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  He thrusts in deeper than before and I feel him explode. He grunts before stilling on top of me, both of us panting and slick with sweat.

  “Sands below,” I gasp. His head falls into the crook of my shoulder.

  “You have ruined me, babygirl,” he whispers as he pants into my skin.

  We both groaned when he pulled out of me, my body turning cold and empty, but it didn't last for long. He found something to clean us both up with, then gently lifted me and laid us down on the floor next to the table, him on his back and me resting on his chest. Of course, he is a cuddler, I smile at the thought.

  “I know about Drax and Jax, and even Maxen has told me about his past. But I don't know how you met them, will you tell me?” I ask curiously. Drawing circles on his chest where my head rests, the difference between our skin colours is amazing. We look good together. My pale creamy skin light against his dark smooth one. I should get up, we have things to prepare before we leave, but I don't want to leave his arms.

  “You remember how they said I was born up here?”

  I nod, my fingers still drawing circles. His hand comes up and he laces his fingers with mine, stilling my movement. Lifting my head, I rest my chin on his chest, looking into this face.

  “Yes?”

  Thorn leans forward and kisses me before laying his head back, his satisfied eyes on the ceiling.

  “You don’t have to tell me,” I say softly. He squeezes me and sighs, his face stricken and his body rigid against me.

  “I want to, it’s just I haven't ever told anyone the full story. Even Maxen only knows parts and he’s my brother.” I rub my chin on his chest, trying to give him my strength and comfort. “It’s strange, it’s been coming back to me since we arrived in The Rim. I guess I repressed some of it after we escaped to the cities.”

  “Escaped?” I ask softly.

  “Fuck, babygirl, I’m not telling this right. Let me try again.” He takes a deep breath, his chest moving beneath me. “I was born up North and we didn’t leave when it all started to go to shit. It wasn't until my father was killed by a looter that my mum decided to try and get somewhere safer with me and my sister. We made it over halfway, but my sister got sick. She was only a little girl. So tiny, I had promised my dad I would protect them both, but I couldn't. We got split up, we were near where the old coast used to be and a wave came in. The waves, the ones that never retreated. I had to fight just to stay afloat, and when I smashed into a tree and broke my ribs, I managed to climb it. I waited there for days until I realized the water wouldn't be receding. I ended up climbing down and trying to swim through it, that’s where I got the scar.” I lean up and stroke my finger across the wicked looking scar which runs through his left eyebrow, he closes his eyes as I do.

  “I hardly ever notice it, it’s just part of you. It’s Thorn.” He smiles at me.

  “A piece of something hit me in the face. I remember I could hardly see as blood dripped down my face, but I managed to fight my way to land again. I searched for them for days, but I was getting weaker and I passed out. When I woke up, I was tied to a bit of wood and covered up. A man, he saved me. He treated my wounds and fed me, and got me to the cities. He stayed with me there, telling me how his son had died early on and he wanted to be able to save as many as he could. God, I hated him at first for taking me away. I would have kept looking for them until I died. All I saw for years when I closed my eyes was my sister’s tiny little hand clutching mine as she cried, only for it to be snatched away as the water took her. It’s something I have to live with, knowing I failed them. It was probably for the best I didn't find them, I think I would have curled up and died if I saw their bodies.”

  “You don’t think they made it?” I ask softly.

  “No, babygirl. It was a miracle I did, and they were ill and weak. No, for my own sanity, I can't think about them being alive.”

  “I’m so sorry. But you wouldn't have, you would have kept fighting. It’s who you are. We are your family now. I know it can't replace the one you lost, but you have us.” He smiles that breathtaking smile at me. He cups my cheek, his heat seeping into me as his eyes turn serious.

  “I know, babygirl, and I am so fucking lucky. You are my everything, Tazanna Worth.”

  Give Them Hell

  Thorn and I spent another hour together before I forced myself to get up and dressed. He helped me, his hands gentle as he dropped kisses along the way, making my heart clench. We check on Drax on the way back––when I poke my head around his door I see he’s still out––before I find myself alone in the room my father assigned me. Staring around the plain white room, I spot a panel with a light flickering through a crack. Curious, I walk over to it and run my fingers along the surface.

  It pops open like a door, revealing a shiny steel bathroom with a shower, toilet, sink, and mirror. Not even second-guessing myself, I strip and step into the shower. I grab the shiny knob and pray to whoever is listening that the water will be warm. When I turn and it sprays down on me in scalding hard waves, I almost come there and then. Sex is good, amazing even, but have you ever gone so long without a hot shower and then finally have one? Yeah, you know the feeling.

  I take my time, letting the warm water sluice over my sore muscles. I unwrap the damp bandage while I’m in there, frowning at the black and blue bruising decorating the left side of my rib cage. Shrugging, I drop the wet material to the floor and lean my hands against the wall, my head dropping forward as the water parts my hair, obscuring my face.

  I don't let myself think, instead, I concentrate on feeling the water. Wanting to remember this when I have to go back to the real world with its cold showers.

  Bottles line the edge of the wall and I search through them. There are no labels, so I carefully lift one bottle and take a sniff. My nose twitches at the cloying smell and I quickly replace the lid and try the next one. Fuck, I almost groan again. It smells sweet, like strawberries and cream. I dump a handful in my palm and lather my body up good, before letting the water rinse away the soap. I wash my hair as well, using my sniff test to pick a bottle I like.

  Looking through the bottles once again, I find a razor hidden behind them, a new unopened one. I look down, noticing my leg hair has grown since the last time I was able to find one. I look like a bloody yeti! I lather up the soap again, covering my legs, before going to town on the forest.

  Half an hour later, I step out of the shower and wrap a towel around me. My legs are smooth and silky, my hair shiny and clean and I feel like a newborn. Is it weird to compare having a shower to being reborn?

  When I get back into the room, I find a fresh pair of cargo trousers and a black tank top waiting for me. I quickly dress, forgoing a bra and panties. I pull on my borrowed army boots and tie them. Lastly, I pop my blade in the edge of my trousers. I really need to ask where the others are and about the Berserkers…lists form in my head as I walk to the door and wait for it to slide open. The hallway is empty, so I head in the direction I think was Drax’s room. Hopefully I will find one of my men there, then I can go find my father and get answers.

  I get lost a few times but I manage to find his room eventually. The hallways are weirdly empty and it puts me on high alert, so when I find Jax sleeping at Drax’s bedside, I relax a little. I don't want to disturb them, so I silently sneak in and drop a kiss on each of their heads before going back out to find someone else.

  A guard in the same black uniform as the others hurries past and I chase after him.

  “Hey, do you know where everyone is?” I ask, nicely for me.

  He stops and shifts on his feet, his eyes darting to the hallway and back to me uncomfortably, the silence stretching.

  “Okay. Let me rephrase. Take me to everyone,” I demand, crossing my arms.

  “I don't know if I’m supposed to,” he squeaks out, making me narrow my eyes on him.

  “Take me to them, before I decide to play target practise with you,” I growl.

  He gulps and n
ods, watching me in fear as I walk by his side. He slows his steps, but once he realises I can easily keep up, he speeds back up again.

  “Are you really from out there?” he asks eventually.

  I don't even spare him a look as we walk, instead I concentrate on not palming my knife. I miss my fucking swords. I feel naked without them.

  “What’s it like?” he gushes excitedly.

  “Hot,” I mutter, looking around as the hallway we are walking in starts opening up. Cheering reaches us and the guard speeds up, his excitement palpable in the air.

  We reach an open room, larger than anything I have ever seen and packed with bodies cheering and chanting as they circle around something.

  “What is this?” I demand. The guard looks from me to the crowd.

  “It's how we guards blow off steam.”

  Not needing to hear anymore, I start to push through, elbowing those in my way until I can see the square mats raised in the middle of the room, where my men are currently fighting.

  Thorn is just putting one guy to the ground as another charges him. Maxen is fighting hand to hand with three men, a smile on his beautiful face. I ache to jump in and help, but I know they aren’t in any trouble so I let them carry on.

  I watch their muscles bunch and contract as they fight, the fierce expressions on their faces and their downright sexy strength. I shuffle uncomfortably, trying to relieve some of the pressure building up in me. Maxen spots me and throws me a wink before ducking a punch. My lips twitch, but I keep a calm expression as people finally start to realise I am in their midst.

  My men destroy their opponents, quickly ending the fight after they spot me. The guards lay scattered on the floor as Maxen and Thorn stand in the centre, chests heaving from the fights. Watching them fight side by side has me worked up and I bite my lip to stop myself from attacking them. Not that they would mind.

  Thorn leaves the ring with a triumphant smile on his face, only making my arousal spiral higher. Watching them fight is like watching art, something beautiful and deadly, and seriously hot. My guys meet up in front of me and we turn without a word, all of us ready to be out of this crowd.

  “Fucking brown bastard,” comes a sneer.

  I stop, steel threading through my veins at the racial slur directed at my sweet Thorn, who looks back at me with a small sad head shake. Ignoring him, I turn to face the asshole. His friend is being dragged from the mats behind him, unconscious from where Thorn took him down effortlessly.

  “What did you say?” I ask calmly, my voice cold and deadly like the silence engulfing me.

  “You heard me, whore,” he scoffs, his face twisting in hate. I hear people start to mutter between themselves as they shift uncomfortably.

  “You want to take this one, Mi Alma?” Maxen asks, as he steps up to my side. I tilt my head and watch the mouthy racist prick. My smile is slow, and if the fear that flames to life in the guard’s eyes is anything to go by, terrifying.

  “You and me. In the ring. Now.” I stride past him to the open matted area in the raised middle. I leap onto it and spread my legs in a hard stance. I watch the man who thought he was so tough wilt before noticing he is the centre of attention. He gathers some of his attitude and swaggers to me, jumping up and landing on the mat in front of me.

  “Fine. I will wipe the floor with you, then make you suck my dick as your little brown bastard watches.” He laughs, a few of the guards chuckle nervously with him as I arch my eyebrow and look around at the crowd. Once my eyes run over them, they soon shut up.

  Turning back to the guard, I grin at him. I pull the knife from my trousers. His eyes widen as I throw it to the edge where it embeds in the mat.

  “You talk too much,” I say before rushing him.

  I feign a punch and then sweep my leg so he goes down on the floor, hard. I don't wait for him to get up as I drop on top of him and smash his head into the cushioned ground, holding him there. I’m not playing this time, I will destroy him before everyone so they never think they can talk about my men again.

  “You ever come at my men like that, talk about them, even look at them in the wrong way again and I will kill you,” I warn.

  I watch as he pales, realising I mean my threat and that I can follow through with it. I get up and he slowly gets to his feet. I go to turn, but at the last second, I spin and punch him square in the face.

  I casually walk to the edge of the mat and retrieve my knife, sliding it into my pants. The room is silent as I hop down and a path clears through the crowd, leading right to my men who are watching me hungrily. We don't talk as we make our way through the crowd. When we reach the hallway, Maxen turns and heaves me over his shoulder and takes off at a jog down the hall, Thorn right behind him.

  “Maxen–” I warn. He smacks my ass but ignores me. I grumble and glare at a grinning Thorn.

  We twist and turn around corners as I try to fight back the need to hurt Maxen for putting me in a weak position. The old me would have panicked and stabbed him, but I fight against it and remind myself that he would never hurt me.

  I huff as I’m put gently on my feet. Looking around I realise we are in a bedroom. I look back to my two men and arch my eyebrow.

  “Strip, Mi Alma,” Maxen demands, watching me. I notice he is shirtless again and my eyes get lost in the muscles of his chest.

  “You first,” I say with a quick smile. My jaw drops when he keeps his eyes on me and strips out of his boots and pants, leaving him bare before me.

  “Your turn.” He prowls towards me, stopping close so I have to crane my neck back to see him. I’m obviously not quick enough because I feel a tug, then my top floats to the ground in shreds. Swivelling my head, I spot a grinning Thorn at my side. I glare at him as he kneels down to do the same to my pants.

  “Don’t you dare,” I warn.

  “Then strip, now, or Thorn here will make sure you are left with nothing to wear,” Maxen threatens.

  Gritting my teeth, I shimmy out of my trousers, letting them fall to the floor.

  “Fuck, Mi Alma, if I had known you were wearing nothing underneath, I would have fucked you against the wall out there,” Maxen groans, his eyes drinking me in as Thorn circles to my back, so I am sandwiched between them.

  “I want to be inside you so bad,” he moans, his fingers reaching out like he can’t help it, tweaking my nipples into hard peaks. I bite my lip and lean back on Thorn, using him to support me as Maxen runs his eyes down my body, his fingers trailing across my skin, burning it, branding it, and claiming it as his own.

  Thorn kisses my shoulder, over my brand.

  “I think we need to get one of these,” he murmurs, leaving open mouthed kisses along my shoulder and up my neck.

  “A slave brand?” I ask, my voice breathless.

  “A brand to say we are yours,” he whispers against my ear before biting it.

  Maxen drops to his knees, his head level with my belly as he watches his friend lick a path down my neck before biting the sensitive area between it and my shoulder. I reach out and anchor myself in Maxen’s long silky hair, which is pulled back in a bun. I run my hands through it, and undo the bobble before throwing it away, so it cascades around his face in a deep brown waterfall. He peers through the locks at me, his eyes filled with need. I watch him as he kisses down my belly before parting my willing legs.

  He doesn’t waste any time, but parts my lips and licks up my pussy, making me groan as he devours it. Thorn keeps up his kisses, both of them slowly driving me mad, until I almost scream when Maxen thrusts two fingers in me.

  He sucks on my clit as he rubs inside of me, making me stiffen and my legs shake, as an orgasm rushes through me. It surprises me so much that I fall to the floor, but Maxen catches me. Before I can say anything, he spins me around.

  He pulls my back to his chest as we kneel on the cold floor. Pushing my legs wider he guides himself back to my pussy. Lining his wide cock up with my wet, needy pussy. He slowly pushes in, inch by slow inch,
stretching me. When he’s fully seated, he stops. The angle is incredible. Maxen doesn’t move as I gasp in his arms, his muscles banding around me to keep me still. I look up at Thorn as he hovers over me. He cups my chin, his hard cock nearly touching my face.

  “Suck me, babygirl, while Maxen fucks that sweet pussy of yours.”

  Thorn’s dirty mouth has me groaning as I bend forward, landing on my hands so I’m on all fours with Maxen still inside me. I feel him move to mirror Thorn, until I am trapped between them both. The position should make me feel powerless, but between them, I know I have never been so in control.

  They both worship me, their hands clutching me desperately as they try to contain their lust. Plus, the idea of letting go for once has me dropping my head before looking back up and facing Thorn’s hard cock and licking my lips hungrily.

  I swallow him down just as Maxen starts to move. I can’t do anything but hold on as they both fuck me. It’s not long until I am thrown into my second orgasm, screaming around Thorn’s length. He grips my hair and thrusts deeper, making me swallow him as he fucks my mouth hard and fast.

  “Fuck, babygirl,” he groans, trying to pull out but I hollow my cheeks and take him deeper until he hits the back of my throat. He explodes with a yell and I have no choice but to swallow him down. He pulls out of my mouth and stumbles before sitting heavily on the floor, panting as he watches me.

  That’s when Maxen shows me he was only playing with me before. He grips my hips in a bruising embrace and fucks me hard and fast, smashing into me as I drop my head and moan. He reaches around and thumbs my clit. I am just riding through my second orgasm when he throws me screaming into my third, coming so hard I see stars. He follows me, stilling behind me as he groans.

  We both collapse in a heap on the floor, all three of us sprawled there, trying to relearn how to breathe.

  “Well shit,” I say around a laugh, making Maxen chuckle, then groan when it moves me.