My dreams were filled with the ghosts of my past. Memories echoed through me, but it was a blur, like watching it all through a rain smattered pane of glass and I was reaching toward whoever lay on the other side of it. My sister’s laughter called to me and my father’s gruff voice sounded in the distance. But I couldn’t get close to them no matter how hard I tried. I needed to surround myself with their love, their words of comfort. Dad would tell me I did the right thing, Jessica would say I wasn’t a killer, I was a survivor. And they’d both tell me to face my demons down no matter what it took.
My body shook and a murmur of longing escaped me just before burning hot arms closed around me and I was pulled back into a hard chest.
My breathing immediately slowed and I took comfort in being held like that. But as my mind drifted closer towards consciousness, my thoughts sharpened and I blinked awake, glancing down at the tanned arms of one of my captors. For the longest moment, I let myself drown in the feeling of him so close, my heart drumming out a hungry rhythm as I breathed in his spicy scent. I’d ached for comfort in my dreams and found a monster holding me when I woke. I was surprised by the power I’d somehow wielded over this man who hated me with the force of a hurricane. And yet now, he was holding me against him like he wanted to heal every wound he found in me. And I was selfishly letting him, taking what I needed as my dreams ebbed away and I clung to the comfort of his embrace.
My tongue was wet and heavy in my mouth, my breathing becoming shallow as I recalled being pinned beneath the might of this cruel creature. It seemed like a lifetime ago now. Sometimes, I wasn’t sure there was anything left of the Blake Bowman I’d met on my first day at Everlake, but other times it seemed like he was lurking beneath the surface, peering out at me from behind his hate-filled eyes, begging to be released. Especially since he’d driven that blade into Merl. A part of me wanted to keep luring that smiling golden boy out from the depths of his flesh and never let him fade away again. But another, more vicious, scorned part of me wanted to see him burn up in the heat of the sun.
I clutched his arms, forcing them apart and getting out of bed as he grunted something incoherent, rolling face down into my spot.
“You broke a rule, douchebag.” I planted my hands on my hips and he groaned into my pillow. I bent down, shoving his side and forcing him to roll onto his back in the centre of the bed.
He cracked his eyes open, smirking at me through a haze of sleepiness and amusement. My heart thrashed at the sight of him spread out like that, looking so temptingly delicious that the most depraved part of me wanted to crawl back into bed, knot my fingers in that unruly dark hair and wake him up fully. But he’d already broken a rule. And I didn’t need any more excuse than that to execute my first punishment. So I stuffed my wild libido down into a box and padlocked her up tight.
“Well, what are you gonna do about it?” he growled, his deep tone sending tremors down to my toes. He slung an arm over his eyes, clearly intending to go back to sleep, but fuck that.
I headed out of the room in the black nightdress Blake had chosen for me to wear last night. And by chosen, I mean he fished out the first thing he found in Saint’s closet and tossed it at me.
I strode into the kitchenette, the eerie rise and lull of Saint’s music filling The Temple.
The crypt door was ajar and the sound of Saint cursing and grunting carried to me from beyond it. Last night, I’d made a mental note of each and every one of the Night Keepers’ crimes against me and I intended on serving them justice equally whenever they broke any of my rules. So I knew exactly how Blake was going to be punished this morning.
I grabbed a large, plastic jug from a cupboard then opened the freezer, taking out a bag of ice and pouring the whole lot into it. Then I tossed the bag in the trash with a vicious smile on my face as I kicked the freezer door closed and headed back to Blake’s room.
Let’s see how he likes it…
Adrenaline sang in my veins as I entered, finding him in the same position I’d left him in, his chest slowly rising and falling as if he’d fallen back asleep.
Oh poor sleepy baby, what a pity I’m going to ruin your morning before it’s even begun.
I held the jug in one hand as I crawled onto the bed, moving carefully over him before straddling his hips and pressing my weight down. His hand slid onto my bare leg and heat burned between my thighs as he grew rock hard beneath me.
Gah, why does he always get me so hot? It was impossible not to be turned on when I remembered how good we’d been together. Especially when I felt him swelling against my panties, reminding me just how big he was. I needed to keep my libido locked down because the Night Keepers were my own brand of heroin. Addictive and so terribly damn bad for me, I was going to end up permanently damaged by the time this was all done.
Blake was still freaking asleep with his arm slung over
