Chapter 45: In the darkness

The dark, towering entrance to the Empire State Building stood before them, its grand lobby pitch-black and smelling of ozone and fresh copper.

The moment the massive brass doors banged shut behind them, locking out the freezing rain and the burning streets of Midtown, the adrenaline high of the Times Square slaughter didn't fade—it mutated.

Adrian didn't even make it to the elevators. He hoisted Mari off her feet, slamming her back flat against the marble reception desk with a brutal, heavy thud that scattered shattered glass and abandoned paperwork across the floor.

"You took the city, Queen," Adrian growled, his massive hands gripping her thighs, forcing her knees wide as he crowded between them. His dark eyes were wild, bloodshot with pure, unadulterated possessiveness as his mouth clamped down over hers in a deep, filthy kiss that tasted of iron and smoke.

Mari gasped into his mouth, her fingers digging through his thick hair, dragging him closer. The bruised, aching heat of her body was screaming for it, every nerve ending humming with hyper-sensitive electricity.

She wasn't given time to recover before Kael slid up the side of the marble desk. His dark grin was feral, his face flushed and slick with sweat as he leaned over her shoulder, his lips trailing hot, wet kisses down her exposed neck. "Look at you," Kael purred against her skin, his hand sliding over her ribs to cup her breast through the flexible tactical armor, squeezing until Mari arched her back with a sharp, breathless moan. "A queen sitting on a throne of marble and blood."

From behind her head, Sera stepped up to the edge of the desk, her sub-zero skin casting a crisp, shivering contrast against the suffocating heat of the men. Sera leaned down, her icy fingers gently tilting Mari’s chin up before pressing her cold, smooth lips against Mari’s in a slow, lingering kiss that sent a shockwave of frost-and-fire shivering straight down Mari’s spine.

"You smell like victory," Sera whispered against her mouth, a dark, satiated smile touching her pale lips as her frost-tinted fingers traced down Mari's collarbone, making her shiver violently.

To Mari’s right, Lena was already on her knees at the side of the desk, her hands trembling in absolute, delirious worship as she unbuckled the outer armor plates shielding Mari’s hips. Lena buried her face against Mari’s bare waist, inhaling deeply and kissing the bruised flesh above her hipbone with frantic, desperate devotion. "All ours... all yours, Queen," Lena sobbed softly in ecstatic fever.

Ren stood at the base of the desk, his tactical vest discarded, revealing his lean, corded muscle slick with sweat. He tapped the master security override on his wrist unit, plunging the lobby into complete blackout except for the deep, pulsing red emergency lights that bathed Mari’s trembling body in a crimson glow.

"Broadcast towers isolated, boss," Ren drawled, his voice thick and low as he stepped into the circle, his eyes locked on Mari with unblinking hunger. He grabbed Mari’s ankle, hoisting her leg over his shoulder as he leaned in to press a hot, bruising kiss to the back of her knee. "The whole world is waiting on your next word. But they can wait."

Mari threw her head back against the cold marble, her dark eyes flashing with absolute, sovereign dominance as the full weight of her pack pressed into her from every side. Adrian’s massive hands locked around her hips, pulling her flush against his heavy, throbbing heat; Kael’s lips burned against her throat; Sera’s icy touch sent shivers down her chest; Lena clung to her waist in utter submission; and Ren held her fast.

Overwhelmed, hyper-stimulated, and radiating lethal power, Mari let out a low, throaty laugh that melted into a breathless gasp of pure, unfiltered pleasure.

"The world..." Mari panted, her voice vibrating with a dark, intoxicating command as she tightened her grip on Adrian's shoulders and pulled him back down to her lips, "...is ours."