Mature Content

"You bitcth," Tiffany lisped through swollen lips as blood trickled from her nose.

I shook my hand to lessen the sting. The witch had a hard face, that was for sure, and I was pretty sure the scrape on my knuckle came from a tooth. When she grimaced, baring her teeth at me, it confirmed it.

"You're welcome."

"For what?" She screamed, magic sparking around her.

"This." I circled a finger around my mouth. "Straightened that entire business out. You don't need braces now."

Kay threw up a shielding spell just in time, and I tossed them a grateful look that was returned with a frown. Okay, just because they wanted to protect me from getting my skin melted off my body, it didn't mean they wanted to be my friend. Duly noted.

"Bria, enough." Jac pushed me back into the chair I'd vacated just minutes ago. Judging from the red slash across his high cheekbones and the glittering in his eyes, he was really annoyed or turned on—probably both. If I recalled our best sex happened when we were irritated with each other.

"It's her fault. She laughed at me."

And to be fair, punching her had been predicated on a wrong look. Laughing at me when I said I was the Shard Keeper was basically a golden ticket to getting her ass handed to her, and she better thank whatever gods she worshipped I was not magically inclined. Otherwise, Jac would be reading me my rights while carting me away for murder. I hated being laughed at more than almost anything else. It was right there next to rapists, child molesters, and people who talked in the movie theater.

"Because what you're saying is abthurd," Tiffany screamed.

Kay pressed their lips together as if they were fighting back a laugh of their own, and I looked away to stop myself from joining in. This entire situation was really far too serious to be cutting up, but she really did sound ridiculous trying to talk through her busted lip.

Inhaling and staring at the ceiling, I said, "You wanted to know why the Anderians came after me. What makes more sense than that? Only a Shard Keeper would be worth exposing themselves to everyone, right? And it isn't just that. This morning, I nearly passed out in the shower because of a pain in my chest. It was like I was cut open and branded."

Jac flinched as if he wanted to reach for me, but he stopped himself and dropped his arms to his side, looking nearly as pained by my confession as he had by my lie about the brain tumor. Seeing him like this really screwed with my head—it made me think he really cared for me, and believing that was more dangerous than the monsters lurking in the dark outside.

"I guarantee if you find Molly's son, you'll find out he died today."

It sounded so detached. So cold. Molly's son. I could just as easily say my father, but that wasn't true. A father was a man who showed up. Who taught you to ride a bike and stand up for yourself and took pictures at your graduation. This man, whoever he was, did nothing but contribute to my DNA, and man did he really fuck me over with that.

"She's not lying," Kay finally said.

"Oh, is that one of your skills?" I asked them, impressed. Cian had been able to do it too. "It would've been a nice skill to have as a detective. Loads better than touching things and getting knocked on your ass. Not to mention you don't always get what you need from a vision..."

"No," Kay cut me off and held up their phone. "Jay just messaged me. Report came back they found Molly's son. Pritchard Young. He was murdered early this morning. They found him behind the law firm he worked in drained of all his blood, and they cut his heart out."

"Thit," Tiffany said, dropping onto the couch.

I touched my neck where Kohl had started the process to make a snack out of me. Should I add bloodsucking to the list of known facts about Andariens, or was that a trait unique to him? It seemed like a fitting trait for the asshole.

"Bria, I'm so sorry."

I waved Jac away with a little more nonchalance than I was actually feeling. Which was surprising. Why was hearing what I already knew about a man I didn't know affecting me this way?

"I'm fine. I never expected to meet the man after all this time. What is important is the fact that I'm now the last living Shard Keeper, and they have no reason to take me in safely. I'm guessing that's why they rarely murder them right away because it'll go to the next living relative and they don't want to track the person down again?"

"That's right," Kay replied. "The Shard Keepers rarely live in family units because of this."

Everyone looked at me knowingly. Was that supposed to make me feel better? At least Molly made sure her son was adopted. They abandoned me in the cold. Of course, there was the minor matter to consider that dear dad maybe didn't know I even existed, but I would never know, would I?

"Stay here for now," Jac said, walking in circles around the room. Tiffany twisted on the couch, her hungry eyes following him while her bloodied hands left a smear on the sofa. "We can't risk them getting their hands on you."

"No can do," I argued. "That's not a solution."

"Like hell it isn't. You'll be safe."

"Okay, for how long? Do I stay here until I pop out a few kids you take from me and hide all over the world? Are you volunteering to father them?" Jac's searing gaze sent fire between my legs, and moisture pooled in my panties. For fuck's sake, the man would be willing to be my baby daddy. "Never mind the last part."

Tiffany sniffed. "She's right. That's not a realistic solution."

I hated she was agreeing with me. Especially because she only did so because she didn't like the idea of Jac and I together.

"It's not," Kay chimed in. "But for now, it's the only one we have. It's late. We all need rest, and Jay should be here tomorrow. He's a druid and has been around for over five centuries. He was supposed to help Molly hide, but then she died before he could get here. Hopefully, whatever he had planned will help you."

With a hard look in Tiffany's direction, Kay exited the room down a hallway leading to the back of the house. Tiffany reluctantly followed them, glancing over her shoulder twice at Jac, but when he didn't move from my side, she huffed and stomped out of sight, the clomp of her boots on the hardwood fading until they disappeared completely behind a closed door. I knew it was a closed door because she made certain to slam it so hard it was a wonder the decrepit old house didn't fall over.

"Who all lives here?" I asked, leaving my seat and peering down the corridor. It was far longer than I expected, and it connected to another hallway.

"Kay and Tiffany are the only ones who live here full time, but there are several rooms available for use by the faction. Come on. I'll show you a room, and you can get settled."

I wanted to argue, still not keen on the idea of staying in this house. I might have told them my secrets, but it was only because they were the lesser of two evils. Regardless of what they thought, as soon as I felt comfortable leaving, I was out of here no matter what. Molly stayed hidden for years, and even somehow used a glamour, which meant there was a chance I could learn.

That was the piece of the puzzle I couldn't put together. Cian called Molly a human, but the Anderians and Tiffany all agreed I wasn't human, which meant Cian was wrong about Molly, or my father wasn't the only one with interesting DNA.

"Bria?" Jac asked, his hand flat on the door he was holding open for me.

Glancing around, I saw we'd turned right and wandered to the end of the second hallway. This was the last one on the left, and when I walked inside, I found the room to be as cozy as the living room if slightly bland, which was appropriate for a guest room.

"It's a spell," Jac said as if reading my mind. "In case someone actually passed through the wards, they would see an old shack. At the end of the other hallway are the stairs to the second floor, but we use those rooms for training and meetings."

A spell like that would require serious power. More likely, multiple witches contributed to it. It was better to think that than to imagine Tiffany was powerful enough to do it herself. Then, I would remember I punched her in the face, and I might get nervous about the revenge she planned.

"You're taking this well," I told him after doing a full circle of the room. I pushed down on the mattress, wincing when the springs creaked.

"I wish you'd told me sooner what had happened. Bria, you were in his fucking cabin chained up. I could've lost you today."

"Why the hell would I confide in you? After what you did?"

He hung his head. "I know. I'm sorry. I can't do anything to change the past, but I need you to know how sorry I am."

I knew he was. Just like I knew I was going to forgive him. Exhaustion ate away at me, but it wasn't strong enough to fight the want burning in my bones. It had been present all day. From the moment Cian took me out of Laura's and tossed me on that bed, I'd been wound tight, desperate for release. Using Jac to find it should make me feel guilty as hell, but I couldn't find it in me to care.

"My room is next door. If you need me."

Jac leaned against the door frame and hooked his thumb over his shoulder. He didn't move, and the tension snapped between us like a spark seeking dry timber. I had no excuse this time. There had been no echo to drain me of my energy. This ache was purely physical desire. And maybe I just really wanted Tiffany to hear those bed springs groaning.

"Good," I told him, pulling him inside and shutting the door. My senses drifted outward, testing the energy in the room. There was nothing that should trigger a strong echo. "You won't have far to go after we're done."

Neither of us said this was a bad idea. We already knew it was, but our mouths were too busy devouring one another to take the time to say the words. His hands were everywhere, dispersing my clothes and his without separating our lips, but when his hands gripped my ass to pick me up, I pulled back and shook my head.

"What?" He panted.

I turned him and pushed him, so he sat on the edge of the bed. "Scoot back some."

When he did as he was told, I crawled onto his lap, hooking my arms around his neck and my ankles around his hips. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but even though I couldn't sense any energies coming from the bed, I didn't want to be mid fuck and get drawn into something I'd missed, because all of my control would be gone. The less of my skin touching the bed, the better.

"Bria," he moaned into my mouth as I rocked against his cock, rising up and down, dragging it through my pussy's moisture. Each pass it contacted my clit, and when I went down the last time, he ground up against me, his tip putting pressure in just the right place so that I came apart with a scream he swallowed with a kiss.

"Holy fuck," I gasped, going limp in his arms.

Jac lifted me up, centered me over his cock. He stalled at the tip, watching me squirm as he lowered me slowly, blissful agony etched into his features. It was exquisite torture. As badly as I wanted him to ram into me, the anticipation was almost as good as what was coming, but I tightened my inner walls around him in retaliation. The expletive he released made me smile, but it faded when he stopped moving all together.

"Jac," I ground out.

"How does it feel to not be the one in control?" He hissed, keeping me in suspense while lowering his head and skimming kisses over the tops of my breasts. His tongue darted out, dragging a burning trail over my skin and finally circling around my nipple before he sucked it between his teeth, the light scrape just the right mix of pleasure and pain.

"Please," I whimpered. I knew what he was doing. He wanted this to be more than fucking. He wanted this to be part of his apology, and his promise for more—but I couldn't accept those things right now. For me, it was about not being alone, but if begging meant he would start moving again, I would say beg so hard the gods would intercede.

He let me down the last two inches, sucking hard on a nipple as I settled into the saddle of his hips. Now, it was my turn to lead, and I leaned back, putting my hands on his knees. He propped himself up on his elbows, content for now to watch me as I ground against him, undulating to a rhythm inside me. Each movement sent shocks to my core, lighting the fuse to my climax, and I increased my speed, desperate now to reach it.

"Shit," Jac said, when my legs shook and my arms nearly gave out. He surged forward and pulled me against him, his arms going around me to hold me in place as he thrust into me. The room filled with the obscene sound of skin against skin, and I could do nothing but lie against him while he used my body to satiate himself.

Just before he came, he pulled out. His shaft glistened with my body's moisture as he gripped himself, coming on my stomach with a grunt before collapsing on the bed and pulling me with him.

"That's a top three for sure," he said when I climbed off him.

"Definitely," I said, attempting to put enthusiasm into my tone and failing. It would seem multiple orgasms hadn't distracted my conscience.

I used his shirt to clean up before tossing it to him. It wasn't like I had any extra clothes, and he was the one who made that mess. If I was going to be staying here, we would definitely need to get some condoms. We would both be lying if we said it wouldn't happen again, but from the tender expression he wore, we would have to set boundaries so he didn't get the wrong idea. This was nothing more than stress relief.

I dragged my shirt over my head. "Well, goodnight."

"Oh." He pulled on his pants while I pulled back the covers. "I thought—okay. Goodnight."

The door clicked shut, and I dropped my face into my hands. What kind of terrible person was I? He clearly wanted to stay and hadn't I spent the last year hating him because he hadn't? Curling into the fetal position, I forced my eyes closed, hoping to find some sleep, and the last thought I had was that maybe Tiffany was right.

I was a parasite.