growl, trying to get a grip on my jealousy. But it’s hard, so fucking hard, with the return of my memories. At that moment, I’m not Emily Lopez. I’m the Goddess of Pain, and this bitch is touching my man.
He spins towards me, wide smile on his gorgeous face.
“Emmy,” he purrs, capturing my waist and trailing his hands to my butt. Resisting the urge to snarl like a cornered animal, I grip his wrist and pull him through the crowd, out the door, and into the icy air. The bouncer nods to me in greeting when I pass, but one look from Sin has him cowering in terror.
“Don’t look at my woman,” Sin hisses, wrapping a possessive arm around my shoulder. Immediately, I shrug him off, quickening my pace until we reach a moderately empty stretch of parking lot. I spin on my heel, shocked to see pain and confusion in his gaze at my rejection of his touch.
“What the hell, Sin?” The wind is biting today, blowing my black hair around my face. “Why didn’t you push her away?”
“What?” He stares at me in genuine bemusement.
“That girl had her tit on you!”
“What?” he repeats.
“She had her bare fucking tit on you, Sin! Why didn’t you push her away? Why didn’t you stop it?” I’m panting, struggling to hold on to my anger, because beneath all of that is pain. Lots and lots of pain.
Juggling five men like mine…
It’s not always easy, and there are many days that I feel inadequate. Why do they remain with me when they can have any girl they want? Why are they loyal when they can easily get their dicks wet? Not once—not in the numerous centuries we have been together—have they ever cheated on me. Has something changed since we got here? Do they no longer feel that way about me?
Anger momentarily darkens Sin’s eyes as he releases a hiss of air. Fire erupts on both of his hands.
“I’ll burn her,” he says, voice nearly unrecognizable. “I’ll burn her alive.”
“Sin, no.” And now, I’m not angry or even upset. I’m just…tired.
“You want to know the truth?” Abruptly, he grabs my waist, the flames from his palms searing first my dress and then my flesh and making my back arch in both pain and pleasure. Smoke wafts through the air as I gasp, my eyes rolling into the back of my head. “These humans…these people…they’re nothing to me. They’re ants. They’re not even worth an ounce of my attention.” Orange and red flames ripple down his body, and everywhere we touch, I burn. Instead of a gasp of pain, I release a low moan, my hips jerking against his leg.
“Sin…”
“Here’s what I’m going to do.” His fire kisses my skin, and the smell of burnt flesh permeates the air. When he pulls his hand away, I know that my skin will be blackened and charred from his fire. “I’m going to go back inside, find this woman you speak of that made you doubt me for even a fucking second, and kill her. And then, I’ll find the guy who tried to dance with you and kill him too. And maybe I’ll kill the bouncer who looked at you when we left.”
“Sin, no.” I cup his cheeks, staring into his burning eyes. Each pupil holds a miniature flame that twists and dances, a kaleidoscope of crimson, burnt orange, and aspen yellow. “I didn’t doubt you…” I trail off, unable to express the thoughts running rampant through my head.
“Then what?” he demands as he trails his hands up my sides, burning away more and more of my dress and flesh. His cock is painfully hard, poking against my skin, as I grind against him like one of those horny humans we saw in the club.
“I was jealous,” I admit, slightly breathless. “Becoming human, even for a little bit, changed me.”
“Changed you how?” His finger brushes first one cheekbone and then the other, and I throw my head back at the agony that erupts on my flesh. Immediately, that agony transforms into a white-hot pleasure as I feel an orgasm rapidly approaching. I begin to move my hips faster and faster, his leg brushing against that sweet spot with every thrust of my hips. But before I can reach that edge, before I can propel myself over, Sin steps away, head tilted to the
side. “Changed you how?” he repeats, and the car behind him goes up in flames, metal pieces spewing in all directions. People begin to scream, and I just know that this night is going to be cut short.
But I can’t find it in me to give a damn.
“Changed. You. How?” Each word is cold leaving his lips, a direct juxtaposition to the fire emitting from his skin. Another car goes up into flames, and I hear someone scream about bombs.
Footsteps pound from all directions, and I desperately grab at Sin’s hand, pulling him away from the crowded parking lot and into a secluded corner.
“It’s just me,” I whisper. “And it’s you. And Helio. And Desmond. And Avery. And Tate.”
A third car explodes from behind me, but I don’t jump.
“I don’t know if…” I swallow around the acorn-sized lump in my throat. “I don’t know if I’m enough for you guys.”
“Don’t know if you’re…?” The fire abruptly recedes from Sin’s skin as he throws his head back in laughter. It’s a manic sound, one that has every survival instinct inside of me wanting to run screaming in the opposite direction. But instead, I remain firm, waiting until his laughter abates.
“What the hell is so funny?”
His laughter fades as quickly as it began, and he levels me with a look so dangerous and spiteful, that if I didn’t know he was in love with me, I would be scared for my life.
“You don’t get to think that,” he snaps curtly. “You don’t get to ever think that.”
“But—”
“You’re my sanity, Emily.” He reaches for my waist, the dress burned in more places than not, and rubs soothing circles into the bare skin that one of the holes reveals. I can’t help but stare at the tattoos etched on his knuckles. Currently, only the F and a little bit of the L of FLAME are visible. “I can’t do this without you.”
“Sin,” I whisper, “I don’t want that. I want you to be with me because you want to, not because you need to.”