Chapter Ninety-Seven

POV: RHODES

Despite being back at Midnight Court, the wards from Fifth Isle are still biting into my skin like a thousand needles. It’s a slow burn, agonizing, unbearable. The magic presses against me, trying to push me back, but I fight it. I don’t stop. My jaw clenches with the effort. I can feel the thrum of it, the energy pulsing through the air, wrapping around me like a vice. It’s pain—deep, relentless pain that wants nothing more than to break me. And I almost let it.

But I won’t.

For her, I won’t.

I swallow the agony, clenching my fists at my sides, my body locked in place, every muscle trembling with the strain. It’s excruciating, but I push through, because I have to. For her. 

I can almost see her face—Remi. The one who’s twisted my world upside down with just one look, with just one kiss. The one who owns my heart in ways I never thought anyone could. I won’t let her be alone, not after everything that’s happened, not after all she’s suffered. And I’ll be damned if I let anyone else–even my brothers, take her tonight.

I turn around to face the three men, the magic still tearing at me, but I force myself to stand tall. Straigtening my shoulders, staring them down, feels like I’m being dragged to hell, but I don’t relent.

Remi is fucking mine tonight. I love her. And she loves me. 

Even in this condition, I will fuck her like the good girl she is. 

And I am a pain slut, for what it’s worth. 

Finally, the pull from the Fifth Isle weakens. Just in time for me to place my hand on Xaden’s chest. The pain still lingers, sharp in my bones, but I’m not letting it show.

“No,” I growl. No. 

From behind me, Remi must have given some sort of permission, because I feel Xaden’s chest give beneath my hand. 

I exhale, the world coming back into focus as I see her—Remi. Sitting right where I placed her on a jet black chair, just out of reach, and yet so close. My chest tightens at the sight of her, at the way she stands with her head held high, defiant even in this place. She’s more beautiful than I remember, and I’m struck with the urge to be near her.

I can’t breathe without her.

She was worth losing my vision for the thirty minutes. 

I step forward, but before I can move further, I hear Keiran’s voice calling me.

“Rhodes.”

Keiran’s tone is low, serious, but there’s a warmth in his voice, too. The bond we share is something solid, something unshakable. My friend. My king. There’s no one else I trust more than Keiran.

I turn toward him, and I see the way his eyes flick to Remi for a moment before meeting mine. I know what he’s thinking. The same thing we all are. She’s ours.

I give him a sharp nod, walking over to where Keiran stands at the edge of the room, his posture perfect, calm even after the chaos we just left behind. He’s always been this way—cool, collected. The way a king should be. I respect him more than anyone else in this world, and I think he knows it.

Kallias is there too, leaning against the wall, his eyes flicking between Remi and me, his jaw tight. My twin. We share everything—our life, our battles, our women. But not tonight. Not her.

Xaden is standing near the corner, his gaze fixated on Remi with that intensity I can’t miss. His red eyes flare when they meet hers, and I can almost hear his pulse quicken. The man’s reaction is loud, and it’s obvious to anyone watching—he wants her. I can see the way his pupils dilate at the smell of her blood, the way his body leans slightly forward, like he can’t help himself.

I grit my teeth, my chest tightening at the thought. I’m not sure what this says about me, but if I’m being honest, I’m not ready to share her with him. Or with anyone.

The three of them watch Remi, and I can’t help but notice the way they look at her. They respect her—no, they adore her, just like I do. But there’s something more in the way Keiran holds himself. It’s in the way his pulse skips, in the way his eyes narrow just slightly as she stands there, like he can’t believe she’s really here. His fingers twitch at his sides as if he’s restraining himself from pulling her into his arms.

And then there’s Kallias, his gaze cool but laced with something deeper, something fierce. He looks at her like a man looking at something he doesn’t yet fully understand, but he’s starting to.

Then Xaden, his own unreadable expression on his face, though I know him better than anyone. I see the hunger in his eyes, the way he watches her as if she’s something he can never have.

The tension in the room is thick. I can feel it in my bones.

Remi stands, her posture straight, her chin lifted. She’s still as fierce as ever. She’s mine, and I won’t let anyone forget that.

Kallias steps forward, his voice low and controlled as he looks at Remi. “I’ll bring her for a bath,” he says, his usual calmness unwavering.

But before I can even process his words, I’m already moving.

I step forward, my chest tight with the weight of the moment. Without hesitation, I cross the room, my gaze never leaving Remi. I reach for her, sweeping her into my arms in a single, fluid motion. She doesn’t resist. She never does when I hold her.

“Sorry, boys,” I say with a smirk, my voice quiet but filled with a possessiveness that I’m not ashamed of. “She’s mine tonight.”

There’s a beat of silence, and I feel the eyes of my brothers on me, but I don’t care. Not this time.

Kallias opens his mouth to protest, but I don’t give him the chance. “No,” I say, my voice low and firm. “I’m taking her. You’ll get your turn later.”

Xaden looks like he wants to argue, but there’s a flicker of something in his eyes—a recognition of the raw, untamed power that swells in me whenever Remi is near.

I don’t care that they’re my brothers. She’s mine.

Kallias shakes his head, frustration evident in his gaze, but he doesn’t push. “Fine,” he mutters, his voice dark. “I’ll bring her wounds to heal first.”

I don’t want him touching her. But I let him.

Remi shifts in my arms, her small hands resting against my chest as I hold her tightly. I feel her trembling against me, but I know it’s not fear. She’s struggling with the magic inside her. I can feel it too—like a storm inside her body. The Black Pearl is powerful, but I know she’s strong enough to control it. She’s stronger than it.

I walk toward the door, my eyes scanning the room one last time. The look in my brothers' eyes is one of understanding. The three of them may be louder than me, stronger than me, but I’m the one who holds Remi tonight.

I step into the hallway with her in my arms, ignoring the whispers of my brothers as they watch us. I feel the weight of their eyes on us, but nothing matters except for her.

We step out of the study, moving through the halls, the weight of everything pressing in on me. I can’t stop the feeling of want that blooms in my chest as I look down at her. She’s everything I need, everything I want. She’s mine.

I walk toward the stairs leading to the room where we’ll be alone, where I can finally take control. I won’t let anyone have her. Not now. Not ever.

We make our way down, my thoughts scattered, but all I can think about is her. And then, I’m hit with it—the overwhelming need to claim her. I can’t fight it. Not when she’s in my arms, not when I’m so close to her, so needy for her.

As we reach the bottom of the staircase, I hear footsteps. The sound of someone running toward us. I don’t need to look to know it’s Kallias.

“Rhodes,” he calls out, his voice tight with frustration. “I’m coming with you, right?”

I turn toward him, my grip tightening around Remi. My twin. He’s always been my partner in everything—everything. We’ve shared women, we’ve shared power, we’ve shared blood.

But not her.

I shake my head. “No,” I say, my voice cold. “Not tonight.”

Kallias gives me a long, frustrated look, but he doesn’t argue. He knows me. Knows what I need.

Pain. Torture.

Both inflicting and withstanding.

I look down at Remi, my hand sliding under her back as I carry her, and for the first time in a long while, I feel complete. She’s mine.

He seems to understand. He knows how this works between us. He knows I need this.

Remi moans.

The little girl knows I need this.

“Fine,” he mutters, stepping aside, though the look in his eyes is one of quiet understanding.

I carry Remi into her room, the soft lighting casting shadows across the floor. I lay her gently on the bed, watching her for a moment as she exhales, her breath soft, steady. The storm inside me eases just a little as I look at her.

I bend down to kiss her forehead, feeling the weight of everything settle in my chest.

“You’re safe now,” I whisper, my voice barely audible.

She looks up at me, her eyes searching mine. I know she wants to say something, but she doesn’t. I know she’s exhausted—her body still trembling with the aftereffects of the Black Pearl.

I kiss her lips gently, then pull away.

"Rhodes," she whispers. Remi grabs the buckle of my pants and pulls me close. I stop breathing at the gesture, the motion, the intensity in her eyes with the Black Pearl.

"Do you love me?" her hand trails right over my pants, and my dick instantly gets hard.

I say nothing.

A spymaster says nothing.

Her hand moves to cup my dick, and I can't handle it. I have to regain control of the situation quickly, before she undoes my pants.

I catch the little girl's wrist just a second before she springs my cock free. Even with the dark magic, she's fragile, breakable.

"Do you love me?" she repeats, eyes wide and wholesome as the moon above.

Whatever Xaden did to her...would be nothing in comparison to what I would do to her.

"Tell me you love me and then fuck me."

I answer her through my mind. It's a warning and an invitation all at once. "I'm a dom through and through, and I do not bend."

Remi's breath hitches, and she slides her thighs around mine and rubs her hands up and down my back. I flinch a bit. She shouldn't be able to touch me like this, won't be able to touch me like this in ten seconds.

"I can touch you however I wish--"

I grab her by the throat and cut off her air, pulling her so hard and far from the mattress that her legs dangle in mid-air.

"You dumb fucking girl," I say to her, "You think you can do whatever you want to me, brat?"

Tears spring at Remi's eyes. But I can smell how fucking wet she is in the air.

This is me and my girl. My fucked-up, sweet little girl.

"If I'm good, will you reward me?" she begs. Begs like the brat she is.

"With a finger in the ass." I say back to her.

She moans out loud. I throw her back onto the bed so hard her head nearly crashes into the headbaord.

"You want me?" I ask her.

An eager nod. Way too eager nod.

I cross my arms, pull out my knife, and begin sharpening it. "If I catch you," steel hits steel, and sparks fly. "I will hurt you."

Me and my girl.

My fucking girl.

"I trust you, Rhodes."

She shouldn't.

Another spark of steel. My girl is dumb. Too-trusting.

"You have ten minutes to run."

She goes too fast, they always go too fast.

Remi is crying from how I've caught her by the tips of her pretty long brown hair. I yank it harder just for fun.

"If I find you within fifteen, I'm fucking your virgin ass."