Chapter Twenty-Nine

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I HAD NOTHING ELSE to play.

No way to stop what could be potentially become a mass fucking orgy.

The one saving grace was if I failed to protect Eleanor, at least elixir would keep her cushioned from her sins. She’d enjoy it. Her lust would provide a buffer between reality and myth.

She would survive being taken by them.

But me?

Fuck.

I would die.

I would die a million crucifixions if I had to watch one man lay a hand upon her.

Just the thought drove me mad.

Watching it?

Yeah, I can’t.

I would sign over every penny and deliver any demand before I let that happen.

She writhed against my back, doing what I asked and fighting. I was so fucking proud of her for that—so grateful for her attempts—but I was also realistic. She couldn’t keep battling. Her tenacity would fail soon, and the torment would begin anew.

For now, I kept her imprisoned behind me and worked against a rapidly ticking clock. I spread my legs for balance while my depleted system begged to sit and rest, and acted as if I wore my suit and Hawk diamonds, ready to interrogate three new guests onto my shores.

I stared past their hazel, brown, and blue eyes.

I rifled through their secrets and picked apart their transgressions.

Each one was lacking.

Each one wasn’t worthy being afraid of.

They were just men. Men hired by my brother. Men who’d proven they could be bought, and luckily for me, I had untapped wealth just begging to be spent. Jinx had become the most important person in the world to me. Therefore, there was no amount I wouldn’t offer.

“Name your price.” I narrowed my hazy, hurting eyes. “Tell me what you want to walk away.”

The tall dark one snickered. “Her. Give us her.”

“She’s mine, and I don’t share.”

Eleanor flinched behind me, a soft puff of need hitting between my shoulder blades. She still fought, but soon, she’d resort to begging. In a few minutes, she’d be on her knees again, scratching at my control, pleading with me to fill her.

These men couldn’t fucking be here when that happened.

“How much?”

“Think we’ll just take what we want.” The copper-haired one waved his gun. “After all, you’re not the one making the rules here. Your brother is, and he’s paid us well. I’d rather have some pussy, thanks.”

I bared my teeth, doing my best not to launch at him and leave Eleanor unchaperoned. “I’ll pay you more than he ever could. I’ll make you rich, then you can afford to buy plenty of pussy. This one is used. I’ve already fucked her. Don’t you want your own?”

The filth falling from my mouth made them pause. I sensed a weakness and used it to my full advantage. “One million to walk out that door and leave. Get on a boat and never come back. You won’t die. I won’t come after you and extract retribution for what you’ve done. I give you my word that I’ll forget about you. I’ll even clean up your mess by killing my brother. Leave him in Euphoria, and I’ll dispose of him.”

“You’ll dispose of him?” the shorter dark-haired guy snickered. “Yeah, right. Look at the mess you’re in.”

“I’ve been in worse where my brother’s concerned and won.”

“You’re not exactly winning right now.”

“I’m stubborn.” I smiled savagely. “I have a knack for coming back from the dead.”

The men shared a look, their guns wavering. “Why should we believe you? You could be a penniless little fucker—”

“I’m worth a thousand times more than my brother in assets. If I give you my word that I’ll pay, I’ll pay.”

The copper-haired one wrinkled his nose. “Think we’ll still help ourselves to that whore behind you. Her moans are making me hard.”

I clutched Jinx tighter to my spine, my biceps bunching from holding her weight awkwardly behind me. “One million. That’s generous.”

“It’s insulting,” the taller one muttered. “A million split three ways? Fuck off and step aside. She’s ours.”

“How many of your men are left?” I backed up a little, keeping Eleanor’s nakedness hidden behind mine, closing the gap between us and the wall.

The short dark-haired one seemed most open to my offer. His sneer had gone, calculations running through his eyes. He mulled over my question before answering, “We came as a team of ten. Why? Think you can kill all of us?”

“Already said goodbye to four.” I grinned even though I wanted to trip to the floor and sleep for days. “What’s another six?”

“Cocky bastard.”

“Like I said, I won’t kill you if you leave now.”

Eleanor flinched, her body no longer just fighting against mine but seducing it. She rubbed against me. She pressed lusty kisses down my spine. She’d lost any sense of calmness, drowning beneath another wave of elixir.

“And by the way, I didn’t mean a million total.” I nodded like the unflappable hotelier that I was. “I meant a million. Each.”

A spark of interest finally arrived, followed by humour. “Expect us to believe you’ll wire a million into our accounts in a week if we leave?” the tall one stepped forward, making Eleanor moan behind me.

Moan with need not fear.

Fuck.

“Sorry, mate, we’re not idiots. We don’t take IOUs. We take cash.” He licked his lips as Eleanor writhed harder against me, forcing me to dig my fingernails into her arms, doing my best to keep her protected despite her undoing my control. “Hard, cold cash—”

“I have cash. In my office. Go see for yourself. The safe is hidden behind a painting of a caique parrot in the corridor. The combination is 44884.”

The copper-haired one laughed coldly. “Just have a measly three million sitting around in a safe, huh? Yeah, right. We’re not leaving. Not until we fuck that tasty thing behind you. We’ll even be nice. We’ll let you watch. And then we’ll take you to Drake to finish what he started.”

All three men stepped toward me.

Eleanor groaned, terror tangling with her thirst.

My muscles bunched with rage, preparing to take on three men regardless of my current condition. I might win another battle. I’d won the last one through sheer adrenaline. Tritec-87 had helped but keeping Eleanor away from my brother had been the reason for my invincibility.

This would be no different.

My heart pumped as they took another step.

Eleanor tried to get away from me, her skin flushed and sticky against mine. I wanted to snarl at her to quit it. To listen to me. To help me. Instead, I kept my entire attention on the pack of men slowly backing us into a corner.

“There’s five million in there, not three,” I hissed. “It’s a bolt fund.”

All three men froze. They shared a look.

“Five?” The copper-haired guy’s eyebrows shot up. “You have five fucking million just sitting there.”

“In cash and diamonds.” I struggled to stay human and not crouch ready to attack. I hated that I bargained with these assholes. It felt weak, wrong. I wanted their blood on the floor and their hearts in my hands.

But...Eleanor.

She’s worth more than my idiotic pride.

She moaned, wrenching their attention back to her.

Goddammit, woman.

Raising my voice over her debauchery, I growled, “You can have the lot. Every goddamn penny. Just leave.”

“Sully...please...” Jinx’s lips kissed along my shoulder, her teeth sinking into the sensitive flesh of my trapezius muscle.

My heart thundered; my own lust re-ignited. “Take the deal, gentlemen. It’s the best you’re going to get.”

They eyed each other.

Stress poured through my veins, feeding fury and fatigue in equal measure. I’d never been so on edge—never so hung up on a business negotiation. Never wanted anything this much. Never needed a girl this much.

Finally, the tall one nodded on behalf of the pack and holstered his gun. “If what you say is true, you have a deal.” He pointed a finger at me. “But if I find out you’re lying, I’m gonna fuck that goddess of yours until she’s in pieces, and then, I’ll personally save your cock and balls as souvenirs when your brother cuts them clean off your bullshitting corpse.”

My lips thinned. My nostrils flared. I’d never permitted such disrespect, such fucking insubordination. A few months ago, if anyone had ever dared speak to me that way their tongue would’ve been shoved up their ass. Literally.

Turned out being in love had made me goddamn weak.

Swallowing back my rage, I snapped, “Go to my safe and then you’ll owe me a fucking apology.”

“We’ll see.” The guy snorted. “You two stay here. Watch them. I’ll go see if he’s telling the truth.”

“Fine.” The copper-haired one nodded. He crossed his arms, his gun dangling mockingly in his hand. “We’ll just have a nice chat while we wait.”

Eleanor almost slipped from my grip, her legs finally giving out. I clutched her close, my belly tense and leg pounding with pain.

Shit, I need them all to go.

She’d reached her limit. Her heat scoured my spine. Her lewdness and longing made my own spring fierce and greedy. I couldn’t get her off this island, but I could help her escape it through an orgasm or two.

Would she cope waiting a bit longer? Would her heart remain intact?

Pika flew in through the open sliders, his glinting green feathers snapping with temper. He squawked, stealing the attention of the two men while the third rolled his eyes and headed to the door they’d broken down.

Eleanor quaked behind me, her gaze tracking Pika as he flew wildly around the room. She hissed between her teeth. I didn’t know if it was in grief for Skittles or the unravelling of her self-control.

Her weight became heavier as she tried to slither to the floor.

Pika cawed and fluttered to the rafters, glaring at me with disapproving black eyes, almost as if he knew what I’d bribed and why.

If I had spare energy, I’d give him the finger—for his judgment and the fact that he hadn’t stayed away like I’d hoped.

Eleanor groaned, jerking in my hold and falling backward. I spun to catch her, ignoring the two men and their guns watching our every move.

My heart fisted as her face scrunched up in agony. Her hands balled and wedged into her chest as if the elixir had formed a nucleus directly behind her ribs. Her skin gleamed with seawater and sweat, her hair tangled and ropy over her arms and shoulders.

She looked as if I’d caught her in a fishing net and dragged her from the deep. Dragged her into a world where she couldn’t breathe, couldn’t function, couldn’t survive.

Fuck, I’m so sorry, Jinx.

Letting her fold to the floor, I glowered over my shoulder at the two remaining mercenaries, my eyesight flickered and faltered. “Do you give me your word that you won’t interfere while you wait for your bribe?”

They snickered as Eleanor lost another element of her control, her hands splaying from fists to squeezing her breasts. “Dunno, depends how much of a show we’re about to get.”

“Vow you won’t touch her, and I promise I won’t kill you.”

The copper-haired one raised his gun. “Yeah, good luck trying to kill us, mate.”

“I killed four of you with my hands tied. I wouldn’t fucking push me where this woman is concerned.”

Looking back at Eleanor, her skin pale and washed out, her lips bright red from being bitten, her nipples peaked, and lust gleaming on her inner thigh, I pushed damp hair behind her ears and cupped her cheeks. “I’m going to keep you safe; I swear it.”

Her eyes flashed open with grey lightning bolts. If her body didn’t portray her need, her gaze was excruciating hunger. “Sully...”

Her hands landed on my wrists as I held her cheeks. Her touch was fire, her skin was fire, her very fucking soul was fire, and I threw myself into it. If she could survive what I’d done to her, then I could survive taking care of her.

With a heart-breaking groan, her hands slipped from my wrists and slid down her front. She hung her head in utmost shame, burying her face into my palms as she lost the final battle and reached to administer self-pleasure.

I caught her hand.

Not to prevent her from a release she so badly needed, but to protect her from the motherfucking bastards behind me.

“Come on.” Hauling my rapidly failing frame upward, I bent and somehow found the energy to pick her up. Hoisting her higher into my arms, I glared at the two men. “Stay there.” Not waiting for their reply, I strode into the master bedroom.

I tripped as my leg reminded me that stitches, glue, and nanobots couldn’t repair a harpoon hole in just a few hours. That I was pushing myself to a limit I might not return from.

The bed beckoned.

The moment Eleanor noticed it, she bucked in my embrace. “Yes, oh, God. Please. I need it. I’m not feeling...” Her eyes snapped closed before flaring wide again. “It hurts, Sully.”

Fear filled me. “Hurts? What hurts?” I almost dropped her as she spasmed again.

“Everything.” She stiffened as her fingers pinched her nipples and her legs scissored in my hold. “My blood, my breath, my heart.”

“Your heart?” I laid her gently on the bed, my voice snappish with worry. “What’s wrong with your heart?”

Please don’t be like the others.

Please!

Her ability at conversation broke. She writhed on the white sheets, her thighs parting wide, exposing every delectable inch of her.

My cock thickened, despite all the shit going on. She grabbed my hand, guiding it to her glistening pussy. I denied her, tugging back all while she dragged me forward.

I couldn’t touch her. Not while her life still hung in the balance.

Wait a little longer, Jinx.

A cough sounded behind me.

Yanking my touch from Eleanor’s greedy grasp, I spun around.

The two assholes hadn’t obeyed me. They’d followed and stood on the threshold of the bedroom, gawking at Eleanor, seeing every indecent part of her.

She didn’t care her most intimate places were on erotic display.

But I fucking did.

“Come another step closer...I dare you.” My fists clenched into stones, planting myself in front of her exposure.

They crossed their arms, slouching against opposite ends of the double door entrance. The short one licked his lips. “Looking is free, and fuck, she’s worth looking at.”

I bared my teeth, wishing all over again that I had elongated canines that could rip out his jugular. “Come another step, and it will cost you your life.”

The copper-haired one smirked. “The promise of over a million bucks will keep us right here. We won’t come in, but we’re not leaving either.” He waved his gun, my faulty stare making it flicker. “So...give her what she wants.” His head cocked, trying to see around my roadblock. “She’s gagging for it. Might as well fuck her.”

The short one shifted, his hand rearranging the front of his pants, clutching his disgusting hard-on.

It took every restraint not to murder them where they stood. I took a step toward them, my blood boiling, feeding yet more false power to my sadly depleted muscles.

But Eleanor cried out, a frustrated snarl tangled with a miserable whimper.

Her voice was a collar, yanking me back to her.

Dismissing the bastards without another thought, I turned to her, and my heart splattered cold and terrified on the floor.

She looked so, so white. Her usual island-glow horribly lost amongst the deathly pallor creeping over her. Even her lips were turning a nasty shade of purple, red gallantly clinging even as blue did its best to paint.

“Jinx.” I snatched the spare cream-coloured blanket from the bottom of the bed. Covering her, I rubbed her arms, encouraging blood flow to heat her up. “You’ll be okay—”

“I won’t fucking be okay!” She tried to kick it off. “I need, Sully. I need. God, I need.”

Fucking hell!

No more elixir.

No more fucking drugs.

I was burning every goddamn orchid and smashing every corrupting vial.

If she died because of this—if she took her last breath because of me...I’d never fucking forgive myself.

Violent guilt punched me as Eleanor shoved off the blanket and arched her spine. Her stretch accented every curve and shadow, intoxicating and inviting men to devour.

Her hand flopped to the side, imploring me to join her on the bed. “Sully. I need you inside me.”

The men chuckled. “Gonna fuck her, mate? She’s still begging. What sort of twat denies a woman when she begs?”

I swallowed dagger shards as I weighed up what the hell I could do.

Relieve her and run the risk of company? Don’t relieve her and run the risk of her dying?

Shit!

“If you don’t fuck her, I volunteer.” The short one increased his voice. “Need a cock, pretty girl? I have one for ya.” He grabbed his crotch with a sickening grin.

Eleanor’s grey eyes flashed to him.

I froze, hoping to hell I wouldn’t see an invitation there. That she wasn’t so far gone to offer herself to him right in front of my miserable face. That she’d screw a goddamn stranger because of her elevated lust.

If she did...that was a punishment I deserved.

If she welcomed him to take her...that was my penance.

I’d made her become this wild.

She was this creature because of me.

And the reality of the situation smashed through the rest of my fucked-up morals, forcing me to admit that I couldn’t do this anymore.

I couldn’t be this asshole who played with other’s lives.

All lives mattered.

Not just animals.

Human too.

And I’d been exploiting them.

I’d abused them for my own gains.

I’d killed without a second thought.

I’d farmed out their bodies because I didn’t give a shit.

But watching Eleanor slowly fade before my eyes—to witness her vitality snuffed out by a drug that I’d created...fuck, I can’t.

How could I ever feed a woman elixir again?

How could I accept money from men who were exactly like me with their empty hollow hearts?

Jinx had made me human.

Eleanor had made me care.

And just like that...my entire fucking empire was over.

If I managed to kill Drake tonight, I couldn’t continue preying on any soul—four-legged or two.

Eleanor groaned as a full-body clench made her stiffen on the bed. The short mercenary left the threshold, daring to step toward her, transfixed by her parted lips and sinuous, sensual thirst.

I prepared to kill again. To steal his life for daring to steal the only thing that made sense to me.

Eleanor locked eyes with him. Her need flared, her eyelashes fluttered, and her gorgeous face softened in hello.

No.

My knees buckled.

Bile washed up my gullet.

The man grinned, and took another fucking step.

I didn’t know if I wanted to goddamn cry or kill every last male on the planet.

But then...Eleanor mewled and tossed her head on the sheets, spreading knotted hair, her tongue licking her bottom lip, her gaze struggling to find mine. “Sully.” Tears glossed the grey, spilling quicksilver down her cheeks. “Please, Sully. It has to be you. No one else. You.”

Jesus Christ.

She’d just given me redemption I didn’t deserve. Her fidelity, even in the height of her heat, dismissed every other vow we’d uttered this far. She’d not only taught me how to trust, but in one sentence had evolved our connection from fledgling to forever.

Even out of her ever-loving mind, she refused another male.

She remained loyal and true to me.

Me.

My own greed spilled out of control. I was weak and sick, but seeing her so pure and potent undid me.

Snatching her wrist, I hauled her to the edge of the bed and kissed her.

I kissed her in thanks and worship, in punishment and promise.

She moaned so loudly, the men watching us groaned too. Sex exploded in the room, drowning us, making everyone fucking drunk. It would be so easy to pull her onto my lap and stick my cock inside her. So easy to take what she so desperately wanted me to have.

But our audience wouldn’t stay voyeurs. I either had to kill them or get rid of them.

Tearing my mouth from Eleanor’s, I bared my teeth at the men. “I suggest you chase your colleague. He’s taking his sweet time...almost long enough to claim the five million for himself—”

“I didn’t leave, you jackass.”

All of us looked into the lounge where the tall mercenary stood, holding a duffel. It ought to be too heavy to carry with that amount of transportable value, but I hadn’t just stuffed cash in there. There were envelopes of priceless diamonds, bought and stored from Jethro Hawk...waiting for a time when I needed to vanish. Fast.

There’d been a few instances when I’d reached for my emergency stash. A few court cases when I honestly didn’t know if I’d get away with the convictions. But each time, I’d slipped conveniently through the criminal justice system thanks to philanthropy, hefty donations, and well-placed bribes on those I had dirt on.

Thanks to my Goddess Isles, I’d gathered more and more ammunition as I’d welcomed high-powered men to my shores.

Eleanor cried out with furious frustration, kicking off the rest of the blanket, leaving her ripe body on full display. Her eyes glazed with lunacy and her body swelled with a lust that’d transcended all control or care. She’d lost herself, not caring she was the only female in a villa of men.

My chest heaved as I growled at the three bastards, “I’ve kept my side of the bargain. Now, keep yours.” I pointed at the door. “Time to go.”

The tall one opened the duffel, letting his colleagues peer inside. Crisp bundles of hundred-dollar bills and velvet pouches of diamonds. A treasure trove of expensive loot.

They nodded and backed away, wincing from their engorged cocks.

I had no doubt they’d be masturbating on my beach before they left my island. But at least the sand would be smeared with their cum and not my goddamn woman.

I held my breath, waiting for them to leave.

Eleanor chose that unfortunate moment to lose herself further. To beg. Her hips soared into the sky, her fingers found her pussy, and her cry sent needles prickling all over my skin.

“Please.” Her hips worked, thrusting into her hand, tears rolling down her cheeks. “Please!”

Shit.

The men froze.

All three switched from mercenary to monster. The duffel slapped against the floor as the taller one moved between his colleagues, gawking at Eleanor’s stunning svelte body as she writhed.

I groaned as two fingers sank inside her while her other hand strayed to her lips. She fingered herself and bit on her hand as if she needed both holes to be filled, immediately, now.

She flinched, a gasp tumbling from her mouth. Her breath caught as if she couldn’t suck in a proper breath. She choked.

Despite my desire to get rid of our audience, I rushed to her, catching her before she rolled to the side. Her body cooked in my arms, her pulse crazily out of control.

“Breathe, Jinx. Just...calm down.”

Don’t let it kill you.

I fucking forbid it!

Eleanor shuddered, her eyes fluttering and lips wide for breath. Before she’d even satisfied the urge for air, her hands once again crawled down her belly. “I need...I need...” Her beg had a different quality to it. Past desperate and into fearful. Her lust now blended with terror.

She’d been fed a liquid that dilated blood vessels and amplified adrenaline and dopamine.

She needed to come.

Yet I’d forbidden her from seeking relief, pushing her deeper into pain.

No more.

I couldn’t cause her another ounce of agony.

I would wring that damn elixir from her system before it killed her.

I would give her whatever she damn well craved.

Scooping her into my arms, I snarled at the men. “You’ve got your payment. Leave.”

Eleanor slinked in my embrace, twisting with inertia, tripping me until I sat heavily on the bed. The second I sat, she hooked her thigh over my lap and rubbed her drenched pussy against my boxer-clad cock. “Sully...”

Digging my fingers into her biceps, I held her hovering over me. My own heart turned sick with tremors. I caught the gaze of the tall mercenary, my possessiveness inching closer to wretched begging. “Take the cash and go!”

He shook his head. “I’ve changed my mind.”

“My gift is non-negotiable.”

He licked his lips. “We won’t touch or interfere. We won’t hurt you or her. But we aren’t leaving.” He looked at the two men on either side of him, his shoulders bracing with mutual conviction. “We’ve accepted your deal. She’s safe from us, and we will get off your island without further bloodshed. However, we’re not leaving until after the show.”

My pulse boiled. “There is no fucking show.”

“There’s about to be.” He crossed his arms, arching his chin at the velvet chairs by the small dining table. “We’ll sit down. We’ll stay out of your way and leave the moment you’re done. But we’re gonna stay and watch you fuck her as well as take your money.”

The copper-haired cunt marched to the chairs, dragging two across the floor. The shorter one followed suit, parking his seat over the threshold of the bedroom just as Eleanor slipped her hand into my boxers.

I grunted, my belly clenching.

It fucked me off that I was hard.

This island had turned into a torture chamber and a mortuary, so sex should be at the very bottom of my priorities.

But not for Eleanor.

And not for me because I loved her, craved her, owned her.

Owe her.

The men eyed up her beauty as they sat down. I clutched her harder, furious that they looked at what was mine. But...in some recess of my mind, some hidden feral part of me, the thought of fucking her in front of them turned me on.

To be the only one with permission.

To be the chosen one allowed to touch a queen.

Fuck yes, it turned me on, and it shouldn’t.

I was sick.

But I was hers, and this was what she needed.

My own injuries and illnesses didn’t fucking matter. Tritec-87 would have to deliver more strength, so I could save the only person who made sense to my murky, miserable world.

Whatever she asked of me, I would deliver.

I gritted my teeth as she fisted me, her breathing hitched and hurried, her heart pounding with irregular rhythm. I loathed the flutter and strange kick in her chest. I hated knowing I was the reason her system suffered.

I’d delayed for too long. I’d driven her closer and closer to an irreversible end.

Eleanor’s lips landed on my throat as I released my hold on her biceps. The second I let her go, her hands scratched at my boxers, shoving them down.

Pointing a finger at the mercenaries, I snarled, “You come anywhere near us, and you motherfucking die.”

“Deal.” The tall one grinned, keeping my stare as he unbuckled his trousers and unzipped. The other two men followed suit, reclining enough to dig into their pants and fist their disgusting hard-ons.

Eleanor rubbed her face against my neck, her ass in the air and her whimpers in my ear.

Three men pulled out their cocks.

She fisted my erection.

She positioned herself above me.

I groaned.

She cried.

Men masturbated in unison.

And Eleanor impaled herself upon me.