Queen of Quarantine

by Caroline Peckham

  “We’ll watch from here,” Monroe said, jerking his chin at the window.

  “Good.” Saint’s eyes fell to me on the floor. “Have you calmed down yet?”

  “No,” I spat.

  He nodded and walked out of the room, like he just needed my answer and wasn’t interested in the feelings behind it at all. Fucking ass baguette.

  Monroe offered me his hand to get up and I slapped it away, pushing myself to my feet.

  “Truce?” he asked and I rolled my eyes, falling back into my seat to gaze out of the window. He folded his arms, standing in front of me and glaring, but I just pointedly ignored him. “You’re asking for trouble.”

  My pulse raced at his words, but I kept my expression neutral, pretending he wasn’t there. He was just a ghost trying to haunt me and I was going to mentally exorcise his ass out of existence.

  “One more chance to talk it out or I’m gonna disarm you whatever way I see fit,” he warned and I offered him my middle finger without looking at him.

  He grabbed my hand and pressed it against his hard cock, rubbing it up and down as I bit my tongue and kept my gaze levelled on the window like I wasn’t remotely affected. So he slid my hand inside his pants and wrapped my fist around it instead, keeping my hand in his as he worked my palm up and down his hot, silky shaft. Saliva built up in my mouth and my core clenched at how good he felt, but my face absolutely didn’t give that away.

  He took hold of my chin and yanked my head around as he shimmied his pants down and made me watch as he forced me to jerk him off. It was fucking hot, but I wasn’t going to lose this game. My poker face was supreme. So bring it on.

  “Eyes up here,” he commanded, but I ignored him, turning to look away again, but he yanked my chin up, forcing me to look him in the eyes. And shit, that made a vat of lava pour into my blood.

  I swallowed and he smirked, seeing that small sign of weakness as he pumped my fist harder over his dick. I could have pulled away, but we were in a game of wills and I never backed down from a challenge. Besides, maybe I was one percent into it.

  “I’m not gonna talk to you,” I said coolly.

  “No?” he questioned in a deep tone that sent a quake through my bones. “Then maybe you should put your mouth to good use another way.” He brought the head of his dick to my lips and gripped the back of my head in a clear demand.

  “You’re not gonna-” I started, but he shoved the tip between my lips and pumped the base of his cock with my hand. I tasted his precum on my tongue and I squeezed my thighs together at how fucking good it was. Why the hell was I getting off on this?

  “That’s better,” he taunted as he drew the tip in out of my lips. “Not such a bad girl now, are you?”

  I looked up at him and rolled my eyes, giving him as much sass as I could as I casually flipped him off again with my other hand. He cursed under his breath, his dick twitching against my tongue as I swirled it around his head and took the power back from him.

  “Tatum,” he groaned and I smiled around his cock, wrapping my fingers tighter around him. As if I was going to make him come though.

  He slid his hand down to grip my throat as a noise of carnal desire rumbled through his chest. I teased him with slow, lazy strokes of my tongue which brought him closer to release only to let my mouth go slack before he reached climax and make him swear colourfully. His hand tightened on my neck and he pushed me off, tugging his sweatpants up as he knocked my hand away from his dick too.

  “Now what are you gonna do?” I arched a brow mockingly and he pursed his lips at my attitude. But I’d gone full bitch and I wasn’t coming back for a while. So he needed to deal with it or leave me the hell alone like I’d asked.

  “Mouthy today, aren’t you?” He leaned down, grabbing my hips and flipping me over, fisting his hand in my hair and pushing my face down into the cushions of the couch.

  “Nash!” I snapped, my voice muffled by the upholstery as I fought to get free, but he wasn’t letting me go, his other hand yanking my yoga pants down and leaving them wrapped around my knees so I couldn’t move. He slid his rigid cock between my legs, angling it to press the smooth length against my pussy then started jerking himself off, rubbing himself back and forth in my wetness as he used it to lubricate his hand.

  “Motherfucker,” I snarled, pressing my ass back to try and stop him, but he just slapped it and continued to pleasure himself with my body while giving me nothing. I clawed my hands against the cushions, fighting to get up but the pressure of his palm on my back increased as he carried on, groaning and grunting as he used me, punished me. My attitude had clearly brought out the asshole teacher in him again and despite my best intentions, I was so freaking here for that.

  He leaned over me so his ragged breaths tickled my ear and sent shivers along my skin. “Are you going to stop being a brat and fuck me like you’re aching to?” he asked.

  My body quivered and my pussy clenched with the need to feel him inside me, but I didn’t say a word, biting my lip hard to keep any noise from coming out. I’m a strong, independent, totally in control wom –

  “Ah,” I moaned as his cock rubbed my clit for the briefest moment. Goddammit.

  “I can feel you trembling, princess,” he laughed. “Are you really gonna be that stubborn?”

  He slid his thick shaft along the centre of me again and my back arched involuntarily to give him more access. I felt him shudder with need and the feel of how much he wanted me made my head spin. But I could not give in. I had a damn point to make. I wasn’t exactly sure what it was anymore, but I was determined to make it anyway.

  “Well? Are you?” he demanded, my pulse daggering as he yanked my hair, pulling my head up so he could hear me speak.

  “Yeah, I am,” I said and to my credit, the words came out sounding pretty icy. He rocked his hips and his dick rubbed against my clit again, making another heady moan fall from my lips and give the game away entirely.

  “Are you sure?” he asked mockingly.

  I could hear the damn grin in his voice and it made me more resilient than ever, but as he pressed the head of his cock to my opening, my entire body convulsed. I ground against him, desperate for more, but he clearly wasn’t going to give it to me unless I said the words.

  He reached under my hips, his fingers sliding through my wetness as he coated them in my arousal before toying with my clit.

  “You don’t play fucking fair,” I snarled, but it came out breathier than I’d planned, pleasure twisting through my flesh from his touch.

  “News flash, gorgeous, I’m not a good man,” he growled. “And I’m getting tired of your games. So I’m gonna fuck you for my own enjoyment. Feel free to change your mind before I finish though.” He shoved himself inside me and I cried out, bracing myself on the cushions as he started dominating my body, moving furiously to climb towards his own release while giving no care for mine. But screw that.

  I slid my hand beneath me, reaching for my clit, but he yanked my arm out before I got close and pinned it to my back. Assbag.

  “Ask nicely,” he demanded and I bit into the cushion to stop myself. He drove himself in harder, his thickness filling every space inside me, his dick jerking as he came close to finishing. I growled like a heathen and his hands moved to grip my hips as he held me at an angle he liked. I threw an elbow back, but it was too late as he groaned, rearing over me as he drove himself up to the hilt inside me and found his release.

  “Oh fuck,” he groaned, the sound so hot it made a tremor ripple through me.

  Anger charged my veins with electricity as he pulled out of me and his grip eased on my hands. I twisted around and kicked off my yoga pants then pulled off my top and flung myself to lie down on the couch. He wants to play dirty? Then fine, I’ll play dirtier.

  “You can go now,” I said airily, grabbing my phone up from where it had fallen on the floor and finding my way onto a porn website.

  I played it loudly, not looking at Nash as he pulled up his
sweats and I dropped a hand between my thighs, holding the screen in front of me and fingering myself just the way I liked. I propped the phone up against my thigh and pushed one hand into my bra, moaning as I watched the two dudes on screen DP a girl, though my mind was wholly on what Monroe had just done to me. Especially because I could feel the evidence of it between my legs.

  “Tatum,” Nash snapped and I ignored him, moaning louder as I kept my gaze on the screen, pretending it was getting me hotter than he had. But no porn site could come close. He’d claimed me for his own pleasure, fucking defiled me. Why was that so damn sexy?

  “This game isn’t funny anymore,” he growled.

  Weird how it wasn’t funny now the tables had turned. I bit my lip, putting on my best porn show as I tugged my bra down beneath my breasts and squeezed them for my pleasure, but mostly to taunt my little voyeur.

  “What’s wrong Nash, can’t you hack it when you’re the one being left out?” I asked without looking at him.

  He leaned down, snatching my phone and throwing it across the goddamn room. It bounced over the carpet out of sight and I gaped at him in surprise. Before I could get a word of anger past my lips, he dropped down on the couch between my thighs, yanking me toward him by the hips and driving his tongue into me. I cried out as he lapped away the wetness between my legs, worshipping me in furious, hungry strokes of his tongue that drove me wild. He ran his tongue in a figure of eight across my clit, looking straight at me as he made my thigh muscles tighten and quiver.

  “You don’t get yourself off over anyone who isn’t a Night Keeper,” he ordered then ran his tongue over my clit possessively again. My head fell back against the end of the couch as he sucked and licked and I was lost in a sea of blinding pleasure.

  He didn’t torment me this time, quickly bringing me towards my orgasm which was so close already that it didn’t take long. I trembled and clawed at his hair as his tongue slid over me and suddenly I was shattering, screaming, praising his fucking name and left panting in the wake of his power.

  “Forgive me?” he smirked, crawling up my body and laying his weight on me.

  I couldn’t help but smile, pushing my fingers through his messed up blonde hair. “On one condition.”

  “Oh yeah, what’s that?” His smirk grew.

  “Admit that I won,” I said and his smirk died a sudden death.

  “Damn you,” he muttered, holding off for a beat longer, but I could see the defeat in his eyes. “Fine, you won, princess. Happy now?”

  “Very.” I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him again, his heart racing against mine as I bathed in the weight of him holding me down.

  “So I actually came here to give you this back. I thought it might cheer you up.” He reached into his pocket and took out the necklace he’d been keeping for me. “No need to hide it from the Devil anymore.” He slid it around my throat, shifting my hair aside as he put it on me and a smile lit my face at having it back. My little memento of Jess was in its rightful home once more.

  “Thank you for keeping it safe for me,” I said and he grinned, kissing me sweetly again.

  “My pleasure.” He stood and I pulled my clothes back on while he flattened his hair, tucking it behind his ears. As I got up, he headed to the window, peering outside and his whole body stiffened.

  “Oh fuck,” he hissed, turning to me with wide eyes. “The army’s here. They’re two doors down.”

  “Shit,” I gasped. What the fuck had we done? We were supposed to be keeping watch. Saint was going to shit a brick, spank us both until our asses were red raw then shit another, bigger brick.

  We ran from the room, tearing back through the movie theatre and racing up to the apartment. We spilled inside and my three other boys leapt out of their seats on the couch, instantly seeing that something was wrong, tension coursing through their muscles like they were prepared for a fight to the death.

  “They’re almost here,” Monroe blurted.

  “Jesus – fuck, why are we just hearing about this now?” Saint demanded, then his eyes skated over us and he cursed. “You had one job, Nash.”

  “It was my fault too,” I said.

  “Oh I am well aware of that,” Saint said coolly, his fingers twitching like he was hungering for a spanking. But there definitely wasn’t time for that right now.

  “Well what are we gonna do?” Nash pressed.

  “I called Niall. My family’s on their way here,” Kyan said. “They’re gonna breach the barricades somewhere. If we can hold out for an hour or two-”

  “We don’t have a fucking hour or two,” Saint growled.

  “Maybe they won’t come in here,” Blake offered with a shrug. “They’re checking houses, right? Why bother hunting through some old boarded up movie theatre?”

  “They’re clearing every building in the city,” Saint hissed. “Of course they’re going to check here, that’s their damn job. This is the army we’re talking about, not a bunch of backwater hillbillies out hunting for a missing alligator. They’re looking for people who could be hiding. People like us.”

  A loud bang came from outside and we looked between each other with concern.

  "Tatum," Saint hissed, echoing all of our thoughts. It was one thing for us to be found here but after that article had been released implicating Tatum in the Hades Virus scandal, there was no way we could risk her getting caught.

  "Over here," Kyan growled, moving to the nearest bed, pulling it out and opening a cupboard behind it. We all followed after him like a flock of sheep being herded, hoping he had some solution for us. “There’s enough space in here. You can fit, baby.”

  “I’m not hiding away in there while the rest of you are left to deal with the army,” she hissed, glaring between the four of us as we all pushed her towards the tiny space. I wasn’t even totally convinced she’d fit in there and there was no chance for any of us to join her.

  "They're hunting for you, siren," Saint replied urgently, dropping the bag filled with our most important possessions onto the countertop and unzipping it. He grabbed an envelope full of fake passports and handed them out. "They won't know who we are. Even if they make us leave with them for this division shit they're implementing, it won't matter. All you have to do is wait here to meet Kyan's family and go with them. We’ll meet you at the O’Brien’s. You'll be safe with them, won't she?" he asked, turning dark eyes on Kyan.

  "I'll message Niall and tell him to look after you personally," he replied with a nod. "You stick by his side until we get back to you and I swear you'll be safe."

  "With a man you've told me is fucking insane and kills people for a living?" I asked incredulously. "How the hell is that her being kept safe?"

  "Uncle Niall might be a gun for hire, but he's also got a moral code hiding beneath the crazy. We don't exactly have time to get into it now, but long story short, about ten years ago his wife was kidnapped, raped and murdered. He hates men who hurt women and he's loyal to me. You can trust that he would die to protect Tatum and it's not like we have anyone else to ask." Kyan quickly finished typing out the message to his uncle then shoved his phone into his boot to conceal it.

  "Not to mention the fact that I can protect myself," Tatum added.

  A loud pounding came from the bolted door and we all froze. "This is Sergeant Jeffers with the Sequoia State Hades Defence Squadron," a man called loudly. "We need you to open up and submit to a virus test."

  Tatum hesitated, but I gave her a little push towards the crawl space Kyan had found. "Go, princess. We can escape some camp easily enough, but getting you back from Troy Memphis for a second time might be impossible," I whispered, begging her with my eyes to accept that this was the way it had to be. I knew she hated us making sacrifices to protect her, but she had to see that in this instance it was the only way. And frankly, I was gonna end up gagging her and shoving her in there myself in a second. I wasn’t going to lose my girl again. No matter how mad she might be at me for making that choice for
her.

  "Just a second!" Blake called out to the officer, tossing a worried look towards Tatum before she finally nodded and dropped down to crawl into the gap behind the bed. It was clear she didn’t like it, but she obviously realised this had to happen.

  She shuffled right back into the shadows and Saint passed her the bag of guns, cash and our most valuable possessions before I grabbed the box of vaccines out of the fridge and just about managed to force it in in front of her. The last thing I saw was the fear for us reflected in her blue eyes before Kyan gave her his hunting knife and baseball bat then placed the wooden shelf back in front of her, concealing her from view. He closed the cupboard door and pushed the bed back into place before standing upright again.

  I exchanged a worried look with Saint before jogging over to take a seat on my bed and Blake checked we were all spread out around the room looking innocent before he unbolted the door and pulled it wide. They must have broken in downstairs somehow and I guessed that meant they really weren’t messing around.

  Two big guys in army uniforms complete with full ventilator masks stood in the doorway and as Blake backed up to let them in, another four soldiers followed them into the room.

  "What is this about?" Saint asked casually as he moved towards them.

  "You may have seen on the news that we have now taken the decision to split the population of our state into different groups in an effort to contain the spread of the Hades Virus to prevent any more people from catching it. As such, we have currently locked down Hemlock City and divided it into quadrants while we go door to door testing everyone and assigning them a group. This is not voluntary. Everyone must submit to a finger prick test and throat swab. Failure to do so will result in you being grouped with the infected members of the population. Do you understand?"

  "Yes sir," Kyan replied from his position laying on the bed, sounding anything other than respectful.

  "We need to see some ID if you have it on you," a female soldier said, stepping forward and glancing around at the apartment in an old movie theatre like she was wondering what the hell we were doing here.