In one fluid motion, Psycho lifted me high, legs parting wide to settle over his shoulders. Before I could contemplate how the hell I got up there, all thought washed down the drain when his mouth attacked my core. He was a straight savage, salivating over the flesh that he tore from my bones. The apex predator that delighted in his kill.

I ground against him and fell prey to his aggressive attack, Psycho holding me steady as my body thoroughly broke apart, my climax so primal and raw, it stole all my faculties.

I was a whimpering mess, completely limp and entirely useless.

Before I could regain any semblance of reorientation, he slid me down to settle against his front, my responsive nerve endings inciting from the added contact.

My thighs hung loosely over his forearms and his hands braced my ass as he realigned his dick with my entrance.

“Stay here with me, Golden Girl?”

I mustered the strength to raise a single palm to his cheek. “Claim me.”

His gaze locked on mine, never wavering as he slid back into my rippling flesh where he belonged. I sighed in contentment. He felt so deep this way, hands dictating our movements, thrusting in and out with flawless accuracy.

Heat razed my centre as my receptors refused to resist the call, hips pushing forward of their own accord, chasing the potent high that only he could provide.

“One more time, baby. Cum for me one more time. Clench that pretty pussy and stroke me good.”

Each touch, each lick, each whispered word threatened to undo me. Then he gave one last punishing thrust and my vision exploded in technicolour as we climaxed together. Euphoria anaesthetised my veins, corrupting my DNA, until all that was left imprinted on every cell was the name August Mathers.

My head dropped to the base of his neck, sagging against his solid form as he emptied deep inside me. “There’s no going back now. I fucking own you.” I imprinted into his skin.

He chuckled, knowing full well I spoke the utmost truth.

Chapter 20Micah

Ibeckoned August closer as I leant against his headboard.

Bare except for a pair of sweatpants, he climbed between my legs and rested his head on my abdomen. I’d stolen one of his shirts, the fabric soft and saturated in a fragrance entirely his own. My fingers idly twined through his damp hair while his hand snaked beneath my thigh, methodically tracing the lines of my tattoo. He couldn’t stop touching it, entirely possessed.

“What happened, Micah?” We’d settled into a post-lust haze, the soft purple glow of his cell lulling us into a phantom space of unlimited time. “I’ve only known the bare minimum about your family. From what I’ve heard, no one has knowledge of any intricate details.”

“What do you know?”

“The Sovereign was one of the four powerhouses of the underworld. Then out of nowhere, they were completely wiped from the playing field. Hell, I didn’t even know King had a daughter, let alone four. It was said he had a couple of sons who were killed in the explosion of the King Estate, but nothing was confirmed.” He trembled slightly, thinking of the violent rumours he’d heard.

True. Hardly anything was known about the downfall of the Sovereign. But it was an undeniable fact that the organisation was betrayed and completely massacred. Each and every member, affiliate and sympathiser was disposed of, or disappeared as if they never existed at all.

I inhaled a vital breath. I’d never spoken about it, never articulated my tragic past into formulated words, severely protective and simultaneously wary of trusting anyone outside my circle.

Exhaling the same elongated breath, I surrendered my last remaining resolve and returned Psycho’s openness with my own.

“We owe our survival, in part, to our father,” I said. “Oliver King was a vigilant and semi-paranoid man, like most people in our area of work. He did everything in his power to keep our identities a secret. He even gave us all masculine, dominant names to add to that narrative, which fulfilled its purpose.”

“Soon, all of Junction City believed my father had sons to further the King bloodline. He didn’t confirm or deny these rumours, and no one would dare ask otherwise. So, when our house was raided and sacked, they had no reason to assume they hadn’t completed the job. Because, to the masses of the JC, we didn’t exist.”

August hummed in unabashed awe. “Holy fuck. He was a genius.”

“Not enough to prevent himself from being betrayed and killed, unfortunately,” I said bitterly, unwarranted spite and accusation thickening my tone.

Though I missed my father, I still held him responsible for leaving us, and losing our sister in the process. You’d think with the nature of my Variant, I’d be more empathetic and in tune with my emotions. Instead, the truth became a burden, my endless reel of pain corrupted me, tainted me. Unable to forgive, nor forget.

August continued to mindlessly stroke his fingertips over my skin. Nothing I’d revealed unsettled him. All he cared for was my wellbeing and position in all of it. He was a soothing balm that settled my soul like no other.

“What made you come back now? What brought you back after all this time?”

“For the past four years, my siblings and I have searched for any scrap of information we could find about that night. It was bizarre. No one claimed the win, the responsibility for the downfall of one of the most powerful organisations in the country. Even more strange was that no one took ownership over the open drug trade in Junction City. With the Sovereign wiped out, anyone could have stepped up and taken everything for themselves. Yet, no one ever did—until now.”

August tilted his head at my clear observation, the new information seeping in.

“Ludus Maximus?”

I affirmed with a nod. “Ludus Maximus. I know you were sent here before they started distributing, but—”

“Tell me what you need from me, baby.”

“We need to get to Maximus, but he’s locked himself deep in the Caverns. Which, as you know, are impenetrable. We can’t get close, or even manage to get a glimpse of him. We need to know his role.”

“He’s truly in the drug game?” August’s brow furrowed, sceptical of the information I was providing.

“He’s not just in it, he’s taken over the entirety of the Sovereign syndicate and its jurisdiction.”

PSYCHO

I shook my head, still hesitant to believe he had changed his mind since I’d been locked away. Maximus was one of the most stubborn people I’d ever met.

Raising from the bed, I lit a cigarette. “When I was inducted, Maximus was already plagued by paranoia. He understood there were higher powers at play when it came to the downfall of your house, and was always adamant not to trample on the bones of the Sovereign. Maximus was never interested in that side of business. He’s a bastard, but more astutely, he’s a survivor.”

“You’ve been away for a while, August. Power and money easily change a good man, let alone a bad one. Hell, people will give just about anything for a hit of Amp.”

“Amp?” Where have I heard that before?

Micah shuffled forward, sitting on the edge of the bed. “An amplifier drug that came on the market four months ago. It enhances one’s Variant. Highly potent, but difficult to acquire. Ludus Maximus is the sole provider, along with other drugs.”

I paced, a trail of smoke floating to the roof. I’m missing something vital. Then every tendril of convoluted web stitched together and clicked into place.

“Ludus Maximus isn't sourcing the drugs. They’re only distributing them.”

“All evidence says otherwise. How do you know there’s a third party involved?”

“Because that’s why I was sent to Oakview. That’s why I was locked away in this fucking shithole.” I wanted to tear myself apart for my own foolishness. More than that, I wanted to rip the core foundations out from the whole underground until all that remained was the tortured corpse of Maximus, dead at my feet.

Fatigue dragged down my muscles and exhaustion pulled at my lids. My sole undivided focus concentrated on staying upright.