Misted (Team Zero #5) by Rina Kent

She thinks I would hurt her that way? But again, why wouldn’t she? The boy who mopped at her feet and memorised every dream she voiced is long gone.

It’s good that she believes I won’t hesitate to hurt her. That’ll keep her in the fucking line.

“Will I have to?” I continue cutting away but don’t take my eyes off her.

I can’t.

She huffs a breath and clamps her hands together to prevent their shaking. It won’t stop. She’ll have to suffer through that for weeks.

Her cheeks are hollow, probably because she vomited everything she ate. A small chocolate stain teases the side of her mouth. I assume she ate the breakfast I left by the side of her bed.

“I won’t escape.” She sighs.

I narrow my eyes. She’s planning something, but if she’s trying to get my guard down, then good fucking luck with that.

She approaches with hesitant steps and stops at the table. The same table I fucked her on a week ago. My dick hardens remembering how she unravelled around me. I never knew she craved that type of darkness.

“That poison will kill you.” She scrunches her nose at my almost finished cigarette.

“It’ll be a luxury if I live to be killed by lung cancer,” I continue cutting, trying to ignore how she smells fresh and of the lilac shampoo I bought on my way here.

Something in her stance shifts, but she camouflages the change as fast as it came.

“Were you…” she trails off and clears her throat. “Did you come into the room last night?”

I say nothing. Only the sound of wire cutting remains in the room.

“Well?” Her voice grows irritated. “Did you?”

More silence.

“Ugh. I don’t even know why I bother anymore,” she breathes out. “I need new clothes.”

No answer.

“Hawk!” She snaps.

I finally look up at her. That chocolate stain is begging to be licked off her upper lip.

“I said.” She folds her arms. “I need new clothes. Can we go shopping?”

Her perfect opportunity to try and escape or make a phone call to whoever she thinks would help her.

“Fine. I’ll go on my own.” She turns to leave, but I clutch her arm and pull her back. She spins around and ends up on my lap with her legs on either side of my thighs. The wire-cutter falls to the floor with a clank as my other hand grips a handful of her hip.

Her small hands land on my shoulders for balance.

“You’re not going anywhere. The sooner you accept that the better,” I say calm and simple.

“You didn’t bring me clothes and…” She glowers. “You cut off my underwear.”

I grunt at the reminder that she’s naked underneath the T-shirt — my T-shirt. I release her hand and snake my fingers up her thigh beneath the cloth.

She sucks in a long, choppy breath, and my dick hardens at the sound.

“Hawk…” Her eyelids grow droopy as she moves her tight little arse against my thigh.

“You don’t need clothes.” I release her hip and tug on the pin, freeing the long strands.

My nose buries in her still damp hair and inhale her lilac scent in. She draws a shaky breath at the same time.

It’s like we’re those young souls again, stealing moments and hiding away at a shabby motel room.

“What else do you plan to take from me, damn you?” Her voice thickens with lust.

“Everything,” I whisper against her ear and then bite down on the lobe. She hisses, but her head falls back in a whimper.

I keep my hand on her lower thigh, close enough to her heat, but not quite touching. Her bright eyes fill with pure, raw, anticipation.

I let go of her hair and wipe the chocolate stain from the teardrop in her upper lip with the pad of my thumb. She watches with dilated pupils as I suck the chocolate into my mouth.

She leans over, lips parted and inviting. The last time I kissed her comes back with a vengeance. The way she looked at me with a cold, icy stare. The way she stepped on my heart and moved along as if I were nothing.

I push her off me and stand. She scrambles to her feet, staring at me with pure confusion as if wondering what she did wrong.

She did every fucking thing wrong.

I grab the wires and storm to the sun outside. I start wrapping them around the siege with jerky movements. I even fuck up and cut my finger.

“Let me help.” Small hands cover mine and she takes some of the wires.

“I’ll do it myself.” I try to pull them free of her hand but she turns away, erasing me from her view.

“I said I’ll help.” She trudges to the other side of the wooden fence and wraps wires around it, ignoring her shaking hands.

The bloody stubborn woman. She’ll always do whatever she sets her mind on.

We continue working in silence for an hour. I cut the wires and she wraps them around the fence. I keep watching for signs of withdrawal symptoms, but it’s only the shaking for now. The tremors have gotten worse. She’ll need to sleep it off.

“Do you think whoever gave Hades the tip about Nero told him all about us?” Her quiet voice trails towards me, but she doesn’t look up from wrapping wires.

“Nero is dead.”

“But what if he isn’t?” Her voice lowers and I don’t miss the slight tremble. “What if he’s back for us?”