“I hate both of you,” I say. They ignore me and I roll my eyes, walking faster to keep up, settling next to June. “Any other suggestions that have nothing to do with size, girth, or dicks in general?”

June hums and taps her chin. “Well, I’d also say something about getting lost in the moment, and maybe a few references to his tongue.”

I choke and sputter, unable to form words. Images of Xavier’s face between my thighs fills my mind. His hands on me, his mouth, his words, the way his eyes held mine as he told me to come. My body’s reaction is instant. Heat rises, painting my skin in a flush, desire thrumming through my veins.

“Well, well, well,” June says.

I blink, focusing on her. “Well, what?”

“Huge dick or not, X has gotten under your skirt.” She tilts her head. “And definitely under your skin.”

“What? No. What?”

“I was watching you just now. You looked like you were a thousand miles away. A girl doesn’t get that expression on her face unless a guy is doing it for her. Big time.” June shakes her head at me. “Looks like you have your story ready to go. I can’t wait to hear it.”

I glare at her. “What are you planning on telling her?”

“About Declan and me?” She shrugs. “Nothing.”

“Why not?

“There’s nothing to say. Besides, I’m not sure how to describe our relationship. Or whatever the fuck is happening.” She bites her lip and looks at the recruit. He shakes his head, and she scowls at him.

“June,” he warns.

“Whatever.” She shrugs and looks at me. “I’m going to tell Raven that Declan and I are back together. It’s the simplest explanation, and it’s closest to the truth. The best lies are.”

Somehow, I don’t think I’ll be lying when I tell my roommate about Xavier and how much I enjoyed what he did to me.

“You fucking slut!”

Raven’s shriek has my ears ringing. She grabs me for a hug and squeezes me until I’m gasping for breath.

“Guilty,” I wheeze.

“I was worried about you,” she says, finally letting go. “When you didn’t come home last night and didn’t respond to my calls or texts⁠—”

“Or emails,” June supplies with a grin.

Raven nods. “Or emails, I thought something had happened to you.”

“X happened to her,” June says.

She waggles her brows, and I glare at her. It lacks any heat. Because it’s all in my cheeks. Talking about Xavier and I in bed, even briefly, has caused permanent damage to my skin.

Raven’s eyebrows shoot up. “How are you going to sit there and act like you’re not breaking girl code by getting back with Declan? I thought you hated him?”

“Hate-fucking is the best.” June shrugs. “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”

“And how many times did he fuck you before you forgave him for being a dick?” Raven asks.

“Apparently, a lot,” I mutter.

“Hey!”

“Where’s the lie?” Raven throws up her hands. “You ran off to do something for a class and came back the next morning with a story about getting back together. Yeah, okay.”

“Whatever,” June says. “After I shower and change, do you want to come with us to get coffee?”

“Or alcohol,” I mutter.

Raven purses her lips. “Only if we go to Brewed Awakenings. I need the good shit.”

“The kind that might stop your heart?” I ask.

“Bingo.”

OceanofPDF.com

Chapter 38XAVIER

Leaving Delilah with another man, even one I trust, is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. If defying the Order’s summons wouldn’t put our lives in danger, I’d do it. But I can’t risk my little raptor.

No matter how much it pains me to leave her.

I briefly run my fingers over the scar she gave me, as well as the tattoo I commissioned shortly after meeting her. It doesn’t soothe me as much as touching Delilah, but this is a part of me that’s dedicated to her. And only her.

After exiting the castle, I make my way to the garage. That’s an understatement, but simple words often are. The place is more than a garage; it’s a shrine to automotive excellence, guarded by the latest security tech. Around me, the air buzzes with the potential of each machine, their gleaming exteriors promising adrenaline and escape. It’s a clear reminder of the Order’s wealth and power.

I take a set of keys from a hook and climb into a Range Rover, tossing my bag onto the passenger’s seat. The interior’s scent is fresh and the leather clean, everything in order, unlike the chaos brewing within me. As I settle behind the wheel, I can’t stop my thoughts from drifting back to Delilah, to the look on her face when I kissed her goodbye.

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think she didn’t want me to leave. And not just to keep her safe.

I push that notion aside and pull the summons from my pocket. The paper is neatly folded, the black color representative of the crow I will become after the Trials.

Then the next step in my plan begins.

After unfolding the thick parchment, I smooth it out. The message is written in code, a series of symbols and numbers that would appear nonsensical to anyone not versed in our type of communication. It’s a language taught to recruits during the first three years of training, ingrained so deeply that by the time we receive our first summons, we can read it as easily as our native tongue.

This code is a safeguard against prying eyes. Our allies are few, but our enemies are many. It’s why we stick together.

As I reread the message, the reality of the task ahead crystalizes, making my objective clear. The Order has commanded me to act with secrecy and urgency, which is the standard. I know without a doubt that this mission is nothing more than my father trying to reestablish his dominion over me. Something he hasn’t had since he stabbed me and I returned the favor.

The coded words provide a location, a time, the name of the target, and my objective. But between the lines is a message all of its own. The threat to myself and Delilah if I choose to ignore the call. Or don’t complete the task to their specifications.

I twist the key in the ignition, and the engine roars to life, breaking the silence around me. I drive out of the garage, through the iron gates, and onto the main road that leads to the highway. As the landscape blurs past my window, I find my thoughts consumed with Delilah instead of the mission at hand.

The long drive gives me too much time to think, to brood over the complexities that have arisen from a woman with green eyes and a mouth that could drive a saint to curse. Or groan with pleasure.

I knew the moment I met her that my obsession would only grow. And it has. I didn’t know that it’d consume me until the mere thought of losing her makes me want to fucking die.

Every time I touch her, a thrill shoots down my spine. Every kiss makes me fucking hard until my balls ache. I wait with anticipation for every word that comes out of her smart mouth. Rumor has it girls refer to me like a narcotic, but she’s my drug of choice. And I’m a junkie that’s fucking desperate for my next fix.

I rid Delilah from my mind before I pull over to the side of the road and fuck myself while fantasizing about her.

With my mind clear, I focus on the upcoming task, the type of job I know well. Unlike most recruits, the Order summoned me before my senior year. I’m not sure if this was my father’s doing or if the council saw potential in me. Either way, I’ve spent the last two years hunting men and taking their lives.

Before meeting Delilah, I would’ve been eager to carry out my assignment, to prove myself to the powerful organization. However, the prospect no longer excites me. I’m more motivated to prove myself to her—to gain her trust and the unwavering loyalty she’s capable of giving—than I am to kill another spider in my father’s twisted web. I’m entangled in his weapons trafficking empire more than those that answer to him. I suppose I do too, just not in the same way.