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Torrin is hard in my mouth, smoke wafting down and circling me, calling my own heat, and when I reach for him, digging my hands into his thighs, his dark orbs widen.

“Ferol!” he bellows, his cock swelling in my mouth, so I pull back just as he comes. It spurts across my tongue and down onto my chin and chest, his boiling hot cum staining my skin and soul, calling to my phoenix as he falls back, and Emrys catches him.

That mouth slips from my clit as I’m spun to face Bram. My eyes lock on his as he drags me closer and drops me onto his wet cock. We are pressed so tightly together, I can’t feel where he starts and I stop. I slip in and out of his mind, feeling his pleasure, my pleasure, his body, my body . . .

It’s too much. The phoenix in me rips through my skin. Talons extend, and wings unfurl on either side of me, batting the air, burning with fire and beauty as I peer through their eyes. We start to lift into the air from my wings. I wrap my legs around Bram’s waist as he clings to me. His lips meet mine as I ride him, twisting us mid-air until he is below me. I press my hands to his chest and break our kiss and ride him harder.

“Mine,” I hiss.

“Yours,” he replies, and it’s the last word we can speak as pleasure overwhelms us, exploding through me like fire. It burns away our souls and differences until we are one. I have no control, just this feeling. Just us.

I finally fall back into my own mind and body to find I am cuddled into Bram, who is swaying as he holds me. My body shakes with aftershocks and my wings are still out, but now I focus on pulling them in so I’m fully human.

Exhaustion weighs on me, and hands carefully extract me from Bram, protecting me from the floor. When I force my eyelids open, I realise they are all holding me and stroking my skin. No words are spoken. We don’t need them. I feel everything they do.

Desperation and longing are in all our touches and kisses. We do not speak, but none of us want to waste a moment of time together because when dawn comes, it’s over.

None of us sleep a wink, but we relax in a giant pile like I have seen wolves do before, touching everyone and everything. It’s a comfort I never knew, but I grow to like the heavy weight and warmth. As darkness starts to lighten, however, they silently slip away, stealing soft kisses before dressing. Not wanting to be alone and naked, I dress and follow them to the deck, standing between Kitt and Torrin.

The sun crests over the horizon as we stand in a line, as if waiting for the gallows. The sunrise is beautiful, with stunning pinks and oranges splashing across the sky. Maybe that’s why wetness dampens my lashes. None of us speak or move until Kitt’s hand twitches at my side. His fingers brushing against mine before he clears his throat. “Let’s guide her to shore,” he orders gruffly, and then they are gone, leaving me alone as I stare at land. For the first time since I met them, I don’t want to be apart.

I can’t help them dock because I don’t know how, which is another reminder of how I do not fit into their hive and lives, so when the gang plank lowers to the pier, I decide to head down it. I leave the boat and them, needing space to gather my thoughts, prepare to face my mother, and get ready to break this bond.

My vengeance is still what I want.

No matter how much fun we have had the last few days, fucking instead of fighting, it cannot eclipse that need, and it’s time to refocus. I’m so distracted by my thoughts, I don’t even feel it coming.

Something sharp pierces my neck. Spinning with a hiss, I yank it free, looking down at the needle in shock. It’s not something I’ve seen a lot, but I know what it is, and my eyes dart up and around for the culprit as everything starts to turn hazy. I feel myself swaying as darkness encroaches on my vision, but I can’t seem to stop it as I lose my eyesight.

I hear my name being roared before a whispered chuckle.

“Another pet, how fun.”

CHAPTER

TWENTY-NINE

Iwake with a yell, leaping to my feet before crumpling as all my strength leaks away. Whatever I was shot up with is still in effect. I remember the needle and the boat, and right now, my body is sluggish. On my knees, I pant through the sickness that rolls through me, letting it wash away, and only then do I lift my head. I take it slower this time, trying to piece together what happened.

I was drugged, but why and who? The guys? Surely not. They would relish killing me, but they’d want me alive for it. No, this wasn’t them. Blinking away my blurry sight, I ignore my ringing ears as I lean forward, and my head smashes into something solid and see-through.

Glass.

I touch it, realising it’s thick and impenetrable.

My hands slap the glass as I spin in a panic. There is glass on every side of the tube-like enclosure. I freeze when something startles opposite me, a groan leaving that tube. Peering closer, I realise why.

Bram.

“Bram!” I hiss, looking around for whoever did this. He doesn’t move, and my eyes sweep across the tubes on either side of him. They are in a row, and in each tube, I see one of the guys, all in various states of rousing. Beyond them, though, are thousands of glass tubes. I spin to take in the giant space filled with creatures and people. None look at us, as if they don’t see us.

“Kitt,” I hiss as I look back to see him staggering to his feet, his eyes hard and terrified. “What the fuck is going on?”

Swallowing, he licks his lips as if he can’t speak, trying to force the words out, when a bang sounds, and he jerks, pressing against the back of the tube. I glance at the others to see them doing the same. They are all awake now and terrified.

What the fuck is going on?

“Ah, good, you’re awake.” I turn and see a woman descending some metal steps. “How I have missed you, my pets, and you brought me something new! Something exciting!” She stops in front of me, staring at me with wild eyes. “What are you?”