“Nano,” Morpheus said again, his hand tightening on my shoulder. “I asked you a question.”
“Get your fucking hands off her,” I ground out, my words barely more than a snarl.
Carver instantly released her, taking two quick steps back like he had been burned. His hands came up in a placating gesture, but his eyes stayed locked on mine, wary and calculating.
Morpheus held my gaze for a long, tense moment. His expression was unreadable, but I could feel the weight of his assessment, measuring how close I was to the edge. Then he released me, stepping back but staying close. Within arm’s reach. Ready to grab me again if I lost it. Ready to intervene the second I made a move toward Carver.
The other brothers had moved too, I realized. They’d repositioned themselves while Morpheus had me pinned. Cerberus was closer now, having closed the distance between us by several feet. His posture was tense, coiled, his hand still hovering near his belt where I knew he kept his knife. Garrote had shifted to the side, positioning himself strategically betweenme and the stairs, cutting off my exit route. Wanderer stood near the cells, his expression calm, but his gun now clearly visible in his hand, no longer holstered. Vortex and Cobalt had moved up behind Carver, flanking him, ready to intervene if I went after him again. Heretic watched from off to my left, his body angled toward me, waiting for me to make a move so he could counter it. Scythe was still leaning casually against the freezer, arms crossed, shaking his head like this whole situation bored him to tears.
They had formed a perimeter around her.
They were bracing for me to ignore Morpheus. To go feral. To unleash the violence simmering just beneath my skin.
And, fuck, they weren’t wrong.
Because every instinct I had was screaming at me to take her. To drag her to the floor, to wrap my hand around her throat, to watch her eyes roll back as I choked her and fucked her, hard and raw until I made her come while she begged me to stop.
I wanted it so badly I could taste it. I could feel the phantom sensation of her pulse failing under my palm, could hear the wet, desperate sounds she’d make as she fought for air.
My cock throbbed again, leaking now, the head slick against my jeans.
“Jesus Christ,” Cerberus muttered under his breath, shaking his head in disbelief. “He’s gonna fucking lose it.”
“Not yet,” Morpheus said, his voice calm and measured, his eyes still locked on me with that unnerving intensity he was known for. “Are you, Nano?”
I dragged in a breath, forcing myself to take a step back. To put distance between her and me. To prove I could control this. That I wasn’t the animal they thought I was becoming. That I still had some shred of discipline left in me. Even though every cell in my body screamed at me to do the opposite. To close that distance. To finish what I had started.
“No,” I said, my voice rough and strained, like gravel scraping against concrete. “Not yet.”
Morpheus nodded slowly, his expression unreadable as he studied my face for any sign of deception. “Good. Because if you go off half-cocked, I’ll finish this before you can even get your dick out of your pants. We clear?”
“Clear,” I ground out through clenched teeth.
He turned to Carver, who had been standing off to the side, watching the entire exchange with barely concealed concern. “Bring her over here. Let’s get this shit sorted before he does something stupid.”
Carver pushed Alex forward, and she stumbled, her legs barely holding her up. She was shaking so hard I could see it from across the room. Her entire body trembled like a leaf in a storm. And underneath the fear, I could smell something else.
Her arousal.
It was faint, but it was there. The same scent I’d caught last night when I choked her. When her body had betrayed her and she came with my hands around her neck.
My cock jerked, and I had to clench my fists to keep from reaching for her again.
She’s already wet.
The thought sent a dark thrill through me, sharp and vicious.
She knew what was coming. Knew I was going to hurt her. And her body was already responding, already preparing itself for the violence. And for the pleasure that would come with it.
Fuck.
Carver shoved her forward again, and she stumbled to her knees on the concrete floor. The impact made her gasp, her hands flying out to catch herself. She stayed there on her knees, her head bowed, her hair falling forward to hide her face.
Submissive.
Broken.
Mine.
