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Archie closed her eyes and nodded, taking him at his word. “I guess I'm wearing the ring to prove it.”
Her Dom pressed his hand lightly to her mound, evidently enjoying her soft hiss of pain as the new piercing reacted to the pressure. “Don't remind me. I'm desperate to play with it. Once there's a ring on your finger to match the one in your clit, you'll be mine for the rest of time. Collaring ceremony, then wedding, and it's all set in stone, kitten. It's you and me until the day we die.”
Thane smiled, enjoying the sweetness of their intimacy. It was weird, seeing the big blond sadist everyone raved about in this light. One would think he'd constantly be niggling at his sub, using the coldness Thane always associated with a sadist to keep her on edge, but Jasper was a different story compared to the sadists of Thane's acquaintance. There was a compassionate side to him, and a spark that came alive whenever his hands or eyes came in contact with Anarchy.
Atticus rolled his eyes as Jasper claimed his kitten's mouth feverishly, a dark flare of jealousy burning fast and bright in the green before it cooled into amusement. “Christ, get a room, you horny bastard.” Dismissing them with a flick of his hand, those jungle eyes regarded Thane. “Before we leave you in peace for a few hours, is there anything you want to know?”
A thousand and one questions, none of which he could grasp. Then one came to mind, probably one of the most important. “The assassins, they were Jasper's half-brothers? Anarchy killed one and I'm assuming the other was…”
“Dispatched,” Atticus said flatly. “Along with their associate.”
“What about the patriarch, his wife?” Thane was uncomfortable using the term father. “They're still a threat?”
“As far as my team is concerned, yes. Dominic destroyed the family home in Virginia, killing several children and staff. He and his wife, alongside two pairs of decoys, fled. They scattered to Australia, Germany, and Ireland. We've tracked one pair to Hong Kong, another to Switzerland, and the final pair remains in Ireland. I have men pinpointing their locations, and we'll move in as soon as we have precise coordinates.”
“They'll come back.”
“We believe so. Jasper is the son of Dominic and his wife, Rita. Of all the children Dominic sired, Jasper is the true heir. The others are—were—half-siblings, born to different mothers. We think that Jasper is the one they want most because he's purein their eyes. There are very few of the original children left alive, so he's their holy grail. They want his genetics to produce the next generation of kids to train and experiment on.”
Thane recoiled in revulsion. “Do you think they’d try to take Archie again?”
Atticus showed the warrior beneath his laidback exterior, his expression becoming almost feral with disgust. One thing was for certain, Thane never wanted to be on the wrong side of him. Keeping his voice low, he said, “Yes. I think they’d try again, use her as bait. They know what she means to J now, what he’ll do to protect her.” His gaze hardened as he looked over to the little blonde, cuddled on her Master's lap. “If they get their hands on her, she'll be used and abused, raped until she loses the will to live. They'll keep her alive, force her to have a child or two of Jasper's so they can tighten that chain around him until he’s no use to them anymore, then kill her.”
Connie shuddered. “All the pain and suffering they've caused. For what? Money, prestige? Training children to be killers, hiring them out to the highest bidder. Murdering them if they don't come up to scratch. In a clinical capacity, I want to get my hands on them and study what makes them tick. As a woman, as Jasper's friend, I want to dismember them piece by piece until they're screaming and dying in bloody puddles.”
Thane lifted his eyebrow at the vehemence in her tone. “That's violent, coming from you.”
“Connie is all still waters and sunshine until someone she loves is hurt. Threaten her family and she'll annihilate you.” Jasper ran his fingers through his kitten's hair gently, his pale eyes meeting Thane's. “A mama bear has nothing on Connie in terms of ferocity.”
“Shush, you,” she shot back, blushing.
Pulling her closer, Thane switched the conversation back to Jasper's parents. “You have security measures in place in case they slip back into the country? Or use their own teams for a snatch and grab?” He thought about Anarchy in Connie's office and the ease with which he'd been given access. Would they take Connie if they tried to abduct Archie, or just kill her as collateral? His guess was, they wouldn't turn down an extra broodmare for their sick ventures.
“Jasper and Anarchy joined my team, so they're covered. Jasper's our new field medic, so he's surrounded by heavily armed, highly trained men whenever he's not in the office. He also has his own skills. Anarchy is one of my new hackers, again with a team around her whenever she's in the office. I've made sure they have additional protection when they're not at work, and their home security system has been upgraded.”
Thane rubbed his hand slowly over his mouth, considering his options. He didn't need to work, not with the amount of money in his bank account. His time was his own, and he was getting bored of puttering around the house, fixing this and that. His brain preferred puzzles and data, figuring out patterns and plotting ahead. He missed being involvedin taking down the bad guys. “I'd like to help.”
“Thane, what are you doing?” Connie whispered.
“Being useful at a time when many hands make light work,” he murmured back, brushing his lips over hers for the fun of it. “The last three years, I've lost my way. I got caught up in physical therapy. I let parts of me fade away, threw others aside. Floated in limbo for a while. I moved away from Chicago to try and find out who I am now.”
He set his fingers under her chin, tipping her head back. “I joined clubs in Phoenix and was shunned for being a Switch. I've been rattling around in here for weeks, decorating, cleaning, trying to make it perfect for someone who wasn't me. Hell, the rest of my furniture didn't come until a couple of weeks ago, and now I don't know if I want any of it in these four walls. I found Avalon and it changed my life. It gave me friends who don't think I'm half a man because I submit as equally as I dominate. It gave me you, the woman who gives me clarity and makes me believe in a happy ever after, despite the shit that kicks me when I'm down. The woman I fucking love, the woman I wish I'd met twenty years ago, for both our sakes.”
Her lips twitched. “I would have been fourteen, Thane. You can get arrested for that shit.”
“I'd have waited. I'd wait an eternity for you. Hell, feels like I already have. I'm not wasting any more time, procrastinating on the small stuff. I want you to move in with me. I want you to wear my collar proudly, the same way I'll wear yours. I want to throw out every piece of furniture in this place that doesn't belong, and replace it all with what suits you and me.” He sighed heavily. “I'm not in the best physical shape of my life, I know that. I could still chase someone down and tackle them, but I'd be in a world of hurt afterwards. But my brain is sharp, my instincts are honed, and if Atticus needs an extra set of experienced hands to bring these fuckers to justice, then I'm offering them. To protect your family. To protect mine.”
They'd already said I love you out on the street. Just the two of them, promises and intentions made abundantly clear. Happy, laughing, perfect. This, here and now, was something more. Like Jasper's claiming of Anarchy with the clit ring, this was Thane’s turning point. He was willing to share his plans for the future with her, in front of the people she couldn't live without. Because he felt the same way about her, he'd declare his dreams in front of whoever wanted to hear them.
“You want me to move in with you?”
“Yes. Today, next week, six months from now. Whenever you feel ready. If you're worried about Alicia, I've got that covered. It won't take me long to build some ramps leading to the doors. I can renovate the dining room into a bedroom, knock a doorway through into the mudroom and turn that into a bathroom. She'd have full access to the kitchen, living room, her own space.”
Every eye in the room was on him. He didn't care—the only ones he was interested in were the big gray ones currently filling rapidly with fat, glistening tears. When she blinked, they slid down her cheeks in slow trickles. “You'd do that for me?”
“Fuck, woman, have you not heard anythingI've told you since that first night we had together?” Thane kissed one of the tears, tasting salt and sweetness. “If I haven't said the words, or shown you that I'd do fucking anything for you, the big guy over there needs to kick my ass.”
“Maybe I will, after I give your proposal some thought.” Atticus propelled himself from his chair, stretching his shoulders. “I believe it's time for us interlopers to leave. The festivities will begin at nine, so don't be late. If you have any questions, we're all at your disposal.”
