Page 25 of Echoes of Desire
“She’s something,” I murmur, my gaze following her as she skillfully weaves through the room. She’s confident in her role behind the bar, even if the chaos of the dungeon isn’t something she’s fully comfortable with yet.
“She’s holding her own,” Blaze observes, nodding slightly toward her. “Even after that asshole put his hands on her, she didn’t crumble.”
“She shouldn’t have had to deal with that at all,” I say, my voice sharper than I intended.
Blaze claps a hand on my shoulder, his grip grounding. “We’ll handle it, Steel. You’ll rip his fucking heart out, remember?”
I let out a breath, the weight in my chest easing just a little. “She deserves better than what she’s been used to.”
Blaze smirks, the mischievous glint returning to his eyes. “That’s what we’re here for, isn’t it? To show her she deserves better and give it to her.”
The grin I shoot him is more wolfish than amused. “She’s not going to know what hit her.”
“Damn right,” he laughs, but his expression softens as his gaze drifts back to her. “Think she’ll stick around?”
“She will,” I say with certainty, watching as Raven throws herself back into her work, her smile warm and genuine despite the earlier tension. “She’s stronger than she realizes. She just needs time to see it for herself.”
Blaze hums in agreement, but his focus sharpens as another patron approaches the bar, their interaction with Raven drawing his attention.
“She’s learning fast,” he says.
“She has to,” I reply. “This place is a lot to handle for someone who’s never been part of this world.”
“She’s got more than just the club to navigate,” Blaze points out, his tone shifting to something more thoughtful. “The way she talked about her face blindness... You can see how much it weighs on her. She was frustrated with herself when she didn’t recognize you earlier.”
I nod, my jaw tightening as I remember the frustration in her voice. “She’s overthinking it. Making it bigger than it has to be.”
Blaze quirks an eyebrow at me. “Easy for you to say. You don’t live with it.”
“No,” I admit. “But I’ve seen how she connects things. She’s smart, observant. The way she notices voices, how she focuses on details others overlook... That’s her strength.”
Blaze watches her for a moment, then grins. “Yeah, and if we keep teasing her, she’s going to memorize every single thing about us just to prove a point.”
“That’s the plan,” I say, smirking. “She’s already halfway there, even if she doesn’t realize it yet.”
Raven’s face blindness might slow her down, but it won’t stop her. She’s already figuring us out piece by piece, and when she does, there’ll be no mistaking where she belongs. She’s ours. Whether she realizes it yet or not.
Blaze laughs, low and easy, before straightening. “We’d better go deal with this bastard and get back to work before the natives start complaining again. Let’s see if we can make it through the night without another incident.”
“Unlikely,” I mutter, but I follow him to our office. I’m ready to beat off some of this steam. How dare he fucking touch what belongs to us.
Chapter Nine
Raven
Shaking my head, I close my reading app and toss my tablet down. It’s too much.
I decided to do some “research” on all things BDSM, and what better place to start than some romance books. And, boy, oh boy, is there a lot of information in them.
These two men want to date me but I’m starting to think it’s not a good idea. I don’t think I could ever be what they need.
Jasper:Good morning, Pet. I have breakfast being delivered to your apartment in fifteen minutes. Eat it.
Jaxon:What my brother is trying to say is, we hope you slept well last night, sweetheart. I know it was a lot to take in, and I hope it didn’t scare you off. Please enjoy your breakfast.
Laughing, I type in my response.
Me:I’m not typically awake early enough to eat breakfast. Even when I don’t spend most of the night bartending. Also, I’ve been thinking about this whole relationship thing. I don’t think I can be what you guys need.