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He turned to face me. “You’re lucky they’re here.” He smirked, a promise in his eyes.
“Remember, palm strikes and tiger claws.” Eros held his hand up and bent his fingers, pushing his palm out. “Aim for the nose with the bottom of your palm and smash it upwards.” He faced Cian and showed me how it should look, and I mimicked his movements. “If you try to punch someone, you will break your hand, and trust me, that’s no fun.”
I nodded, taking all the information in. They spent the next hour showing me different moves, which I thought was just an excuse for them to roughhouse with each other. Cian took them down time and time again, which surprised me considering how big they all were. I mean Cian was huge, well over six feet of walking muscle, but Eros was just as tall with wider shoulders. Orin was a bit slimmer than the both of them, but definitely not lacking in the muscles department.
I sat down on the edge of the couch to catch my breath, watching them as they tumbled around. It didn’t feel real. None of this did. In a matter of months, my whole life had been flipped upside down. Three months ago, Juliet and I had been celebrating signing a new lease and so happy that the Shiver Box was finally growing after all our hard work. And now I was in a room with three men who were practically strangers to me, trying to figure out the best way to stop an assailant from attacking me. Strange how things could change so fast.
My shoulders sagged and I propped my head up with my hands. I needed to stay focused, or I might lose it. Not only was I putting myself in a dangerous situation that had absolutely no guarantees it would turn out OK, but I had lost everything I had worked so hard for. It was still so hard to accept that it was gone. Not only gone, but that Ryzen had made it look like I was the one responsible for destroying the warehouse, and ultimately the Shiver Box. I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. Was I really that stupid, or was he just that charming? I guessed we’d never know. The only thing I was able to do now was take him down. And I planned on making it hurt, like he had hurt me.
He was going to pay; I would make sure of it.
Eros and Orin headed upstairs, and Cian stood near the edge of the couch. His lips were set in a flat line, and I tilted my head to the side and tried to smile.
“You don’t have to put an act on for me, Nova.” His voice was soft, and I let out a deep breath. Was it that obvious? I’d thought I was pretty good at hiding that I was freaking out. Apparently not. “I’ll always be close, understand? Minutes away.” His eyes burned into mine, and I nodded.
I wanted to be strong, to say I didn’t need him to watch over me. But if I was being honest, I didn’t know if that was true. If Ryzen was as dangerous as they painted him to be, then I was about to walk back into the life of a monster, one I might not be able to fight on my own.
I leaned back on the couch, something poking my back. One of Eros’s water guns was tucked under the cushion, and I shook my head. I was pretty sure it was no coincidence. Something told me he had them planted all over the house just waiting for his chance to get Juliet again.
“I know we were all joking around just now, but we’re not taking this lightly. None of us. We will be there, watching, waiting and ready.” Cian ran his hand through his hair and let out a deep breath.
Guilt ran through my veins at the look on his face. He looked tied up in knots. I knew a part of him was doing this because he wanted nothing more than to get revenge on Ryzen. But what was the other part of him wanting? Was I even ready to face that answer?
He lifted his shirt up and wiped his forehead, showing off his chiseled stomach. His scars ran across his front to his back, although his tattoos covered them up slightly. But I knew they were there. I had felt them, kissed them. Visions of us tangled up together, my fingers tracing his abdomen, my lips kissing over his body, ran through my mind. An involuntary moan escaped my lips as I watched the muscles in his forearms flex with each movement. He stopped abruptly, his body tensing.
I tugged on the collar of my shirt. “Are you hot?” I reached behind my back and wrapped my fingers around the water gun. “It’s hot in here, huh?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “What are you up to?” He took a step forward and I pulled the gun out, soaking the front of his shirt.
I giggled as his mouth fell open, water dripping down his chest. “You’re going to pay for that,” he chided and took another step forward.
I squealed and hopped over the couch, pointing the water gun at him. “Stay back, or I’ll do it again,” I threatened.
“I’m not going anywhere, Nova. You better run, or you’re going to pay.” He prowled closer and my body hummed as he got nearer.
I walked backwards until my back was pressed against the front door, gun still pointed at him. He looked lethal. Like a predator stalking his prey. And I had never wanted to be eaten alive more than in that moment.
“Catch me if you can,” I said breathlessly.
He pounced towards me, and I threw the front door open and ran into the thickness of the trees. Something about being chased felt absolutely primal, and excitement coursed through my veins.
I pumped my legs as fast as I could, not daring to look behind me to see how close he was. I maneuvered my way through the dried-up bushes, the little branches slapping against my shins cutting into them. My chest burned, but I kept moving, faster and faster. He was close, his footsteps pounding through the terrain right behind me. Thump, thump, thump, thump.
I knew that he would catch up to me at any moment. I veered right, stumbling slightly. But who was I kidding? He was letting me win. There was no way that I could outrun him. We both knew it. After a moment, I realized I couldn’t hear his footsteps behind me any longer. I pressed my back against a tree, the dead bark digging into me. I could hear my heart beating in my ears as I struggled to catch my breath.
It was eerily quiet, just a low hum coming from the power lines over my head. I peeked around the tree but didn’t see him. I bent over, placing my hands on my knees as I tried to catch my breath. A tree branch snapped to my left, just a few yards from where I was hiding, and I took off in the opposite direction. The ground turned muddy, and I lost my footing when I tried to dodge a bush that had menacing-looking thorns sticking out from it.
I yelped and held my hands out in front of me, but before I could fall face first into a puddle of mud, strong hands wrapped around my waist and tugged me back up.
My chest heaved as I pressed into Cian, his breath just as ragged as mine. “You’re mine now, Nova.” His breath was warm against my neck as he held me tight against him.
I shuddered at the implication and pushed my ass into him. This was not supposed to be happening. But tell that to my body, which was absolutely not listening to my brain. Hell, who was I kidding?
My mind was screaming for me to let go. Take a chance. Trust. I just wanted a moment to forget—forget about the men with guns, the FBI, Ryzen, the pain, the manipulation, the deceit—and just feel.
“Help me forget, Cian.” I turned to face him and gripped his shirt in my hands.
“No, my beautiful little star.” He tugged my head back and I gasped. “I’m going to help you remember.” His teeth dragged across my neck, biting down gently. “Remember that you’re mine.”
