Gabriel was roaming around 'the floor' staring at the scenes being enacted. Luke was standing beside him while his other brothers were sitting in the Lounge. The only ones missing were Nathan, Sean, and Owen. He didn't have a clue where they were.
He sat on one of the couches lining the walls, ignoring all the sharp sounds of leather hitting skin or the sultry moans echoing through the room. He barely even noticed his blonde friend looking at him intently. His thoughts were completely consumed by a green-eyed angel.
He thought about how those eyes used to hold so much innocence and wonderment. How they would gaze upon him as if he hung the stars and the moon. Her golden locks would billow behind her, the colors shifting in the light, creating this halo and making her the true embodiment of an angel.
Now she prowled like a predator, full of confidence. A seductive sway to her hips, her eyes alight yet without emotion. Her clothing held her curves in a tight embrace, accentuating each delightful dip.
He remembered the searing pain he felt when she left. A numb chill went through his body. He couldn't think of any reason why she would leave and yet she did.
"How do you feel about her?" Gabriel broke the silence, Luke's eyes snapping to his in surprise.
"What do you mean?" Luke asked. Gabriel remained silent, his fingers playing with one of the studs in his ear.
"I don't... I don't care what happened. I still love her. I still want her," He finally answered. Luke's brows rose, his lips slightly parting. He was bewildered, out of everything that was the least he expected to come out of his friend's mouth. Especially with how he reacted when she left.
His reply got stuck in his throat when he noticed the woman in question being led into the VIP rooms by a tall figure. From where they were sitting he couldn't see the man's face or any distinguishable feature. He nudged Gabriel and they both watched as the two entered the area.
He couldn't take his gaze away from the fiery emerald orbs that stared back at him. He quickened his pace, slamming his cock into the heated body underneath him.
"Oh fuck!" he exclaimed as he came, his gaze fixed on the blonde beauty.
Sang
I wake up sensing a shift in the air and I'm greeted by the sight of piercing eyes. "Stop doing that! You know I'm a light sleeper."
He ignores my scolding and tucks a stray strand of hair behind my ear. "Did you have any nightmares again?"
I sight and turn to lie on my back, covering my eyes with an arm. "No. But I didn't sleep well."
I felt the weight of his gaze on the side of my face, waiting for me to talk more about my restlessness, which would never happen. He probably realized this as I heard him get up to leave. "Breakfast is ready."
I remove my arm and lay there, staring at the ceiling. I contemplate the recent events. Seeing the guys again. Seeing Axel again. Meeting the rest of the Toma Team. Working with the guys. Teaching the guys about my lifestyle choice.
I groan at that thought. Never would I have predicted that I'll be teaching my exes the ins and outs of a kinky lifestyle. The same exes who put me on a pedestal and refused to 'corrupt' my innocence.
The same exes who refused to take said innocence and told me I wasn't ready even when I was begging with sexual frustration.
Then there was Owen. That insufferable man. Always so stoic. Seems like he got worse. But there was something different. It was the look in his eyes that I couldn't quite comprehend. When I met him, I was able to see flashes and was able to at least guess what could be going through his complex mind but now, everything was just foggy. And it annoyed me to no end.
I've gotten quite efficient with reading people. I was always a good judge of character but now it seemed like I could read a whole person's life story with just one look. But for some reason, I couldn't read the simple look in Owen Blackbourne's eyes.
I could tell he wasn't getting enough sleep by the slight darkness under his eyes, the little slouch he thought wasn't noticeable. With the constant tick in his jaw, he was very aggravated by something. He also might have gotten a cat, by the couple pieces of fur on the bottom of his slacks.
It felt rather odd seeing the guys and not acting like my old self. I could see the confusion and hurt in their eyes. Well, in some.
It also didn't help the situation that Axel was there and they found out about our past endeavors. Although they have no right to judge and feel hurt. They could have prevented all this from happen— No. Stop thinking of the what-ifs. Focus on the now.
Fuck, I really need a drink.
My eyes were immediately drawn to the cup that Gabriel was drinking what I believe to be coffee in when I walked into the kitchen.
The corner of my lips twitched until I couldn't stop the slight giggle slip. The thought of his reaction upon finishing his coffee was too much for me.
Everyone's stare laid heavily on me, which I chose to disregard and continued to look at Gabriel.
He gazed back at me in confusion yet I noticed the flicker of delight in his eyes. Probably from my giggle, they always did have some odd fascination with it.
"What the fuck? Why the fuck are you laughing Trouble?" he asked. My laughter cut off when I realized what he called me. My eyes widened a bit in surprise as did his but the shock was replaced by a tender gaze that had me cursing myself for being so soft.
I placed my walls back up and gave him a smirk. "The best coffee is at the bottom of that cup."
His tender gaze saddened at my hardened one but there was that sheer determination that reeled me in when I first met the boys. He continued to stare at me with his brows furrowed.
I turned around and scoured through the cupboard for what I came here for in the first place. Upon seeing the specific label, I snatched the bottle out and poured the contents into one of my many tumblers.
I heard the uneven footsteps of my family lead and rolled my eyes when the steps faltered upon seeing me put the bottle back in its place.
"What the fuck are you doing Sangrida Schulz? It's 9 in the fucking morning and you're already on the bottle," I held in a slight wince at the debacle the two teams were going to witness. They didn't need to know about this and they certainly didn't need to start getting suspicious.
"Oh, hush. It's 3 somewhere. If I'm not mistaken it's 3 pm in Amsterdam right now."
Xavier, who was frying the bacon, turned towards me, a hand on his hip with tongs snapping at me in emphasis. "Just because it's 3 somewhere doesn't mean it's 3 here and you should drink."
The pan sizzles and pops startling him and making him drop the tongs. "Fuck me!"
Oliver then decided to enter the kitchen, still in the clothes he wore to bed much like me. He stumbled to the counter his eyes partially closed. "Is that an invitation?" Several choked and stared bewildered at Oliver's question as Xavier took out a new pair of tongs with a subtle flush on his cheeks.
I stifled a chuckle and looked back at Dom. "I'll just have one glass, don't worry. You don't need to bring me back," I say hinting to stop the conversation to avoid speculation.
He barely opened his mouth to reply when Gabriel screamed out a curse, staring into his cup.
"What the fuck is this shit?!"
Luke peered into the cup from behind Gabriel's shoulder and bursts out laughing.
"What's wrong?" Marc asks. Luke continues to laugh as he grabs the cup and tilts it to show them the contents.
I was captivated by his laugh. It's been years since I heard the infectious laugh. Although his voice sounded a bit rough as if he hasn't laughed in a long time, it didn't take away from his beauty.
His blond hair was slightly longer than the last time I saw him. His brown eyes always reminded me of the chocolate he raved about, which used to be alight with mischief and lively, now dimmed and dull.
The others laughed upon seeing the bottom of the cup while I still felt the scorching gazes of North, Sean, and Owen.
I looked down and let a soft smile grace my lips. They thought they were so sly with their staring.
"Hey, none of us have anything planned for today right? How about we eat lunch by the lakeside?" Oliver suggests now back to his boisterous self after a sip of caffeine.
"You mean a picnic?" Xavier asks.
Oliver starts bouncing on the balls of his feet, eyes wide in excitement. "Yes! Exactly! A picnic! That's a great idea! We could also talk about the mission details by the lake, it's pretty secluded."
"Well, I have things to do in the study but I'll be joining you for lunch. So, Oliver, you're in charge of the picnic planning, yes?" I said making Oliver squeal.
As I was headed into my room I felt movement from behind me. Knowing not just anyone would be able to get past the borders of the property, it's safe to say that it was probably one of the guys so I didn't bother to do anything and waited for them to make their move.
Not a minute later I got pushed into a wall. The person's head dove straight into my neck muttering a mile a minute. Their scent enveloped my being, pins pricking at my heart yet soothing the pain at the same time.
Finally understanding the jumble of things the person was going on about, I could vaguely hear the hard exterior of my walls crack. I heaved out a heavy sigh and run my hands through their soft tresses.
He eventually pulls back, his dark eyes intense as they seem to see through my soul. I offer him a grim smile, conveying my answer to his unspoken question. I kiss the corner of his lips and open the door to my room, leaving him outside stunned.
I change into a blue sundress with white flowers printed all over the fabric. I decided to take my hair out of the messy bun I left it in last night, opting to leave it down and wavy.
I head into the study, needing to type out and print some documents.
When I was done with everything, I chose to walk a bit into the forest to clear out my chaotic thoughts. I brought the papers and my tumbler with me.
I always loved the woods. Walking between the dense foliage brought me a sense of peace that unfortunately came crashing down once I left the area.
I recalled the woods behind my old house and how I would take walks to escape from my stepmother's clutches. It was much like this one, with the only exception that now, I was free. I didn't have to watch the time to rush home in hopes that she was still passed out from the medication she took.
And unlike those woods, I didn't have a chance to get jumped by a dog and meet its owner and his friends, eventually falling for them. Here, I was alone.
I used to hate being lonely. But now I craved it. I craved the solitude, and the peace it brought with it. Especially after what happened.
I stopped the train of my thoughts with a sip of my drink before I got sucked into that hole of despair again.
I start hearing laughter and shouting and walked in that direction. I see the guys all lounging on various picnic blankets. It couldn't have been lunchtime already, right? How long was I out walking?
I sat by Dom who was reading another novel from his favorite author. Those who noticed my arrival all went silent and just stared. I almost rolled my eyes. All this staring has to stop.
Oliver huffed in frustration when he noted the constant eye-fucking I received. "Look, I get it, she's hot. Everyone gets it, start getting used to it and stop the gawking."
Some reddened and awkwardly looked away while others just kept on.
I gave Oliver a dark smile and without thinking of what the others would think, grabbed him by the chin. "Why? Are you jealous puppy?" He blushed and mumbled something incomprehensible.
I let his chin go and veered around toward the others. "So what's the plan? Oh right, before I forget." I handed Kota one of the papers I was carrying. "Here's a list of what I think would be the best pairings. I need you to double-check this for any possible conflict with the partnering and if the list would suffice."
His eyes widened drastically. Probably because I initiated a conversation with him. Why do they keep acting as if expecting me to hate them?
"What about our roles for the assignment?" Marc asks.
"I'll need two with me, preferably posing as a couple. I'll also probably have to go in as an s-type."
"How about going in as a little?" Xavier proposes.
I felt Dom stiffen beside me, his head snapping towards Xavier as he puts his books down forcefully. "The hell no! That's even riskier!"
Oliver exaggeratedly nodded his head in agreement, his mouth full of food.
"Based on the recent victims they seem to be going for those with a more youthful look to them. Sang can pass as someone younger, possibly underage," Xavier glances at me with scrutinizing eyes briefly muttering something about vampires and immortality under his breath before looking back at Dom. "There aren't many littles going in that area due to it being too rough so if there are some on their radar they for sure will snatch them up. They are the easiest to prey on due to their vulnerable nature."
"He has a point, Dom. We'll be able to get into the inner circle faster if I went in as a little," I insisted.
"The whole damn reason we called in two teams was to keep you safe! So that what happened doesn't happen again!" He snapped at me eyes blazing in fury. This enrages me. Why can't he see the bigger picture here?
"They have MIKs! Goddamn minors! I know what's happening to them. I'll do everything to get them out, even if it means reliving the past. Even at the cost of my own downfall." We stare at each other. We were both frustrated by the situation we had found ourselves in.
With his book in hand, he gritted his jaw and stood up to stomp back to the home as I stared at his retreating figure.
"Perhaps if we spent the nights strategizing instead of lounging at your club, we'd accomplish something." My brow furrowed in the direction of the obnoxious man. The audacity of this man.
"The majority of the individuals here have been abused in some way. What do you think their reaction would have been if they saw someone getting hit? The 'insignificant things', as you implied, we're teaching aren't just for other people's benefit; they're also for the benefit of your brothers. Unlike you, I care about the well-being of my family." I retorted angrily before following Dominique.
For anyone who doesn't know MIK stands for Minor In Kink. This is a real issue. There are a lot of underage people involved in the lifestyle. It's one thing to be reading about it and looking at stuff but it's a whole other ballpark to be actively involved in the lifestyle. I was like that. I discovered DDLG first when I was young but I didn't actively participate in it, more so just read smutty stories on Wattpad.
Then I discovered Agere, or Age Regression/ssing/ssor, which to some is just a generalized term. But Agere is safe for ANYONE to be involved in, even minors. Agere is NOT SEXUAL while DDLG is.
Anyways, remember that announcement I made that I'll be busy this week focusing on my original book? Yeah that didn't happen, so here's a bit of a longer chapter for waiting so patiently. Hope you guys like the chapter! Don't forget to vote and follow me for announcements regarding updates. And don't be shy to reach out if you have any questions regarding the story, my other books, the BDSM community, or if you simply just want a friend or someone to talk to.
With love and hugs,
Azzy