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But I knew that was not an option, as much as I hated to admit it. Storee was a beautiful woman, and despite her fiery spirit, she was vulnerable in this world. And in my world, vulnerability could cost her everything, including her life.
I had already lost someone I loved. I sure as hell wasn’t going to allow it again.
I had watched her from afar, the way she moved through the crowd with ease, her long legs striding gracefully and her curves enticingly showcased beneath the tight black dress she wore.
Her body was built for sin.
And as I watched as she moved from table to table, a tray of drinks in hand, I had gritted my teeth, trying to keep my temper in check. The men at the party couldn’t seem to take their eyes off her. It made my blood boil with jealousy and possessiveness.
I knew I shouldn’t feel this way. She wasn’t mine.
Far from it.
As she passed by me, our eyes met, and I saw a flicker of defiance in her gaze. She knew I was watching her, and she didn’t like it. But I couldn’t help it. I was drawn to her like a moth to a flame.
Trying to erase the memory of her at the party from my thoughts, I sat in a high-back leather chair with a whiskey in hand. Merrick sat to my left, Soren to my right, and Braken next to him. We were chatting about business, but my attention kept straying.
I knew I shouldn’t be thinking about her like this. She was off limits. But the more I tried to push her out of my mind, the more my thoughts kept returning to her.
It wasn’t until I heard Merrick clear his throat that I realized I had zoned out completely. Embarrassed, I tried to focus back on the conversation at hand.
“The Hunt begins in three days. Is everything on track for that?” Soren asked.
“Everything’s running smoothly like normal,” Merrick said. “Numbers of participating women are up this season, which is a good thing. Once we sent out the memo to all the men that the baskets they leave the next morning were getting a little weak, their egos stepped in, and now it’s a competition of who can outbuy who. Talk on Heathens Hollow is spreading and it’s in our favor.”
We oversaw the long-standing tradition of The Hunt. And though it ran like a well-oiled machine, the four of us always met and made sure we weren’t dropping the ball. And although we didn’t create the event, we had taken it on and become the organizers to make sure the sinful legacy lived on. Seemed only fitting that The Vault spearheaded the events.
But as the meeting dragged on, my frustration only grew. Like every night at The Vault, a sex party was in full swingaround me, with half-clothed revelers exploring their desires and pushing their limits. Everywhere I looked, people were engaged in intimate acts, both gentle and brutal.
The scent of perfume and sweat filled the air. Laughter and moans of pleasure mixed with the sound of orders given and received. There were tears and cries, too, as some of the participants pushed themselves beyond their comfort zones. It was a wild and chaotic scene, yet there was an underlying current of respect and understanding.
I took another sip of my drink and then spotted a woman that looked like Storee—brown hair, haunted eyes, and fucking stunning. She was on her knees, servicing a group of men, taking turns licking their hard cocks.
I felt my blood boil, and I had half a mind to storm over there and drag her out of the club by her hair wrapped in my fist.
She’s not Storee.
That woman is not her.
Good thing or those men would be dead. I’d cut their fingers off one by one, and then their dicks right before I’d gut them. How dare they look at her that way, how—
She’s not Storee…
I downed the rest of my whiskey, trying to numb the feeling of desire mixed with rage that coursed through me.
“You good, man?” Braken asked. “You’ve been off all night.”
I shrugged. “Long day.”
But it wasn’t just a long day that was bothering me. It was the fact that Storee was out there alone, exposed and unprotected from all sorts of dangerous predators that lurked in the shadows.
No one was watching her.
No one was keeping her safe.
I couldn’t stand the thought of something happening to her. I also hated that she felt the need to work odd jobs just to make a buck, when I could fix every worry she had.
If she’d just let me.
