Page 25 of Fractured Memories

But it’ll all be worth it.

“Collect my guns for me,” I tell him before turning toward the door that leads out of the cage.

With my hand pressed to Eden’s back, I usher her off the mat and down the hall. Her skin is searing me through her shirt, and she seems just as eager to get away from prying eyes.

As soon as we reach her door, she shoves it open, whipping around to shut it behind me. It leaves us alone in the dim room, and the tension between us has never been so thick.

I arch a brow at Eden, who seems to be holding on by a thread. And I’m dying to make it snap.

“I won.” I don’t move even though I want to pin her against that door and find out how much watching turned her on. “And I want to collect my winnings.”

Her chest heaves, and I know she’s seconds from breaking. “I don’t run the betting tables.”

“Good thing I don’t want money as my reward.”

She wets her lips, and I think that maybe I won’t be able to wait her out. “What do you want?”

“You.” It comes out as nearly a growl. “I’ve been dying to fucking taste you, Eden.”

As soon as the words leave my lips, she’s rushing across the room to me. One hand slides up my chest, moving to the back of my neck. The other reaches for my face, and I let her guide me down as she pushes up on her toes, sealing our lips together.

Breaking that last bit of tension shatters us. In a breath, we turn feral. Her lips part, and my tongue swipes in. Her hands fist my hair, and mine slide down to grip her thighs. I lift her as her legs wrap around me, spinning to pin her to the wall so I can devour her.

Eden kisses like she does everything else—with passion and fury. She doesn’t let me take. She fights me every step of the way until one of my hands is wrapped in her dark curls, yanking her head back and forcing her to relent.

She whimpers as I dive in, fingers digging into my scalp and shoulder, but she finally lets me take charge. And fuck, I lose myself in her.

I knew that once I finally got a taste, it would be my undoing. But I severely underestimated just how much Eden Resnick would fuck me up.

Too bad I’m already in too deep to care.

CHAPTER 8

EDEN

Present day…

My lungs are on fire, and a nauseating pain is searing through my veins. It’s enough to drag my unwilling mind back to consciousness, even if my body doesn't join it.

The ache from breathing is familiar. It’s what I felt before I started fighting in the cages, back when I was still at the base of the mountain. Which means wherever I am, it’s not up the mountain like I should be.

The burn through the rest of my body, though, is foreign. It’s so violent that it blocks out everything else. I can’t think. I can’t move. I can’t process where I am.

All I can do is try to breathe through it, even as the sickly sweet air clings to my tongue and throat. It feels like a film blanketing my mouth, and my stomach roils in protest.

Fighting through the pain, I try to focus on anything else. Any sound. Any indication of what is happening. But my mind is too fuzzy. I can barely remember my own name at this point as the agony hits a new level.

Somewhere in the distance, I can make out muffled voices. Male voices. My heart leaps, but I can’t quite place who I hope it’ll be.

It doesn’t matter, though. Before I can wrestle my awareness into submission, a new wave of pain slams into me. It seizes my body, shakes every thought loose, and I lose myself in a sea of black as unconsciousness claims me⁠—

And I snap awake. The dream fades much faster than my heartrate, even as my eyes sweep the room. I take deep breaths to calm my racing pulse as I take in the light spilling in from the window and the view of the mountains outside.

I fell asleep, I realize. And I think I was having a nightmare if the sweat clinging to my skin and harsh breaths are any indication. I just don’t remember it at all.

After Kieran left, I renewed my efforts in getting out of the room. I didn’t bother with the mirror, instead focusing on trying to move the window pane out of place, locate a vent, or any other way out. Eventually, I was forced to face the truth: there is no getting out of the room besides through the door.

Despite my brief interactions with Kieran, which I spent all night dissecting, I didn’t want to let down my guard enough to sleep. Instead, I kept my eyes on the door as I turned over his words again and again.