“Answer the question, Eli.”
I give him an easy smile. “She’s been here all along. She grew up in the faction.”
He finally looks at me. “Tomorrow we go back to your place. You will inform your people that I’m now in charge—and of the consequences of trying the same shit they did eight years ago. You caught my father flat-footed. You won’t be able to do the same to me.”
“Abel—” It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him the truth. I had a part to play that night, but it was never meant to be against him. Except intentions don’t matter, only actions and consequences do. I might not have wanted any harm to come to Abel and his brothers, but harm came nonetheless. Beyond that, I didn’t find them and bring them back. I let their exile stand.
So, yeah, I’m just as much to blame as my father.
“The only words I want to hear out of your traitorous mouth are ‘yes, Abel.’ You can stuff anything else.”
I clench my jaw and have to fight back a wince when the move sends pain splintering through my skull. “Why would I play nice?”
“You’re really going to make me spell it out?” He stops in front of me and drops into a crouch, putting us almost at eye level. Despite fighting eight people earlier, he’s moving without any stiffness or apparent injury. There are bruises on his face, yes, but they don’t seem to bother him in the least. Abel reaches out and taps my chin. “You’re so ready to throw yourself at me to distract from her. It’d be cute under different circumstances, especially because she fucking loathes it when you do that, but I don’t have time for the bullshit. I will fuck her every time you push back, Eli. And I’m going to make you watch me do it.”
I should dig in my heels. My faction comprises one-third of Sabine Valley and thousands of people. My father might have been just another flavor of Bauer Paine, but I’ve done a lot of work to help our people in the five years since his death. Things are better here now, better than they ever were under Paine rule, even if the territory still holds their name. That should be more important than anything. Even Harlow would say as much.
But…
I can’t let her be hurt. I just fucking can’t do it. I can be ruthless in every other way but that. She’s too important to me to let her pay the price for my sins. I swallow down my rage. “You really are a monster.”
“Pot, meet kettle.” He doesn’t blink. “How many people died in that fire because they were drugged and unable to flee? Don’t think too hard, Eli. I can tell you the answer. Forty. Forty fucking people dead because your old man wasn’t content with slitting my father’s throat in his sleep. It would have been forty-seven if we didn’t get out, and you wouldn’t have lost a damn bit of sleep over it.”
“That’s not true.” I know better than to argue, but the words slip out all the same. “I cared.” I cared so much, I did the unthinkable that night. I just didn’t realize how out of control things would get, hadn’t possessed the foresight to realize my father’s plans would include the other factions.
Intentions don’t matter; actions do.
“You can say that, but you didn’t do shit to stop it. That’s not caring. That’s cowardice.”
“I’m not a fucking coward. Your father was a rabid dog, and the entire faction suffered because of it. You know it, and I know it. You’re just pissed because we took him out before you had a chance to.” Fuck, fuck, fuck. I didn’t mean to say that, either.
“You always did like to spin the truth to suit your purposes. Whatever I planned for my father, I never would have done shit to hurt my brothers or our people, and you damn well know it.” He pushes to his feet. “And you’ve pushed me far enough tonight. Guess it’s time to pay Harlow a visit.”
True fear clogs my throat, shattering my control. “Abel, wait.”
“No, Eli.” He turns away. “You don’t get to try to call my bluff and then change your mind when it’s time to pay the piper. Or when it’s time for Harlow to pay the piper.”
“Wait. Fucking goddamn it, Abel! Wait!”
He ignores me, stalking across the bedroom and wrenching the bathroom door open. A waft of steam escapes, and he gives me a cold look over his shoulder. “Look, she’s all ready for me. Nice of her, don’t you think?”
“You fucking bastard!”
His dark laugh trails after him as he steps into the bathroom and closes the door. The click of the lock sounds unnaturally loud in my ears. I yank against my cuffs, but they don’t give. Of course they don’t give.
That doesn’t stop me from trying. If I can get to the bed, get to the key…
I try to hop the chair sideways, but my head is still fucked up, and I overcompensate, tipping over. I land on my arm and curse. No matter how hard I struggle, there’s not a damn thing I can do.
Once again, Harlow’s going to pay the price of my sins.
7
Harlow
I know who it is the second the bathroom door opens. There’s no way Eli could have escaped the cuffs. He’s capable, but even he has his limits. I duck my head under the spray, prolonging the moment before I have to turn around and face Abel.
It doesn’t help that the bathroom is set up in the most utilitarian way possible. The shower is an open-air one, just like in a gym: a shower head and a drain in the middle of the tiled floor. There’s a toilet and a sink and…that’s it.
Which means there’s nothing between me and Abel.
I turn slowly and slick my hair back. He’s leaning against the door, a contemplative expression on his face and heat in his eyes. My body responds even as my mind digs in its heels. I know he can make me feel good, but the price is too high. It was one thing to go through with the consummation, to let my anger slip its leash, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be a regular occurrence.
I reach to turn the water off, and he gives a sharp shake of his head. “Leave it on.”
I doubt Eli can hear us through the door and across the room, but obviously Abel wants to ensure it’s true. I step away from the water. “Hand me a towel?”
He snags the white towel off the counter and walks to me in the slow stride of a predator on the hunt. It takes everything I have to not take a step back as Abel stops in front of me and wraps the towel around my shoulders. We’re too close, and it’s all too easy to remember what we were doing last time he had his hands on me. I force myself to hold his gaze. “Let go.”
He waits a moment and then slowly releases the towel. I have to grab it to keep it from sliding off my shoulders. I expect him to move back, but he just stands there and watches me dry off. “It’s about time you and I had a chat.”
“So chat.” I focus on getting as much water out of my hair as possible. There’s no hair dryer in this room, so I’m going to be a frizzy mess in the morning, but it’s the least of my worries right now.
“You liked what we did in there.”
It’s not quite a question, but I answer honestly all the same. “You served a purpose.”
He gives a rough laugh. “And the claws come out.”
I should leave it at that, but there’s something about Abel that sparks a fierce part of me that rarely sees the light. “Yes, I liked what we did in there. That doesn’t mean a damn thing. I’m not going to let you use me to hurt the faction.”
“Interesting that you’re more worried about the faction than about Eli.”
If he meant that to sting, he’s talking to the wrong woman. The good of the many has always outweighed the good of a single person in my eyes. “I have my priorities in order. Not everyone does.”
“And what will you do to protect the faction, sweetheart? How far will you go?”
I know what he’s asking me, and for a moment, I truly consider rolling over and giving him everything. I know better, though. It’s not in my nature to give up without a fight, and Abel isn’t the type of man to respect anything but strength. But he wants me. He wasn’t faking what happened in that bed any more than I was. We might have met in mutual rage at El
i, but the pleasure was real.
Does he realize he’s handing me a weapon to fight with?
Surely he must.
It doesn’t matter. I’ll use whatever I have at my disposal.
I drop the towel and close the distance between us. I carefully press my palms to his chest. “Are you asking me if I’ll fuck you in order to protect my people?” I run my hands down his chest and hook them into the band of his jeans. “If I’ll bargain orgasms for leniency?”
He leans forward, his dark eyes alight with lust. “Well?”
I snort and drop my hands. There’s no missing the hard cock pressed against the front of his jeans. Poor thing, he’s going to have one hell of a case of blue balls. “No.” I lift my chin and meet his gaze. “If I ride your cock again, it will be because I want to. We both know that no sex is good enough to manipulate you into doing what I want.”
He gives that dark laugh again, the one that slides along my skin like a rough tongue. “You’re not wrong.”
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” That sort of thing might work on another man, and I’d be more than willing to go there. The safety of thousands is worth more than my pride, my freedom, my life. It won’t work with Abel, and so I won’t play that game. He likes the challenge I present, and I’m only too happy to step to the line he draws in the sand.
“There’s just one question left, then.” He catches my hands and presses them back to his chest. “Do you want to ride my cock, Harlow?” Abel takes a step, and this time I can’t stop myself from moving back. I don’t drop my hands, though. I just stare at him as I let him herd me until my ass presses against the sink.
My heart aches so fucking much. The events of the last couple hours whirl around in my mind and give me no relief. Fear for the future, anger at Eli, frustration over how fucking helpless I feel—it all rattles the chains in my head. The only time I wasn’t thinking was when Abel was inside me.
I dig my nails into his chest, just a little. “What did you tell Eli before you walked in here?”
“Who says I told him anything?”
I give him the look that statement deserves. “You might be back here to take the faction, but you’re going to get your revenge in the process. Did you tell him that you’re going to hurt me?” I lean forward a little. “That you’re going to force me?”
“We both know I won’t have to.”
I snort. “We both know you wouldn’t in the first place.” That, I’m sure of. He might kill me, but he won’t cross that line. I’m not sure it’s a relief, but it feels like one all the same.
There’s that expression on his face, like I’ve surprised him. Abel plants his hands on the sink on either side of my hips. “You seem to think you know a lot about me.”
“Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re not wrong.” His gaze drops to my mouth. “You’re wasted on him. He’s so busy trying to save you, he’s suffocating you.”
I jolt. Apparently I’m not the only one who got a quick read on my opponent. Still, I’m not about to give Abel anything for free, and I’m certainly not going to let him crawl around inside my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re deliriously happy. It’s sickening, really.”
“Liar.” Slowly, giving me plenty of time to react, he shifts his hands from the sink to my hips and then lifts me up to perch on the counter. I don’t mean to spread my thighs, but he takes advantage of it, stepping between them. He doesn’t press against me, not exactly, but one deep breath could have our chests rubbing together. Abel drops his face to my neck and inhales deeply. “Tonight’s full of surprises, isn’t it?”
I can’t quite catch my breath. “What are you talking about?”
“I figured I’d take you, he’d come after me, and I’d beat him somewhere nice and public and then send him into exile just like my brothers and I suffered. Instead I get two Brides for the price of one, the faction handed over with minimum fuss, and you’re no helpless flower in need of a glass cage. You’re like me, Harlow. Monster, through and through.”
I’m not sure he’s wrong, but I’m not about to admit it. “You have a point.”
“Yeah.” He drags his mouth along my neck, and it takes everything I have not to moan. “I’ll offer you a bargain.”
It will be nothing good. Abel is too smart, and he’s got all the cards. The only thing I have to offer is my body, and I’ve already taken it off the table, at least on this subject. It seems silly now, with him kissing my neck and me clutching his shirt and fighting not to pull him closer, but I won’t change my mind. Sex is sex and has no place in these negotiations. I draw in a ragged breath. “I’m listening.”
“Be mine.” His thumbs skate up my sides. “We have the year. You know the faction as well as anyone, and you obviously care about the people. Help me take over, help me rule, and I’ll keep the bloodshed to a minimum and take your input into any changes I make.”
Shock turns my thoughts to static. “What?” Surely this is a trick, some kind of cruel manipulation. Surely he’s not casually offering me the one thing I want more than anything in the world.
The one thing Eli’s denied me for the last five years.
But when Abel lifts his head, he looks devastatingly serious. “Be my partner, share my bed, and if you want to leave at the end of the year, I’ll set you up with the resources you need to go wherever you want.” He gives me a sudden grin. “And if you want to stay, you’re more than welcome to do that, too.”
“You’re out of your mind.”
“I’ve been accused of worse.”
“You don’t even know me.”
He gives me a long look. “Sweetheart, I have a file on you an inch thick.”
Of course he does. He put too much planning into this night going his way to not have researched everyone involved. It still doesn’t change anything. What he’s offering isn’t exactly too good to be true, but it’s definitely in the realm. All I want is to protect my people. If Abel gives me the opportunity to do that, there’s no way I’m going to say no. I suspect he knows that. “You’re just doing this to hurt Eli.”
“I won’t lie. Punishing Eli plays into it.” He shrugs. “But I could just seduce you, and it would serve the same purpose. You know it as well as I do. This”—he motions between us—“sparks hot enough to burn Sabine Valley to the ground. We’ll fight, and then we’ll fuck, and it will drive him out of his mind. I don’t need to offer you a full partnership to get the perks.”
I hate that he’s not wrong. Even now, I want him with a borderline frenzy. It’s as if he’s woken up a part of me that’s spent most my life in slumber. I feel feral around Abel. I try to slow down, to think, but it’s hard when I’m breathing the same air as him. “I’ll do it on one condition.”
“You seem to be under the mistaken impression that you have bargaining chips in this situation.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Don’t I? I’m a valuable resource, and I’m more useful to you if you keep me relatively happy.”
His hands tighten on my hips ever so slightly. “Oh, I’ll keep you happy.”
“Don’t kill Eli. Give me your word that you won’t—not by your hand or order or brothers.”
He searches my face. “You really were going to leave him, weren’t you?”
I hate that he sees things so readily after such a short time interacting with us. If Eli was half as perceptive… But it’s not his perception that’s the issue. It’s the rose-tinted glasses he wears whenever he looks in my direction. He has no problem seeing everything else clearly. I take a slow breath. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean I want him dead.” I still love him, even if the feeling is barbed and poisoned after so many years of being shoved into a role too small for my skin. Even if part of me wants to punish him for that pain, I don’t want him irreparably harmed.
Abel finally nods. “Deal. I never planned on killing him.”
I’m not sure if he’s telling the truth or not. It’s enough that he agreed. I
don’t exactly trust his word, but it’s better than nothing at this point. “Then yes, I agree.”
“Good.” He steps back so suddenly, I nearly topple off the counter. Abel pulls his shirt over his head and tosses it at me. “Put this on.”
“Excuse me?”
“Come now, Harlow. You know the importance of appearances. We’re leaving, and you’re going to be wearing my clothes when we do.”
It’s tempting to argue, but it’s a small enough concession. I shrug and pull it over my head. Abel is bigger through the shoulders and chest than Eli, and the shirt hits me mid-thigh. Not exactly indecent, but it feels indecent when every breath gives me a lungful of his dark scent. It feels like he’s marking me. I’m not sure if it’s a pleasant feeling or not. I pull on my panties again, mostly to give myself an illusion of armor. Something that’s mine and not his.
“Come on.” He turns off the shower, opens the bathroom door, and stalks out of the room. I glance at myself in the mirror. I look like a mess. My hair is drying, and it’s just as frizzy as I expected, and there are red marks on my neck and thighs from Abel’s mouth. I shiver. This night has not gone at all like I expected.
I step into the bedroom and stop short. Eli is on his side, having somehow tipped over the chair. Abel grabs the back of the chair and hefts him upright, but Eli ignores the other man. His hazel eyes are on me, and the way he looks at me, he expected to see my half-dead bloody body crawl out of the bathroom. “Are you okay, Harlow?”
I start to cross my arms over my chest but force myself to let them drop to my sides. “I’m fine.”
From the expression on his face, he doesn’t believe me. “He said he’d punish you…”
Abel: A Sabine Valley Novel Page 5