by Coralee June
“You gonna kill the rat bastard?” Mia asked as Tallis flexed his muscles.
“Yes,” Maverick replied instantly. I sensed Huxley tensing beside me, could hear the hiss of breath escaping his lips at Maverick’s answer. We all knew it had to be severe in order for my compassionate man to accept death like it was nothing.
“Good,” Mia whispered. We all watched as she gazed off in the distance; the only sign that she was distressed was in the way her body trembled ever so slightly. “Tallis?” she asked before taking a sip of water then closing her eyes. “Make him suffer.”
With those three words, Tallis gave a sad nod and prepared to go. But surprisingly, Jules stood and placed a hand on his chest. We all watched their silent conversation. The compassion in Jules’ eyes as she nodded once, an unspoken agreement between them both.
“I’ll take care of it,” she whispered, and I saw Tallis relax a little as if he were thankful to be spared for inflicting violence. Maybe the fierce leader didn’t like bloodshed after all.
Chapter Eleven
Lenny died a gruesome death. Or at least, that’s what I’d come to assume. It sounded excruciating.
Lenny screamed so loudly that everyone could hear his suffering. Even when his voice went hoarse, the haunting torture filled the space. Huxley went with Jules, likely to help her end his life. For once, Huxley’s vengeful and protective nature wasn’t a bad thing. I was desensitized to death, yes, but the screams coming from just outside the city made my skin crawl.
It made me wonder. Did Cavil cry? I couldn’t remember.
If there were doubts about Cyler and the rest of the leadership council strolling in and taking over, the people of Lythe were convinced now. They were naturally suspicious when they first woke up from the tunnel poison, and we couldn’t blame them. The entire empire was built by leaders pretending to have their people’s best interests at heart.
However, Lenny’s death solidified their loyalty to Cyler and his men, making me wonder what other terrible things Lenny did while the people of Lythe were under the influence of the tunnel poison. They cooperated with enthusiasm, and by nightfall, not a single person whispered a word against us. They were excited to have direction but also fearful of going against us. It was a delicate balance, leadership. Fear and compassion spearheaded Cyler's reign, and soon everyone had a job and a purpose.
After everyone was settled with a purpose for the evening, our team met up in the main room where Mia was. All of us surrounded her as she finally ate a few bites of crackers. She had to eat slowly so as not to get sick. Jules had showered since the confrontation with Lenny and was now holding Mia’s hand. Jules kept staring at her affectionately, and the redness in Jules’ eyes made me wonder if she knew now the details of what had happened to our sweet friend. But none of us talked about it. Mia made it very clear that it was a subject not to be broached.
“I’m not comfortable leaving Mia,” Jules said with a frown. If Mia weren’t in so much pain, I’m sure she would’ve rolled her eyes or served us a quick quip about how she was more than capable of taking care of herself. But the fact that she didn’t showed just how tired and weak she was.
“I agree. I think you and Tallis need to stay here,” Cyler replied. He looked tired while standing to my left, arms crossed at his chest. His wide stance and fierce expression didn’t hide the exhaustion in his eyes.
I glanced over at Tallis, who was sitting cross-legged on the floor to my right, near Jules. I wish I understood him more. The quiet way he observed the room was entirely unlike the fierce leader I once knew. He seemed like the type to take charge and care for his people stoically and wisely. But he was a mere ghost of that man now. “What about the people here?“ Tallis asked.
Cyler let out a low, gravel-filled sigh before responding. “This is the first civilization I’ve seen since Cavil’s death. I’m trusting you to protect them—lead them—while we are gone.”
Tallis thrust his fingers through his long white hair before bending over to cup his face in his hands. Jules watched him with compassion, and her hand reached out and gently grabbed his knee with a reassuring squeeze before he finally spoke. “I don’t think I can do this,” Tallis said. His voice was muffled as he spoke into the palm of his hands.
Suddenly, it was as if we all felt like we were intruding on a private moment. I knew that Tallis felt some sort of guilt over the loss of his people, but I didn’t realize how deep this disappointment went. It made me wonder if Cyler was experiencing the same regret regarding his people. Did he feel like he had failed them?
As if to answer my unspoken question, Cyler moved forward and crouched beside the Scavenger. I felt a hand on my back and sighed when I realized it was Patrick offering me wordless comfort. His strong fingers massaged the knots in my shoulders as Cyler spoke.
“I haven’t slept since leaving Dormas,” Cyler admitted. I could hear the emotion in his deep tone, and it broke my heart. I had been so wrapped up in my own loss that I hadn’t thought about everything they were enduring. Dormas was his father’s legacy, and now it was gone. “Every time I try to close my eyes, all I see is all the people I failed.”
Tallis choked back his emotions, but I noticed the way his back shook as if the sobs were stuck in his chest. “Everyone is gone. Thurst and Bowden refused to come with me. What kind of leader am I if I have no one to lead? I failed them. We failed them,” he sobbed.
Cyler stood up and clutched his chest. There was a painful twist in his expression as he watched Tallis break down, his guilt a reflection of his own regrets. It was as if those words had physically wounded him. He gave me a sideways glance as if stealing a bit of strength from my gaze. “From what I can tell, these people need us. You’re a good leader. Don’t take the blame for a crumbling empire. The only way we will survive this is if we rebuild. And along the way, maybe you’ll find some of your people. Focus on standing back up, Scavenger.”
Our entire group went quiet after that. We stood there for what felt like hours while staring at Mia’s moving chest. Each breath gave us comfort that she was okay. In a lot of ways, she represented the empire. Despite fighting for her life, she was still here. She was still breathing. There was hope that she would get better, as would the empire.
“We will leave by transport in the morning,” Cyler finally added before stomping off outside towards a makeshift bedroom he had prepared for the evening in the back of the abandoned building we had set up as the command center.
Turning around, I gave Patrick an appreciative smile. He pulled his hand back and nodded once, already knowing what I had planned to do. Cyler Black was a strong man, and I knew that he was more than capable of motivating the masses. But right now, I sensed that he needed someone to have faith in him, too. After briefly looking around the room at my other men, I followed after Cyler, determined to soothe the pain he hid from the world.
There was a door covering the room Cyler made for us. I smiled at the thoughtful pallet on the floor, cushioned with extra blankets, a detail he probably explicitly made for me. He knew my back had been bothering me from sleeping on the ground and in the transport for the last two weeks. “Cy?” I called out to him. He was sitting on a chair in the corner of the room, a single beam of light shining down on him, casting shadows along the angles of his strong face.
“Babe,” he called back. His voice was strained with emotion, and it made my heart sink a bit deeper into my chest. “How’d I know you’d follow me in here?” he asked with a smile before patting his knee. I sauntered over to him and sat on his lap. The moment our skin connected, he shifted my legs and cradled me to his chest. It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but I reveled in being held close.
“I see the way you carry the empire on your shoulders. You told Tallis all the things you’re trying to convince yourself of,” I whispered before placing a gentle kiss on his neck that made him shiver in response. I breathed in his cinnamon scent before speaking again. “I’ve been so focused
on myself I didn’t even really have time to consider how Dormas would affect you. I’m sorry.”
Cyler dipped his face and placed a tender kiss on my lips that lingered only a breath. When he pulled away, Cyler stared intensely into my eyes before speaking again. “Seeing you think about yourself is sexy, Babe. I wasn’t really in a place to talk about my feelings. For all my talk of telling you not to rush head first into action, I’m doing the same damn thing. I saw these people here, saw their conditions, and dived in. Like it could possibly make up for the fact that I abandoned my father’s legacy.” His eyes dipped like he couldn’t bear to look me in the eye at that confession.
“You didn’t abandon them, Cy,” I promised, keeping my voice steady as I got up to reposition my body. Straddling his hips, I sunk down before cupping his cheeks in my hands, forcing him to stare back at me. “You did the best you could, given the circumstances. You’re going to save the damn empire, Cyler Black. You’re gonna lead the masses. We just have to get settled and deal with the cure first.”
Cyler leaned forward and kissed me again, pressing his lips to mine with such passion that I almost couldn’t feel the soft tears trailing down his cheeks. It broke me to feel his pain. So I did the only thing I knew to do, I kissed him so hard that he wouldn’t feel anything but my body and my love. Moaning into his mouth, I shifted my hips forward, preening when I felt his hard erection straining against his pants. Trailing my fingers down his shirt, I gripped the bottom of the tattered cotton fabric and inched it up, breaking our kiss only to remove the material that kept us separated.
He deepened the kiss once my lips fastened themselves back to his, licking my bottom lip as if asking if he could taste me. It was sweet and sensual but demanding, too. Parting my lips, he then sucked on my mouth, gnawing at my plump flesh like it was a tasty treat. “Babe, you’re the best thing to ever happen to me,” he said in a breathless tone before grabbing the collar of Huxley’s shirt I was still wearing, and ripping it down the center. I smiled.
“Huxley’s going to be pissed that you ruined his shirt,” I said while reaching behind me to unclasp my bra. Cyler kept his hands on my hips to steady me while I gazed into his dark eyes, which were no longer full of sadness.
“Huxley can fuck off,” Cyler growled in response, his words taking on a possessive tone that made me hum in appreciation. I wanted our group dynamic to work—more than anything—but there was something to be said for being uncontrollably desired.
The moment my breasts were free, Cyler’s hands flew to grab them, pinching my nipples as he dove in for another kiss. I could feel myself getting hot with each stroke of his tongue and move of his fingers. “Cyler,” I pleaded while grinding against him for relief. It wasn’t enough. I needed more.
Without having to ask, Cyler stood up. I wrapped my thighs around his waist, determined to keep contact with his body. I didn’t want an inch to separate us for even a second. He carried me to the pallet on the floor then laid us both down. The moment my back hit the mattress, I arched my hips, wordlessly begging him to take my trousers off.
“You’re so beautiful, Babe,” he said, his voice reverent as he eased my pants off my trembling legs with precision. I felt his rough fingers scrape along my thighs, lingering just outside my pussy before slinking them down further. Once my pants were gone, he tore my panties from my body with one fell swoop, baring me entirely to him as I lie on the pallet.
“Mine, for now. Tell me you’re just mine for a minute, Babe. I need to feel like I own your body and heart for a little while,” he pleaded while kissing a trail up my legs all the way to my stomach. Looking up at me, he paused before licking my breast.
“I’m yours, Cyler Black. I’m completely yours,” I said in a whisper, and he rewarded me with a flick of his tongue and careful kneading of my breasts. I wrapped my legs around his hips, guiding him closer to my entrance as he seared another kiss to my lips. He tasted like crisp mint.
I loved this man. I loved the way our bodies seemed to fit perfectly. I loved how instinctually we acted, like kissing him was as natural as breathing. Darting my tongue out, I devoured Cyler Black with everything I had, arching up once more to encourage him to fill me up.
While holding himself up with one hand, he led his index finger down to my core and ran a line up my slit, smiling against my lips in satisfaction when he felt how wet I was.
“You’re so ready for me,” he whispered in awe before guiding the head of his cock against me then pressing inside, moving with such control and steadiness I almost clawed him to death for more. It felt like exquisite torture, waiting for him to pump into me with the intensity I craved. “Fuck, you’re so damn tight, Babe,” he said with a moan as if it felt so good that it hurt.
I jolted up before begging him to move faster. “Harder, Cy,” I coaxed before biting my lip. He leaned down to kiss my lips while keeping the rest of his body impossibly still inside of me. It wasn’t enough. I needed more. Harder. Faster.
“More, Cy,” I pleaded again while writhing beneath him.
“Ask me again,” he ordered between kisses, grinning against my pout like this teasing torture was the best thing to ever happen to him.
I wrapped my hands around his back and clawed at his skin, showing him how much more I wanted to feel him—to show him how much I craved the wild sides of him. “More,” I hissed. The hiss he let out tasted decadent, and he flexed as I scraped a sharp nail down his spine. I never thought I’d ever be so brazen in the bedroom, given my limited experience, but that was the thing about Cyler Black. From the day he met me back at Stonewell Manor, he changed me. Molded me into a version of myself that didn’t hide behind shy smiles and polite societal norms.
Cyler Black didn’t just give me my wings. He gave me claws, too.
I didn’t have to beg again. Cyler thrust in a way that felt equally harsh and perfect. My teeth were rattling from the force of it. I took every damn drop of his guilt and grief, drank it up like it was the only thing that could make us whole again. I met each of his movements while crying out, not caring if the entire damn city could hear me.
We went like that for so long that I didn’t know where my body ended and his began. We moved like two people hanging on for dear life, knowing that at any moment, our grip could slip; at any moment, we could be like the rest of the empire and die.
But tonight? We were alive. Very, very, alive.
Chapter Twelve
“Surprised you’re up early,” Jules said while rolling her eyes. I adjusted the tight, black trousers I was wearing while looking at her. I was sore, each step reminding me of the night I shared with Cyler. I chewed on my swollen lip while cocking my eyebrow.
“What does that mean?” I asked. We were loading up the transport just outside Lythe entrance with what little supplies we could pull together. Mia wasn’t stable, but both she and Jules insisted that we continue on our quest for Payne.
“Girl, I’m half traumatized, half disgusted, and a pinch curious about the animal sounds coming from your room with Cyler last night,” Jules said with a shiver before tossing a box of rations in the transport. She placed her hands on her hips and looked me up and down with a smirk. I felt my cheeks heat and wanted nothing more than to hide. Jules and I had an unlikely relationship, and I used the term “relationship” loosely. It was more of a truce.
But regardless the name for whatever it was we were, it didn’t mean I was comfortable talking about the incredible sex I had with her brother the night before. “Um, sorry,” I offered with a grimace. I wasn’t really sorry.
I felt hands on my hips from behind and lips on the back of my neck. “I like you wearing your hair up like this,” a warm voice whispered over my skin. The straightening serum Jules put in my hair back at Madam B’s brothel had officially worn off, and I wasn’t willing to fight with my curls. They had come back with a vengeance. I turned around to face Maverick, who was eyeing me with appreciation. “Gives me better access to the sensitive skin on you
r neck,” he practically growled.
I was almost lost in the moment, the ominous travel ahead of us nearly forgotten as I lifted up on my toes to kiss Maverick, but a shrill shriek stopped us. “Disgusting! For the love of Dormas, please stop!” Jules yelled while throwing her hands up. With a light chuckle, Maverick winked at me before brushing his thumb along my neck, where I knew there was a mark from where Cyler nipped at my skin the night before.
“Mia’s asking for you,” he whispered. “The others have already said goodbye. We’ll meet you at the transport in fifteen.”
Walking back to the makeshift command center, I used the three minutes of solitude to study myself. Everything felt like a whirlwind. Every second since killing Cavil was filled with extreme highs and lows. When I opened the door to the building, I was surprised to see people already up and moving for the day.
People pushed past me as they cleaned the room and organized supplies with Tallis giving off commands towards the back wall. I took a moment to admire the fierce leader in his element. He seemed once again at ease, leading with that wise, charismatic way I was drawn to when we met.
Our eyes met for a moment, and I watched his expression twist into something that looked somewhere between amusement and peace. He didn’t cross the short distance to say goodbye to me. The state of the empire meant that goodbyes had a permanence about them that was too depressing to meet head-on. We never had the sort of relationship that meant tear-filled goodbyes. So instead, he nodded once then continued picking up where Cyler left off, building what little of the community he could into something that I hoped would one day survive.